Todd Parsons, President, Union of Northern Workers, Northwest TerritoriesThere's still a lot of uncertainty for UNW members regarding COVID-19. We've been working with many of our employers to ensure that policies are put in place to protect workers. In particular, we've done this with our largest employers, such as the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Ekati Diamond Mine. Coronavirus has been with us now for several weeks, however [the situation] is evolving daily. The Government of the Northwest Territories has been in regular contact with us to address how this affects not just public services, but also the public at large. Here in the Northwest Territories, we're a very small community with limited resources. A lot of health care support comes from Alberta or Ottawa. Many of our residents, when they are experiencing severe medical issues, get treatment outside of the Northwest Territories. In the territories there is limited ability to treat patients with severe respiratory illnesses. They do have respirators here although they are limited, and we are trying to better understand that situation with our employer. We are concerned about the health and safety of front-line workers. We have asked the employer to ensure that the appropriate personal protective equipment is in place and readily available for front-line workers. It's very important to have easy access to it in the health care field, and in all government services on a regular daily basis. We have to make sure that front-line workers are given the opportunity to have personal protective equipment while performing their duties. We also have protective language in our larger collective agreements such as the one with the Government of the Northwest Territories, that ensures that if there is a situation like this, employees have access to paid leave. It's important that not only our members, but also the general public is looked after. We're in a difficult situation and we're working with the government to provide public services that residents can rely on.
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