Occupational Disease Reform Alliance Launched

Ontario workers and families of workers who are suffering from or have died from occupational diseases launched an important initiative in their fight for justice. On October 29 the formation of the Occupational Disease Reform Alliance (ODRA) was announced at a press conference hosted by NDP MPP Wayne Gates. Speakers at the press conference included Sue James, former Peterborough GE worker, and two widows of workers who have died of occupational diseases, Jean Simpson, whose husband worked at Fiberglass Sarnia for 36 years, and Sara Sharpe, whose husband worked at GE Peterborough for 42 years.

The ODRA is composed of occupational disease victims and family members from various disease clusters across Ontario, including Peterborough, Sarnia, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Kitchener-Waterloo and Sault Ste. Marie. Included in the sources of the occupational disease clusters are Peterborough GE, McIntyre Powder aluminum dust, Kitchener rubber workers, Sarnia victims of Chemical Valley, Dryden Pulpmill, Ventra/Pebra Plastics in Peterborough, Neelon Castings in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie steel mills.

The ODRA brings together into one single advocacy coalition groups that have been fighting for decades to get the Ministry of Labour and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to acknowledge their workplace diseases and compensate them.

At the press conference Sue James, chair of the ODRA said "Our communities from across Ontario are wrapped in a shroud of despair, grief and suffering. Minister, you know exactly who we are, we have reached out to you before, through letters and emails. You know our suffering and loss and yet you do nothing. It saddens me that you have ignored the families who have been seeking justice for their loved ones and the workers who continue to get ill and die. ...The time is long since passed for this to be corrected and we are calling on you and holding you to account and responsible for the many wrongs inflicted on these workers and families. The Occupational Disease Reform Alliance will no longer be silenced."

The ODRA is making four demands of the Ford government that will bring justice for workers and their families trying to access WSIB benefits for occupational diseases. These demands are: granting entitlement for diseases when they are more prevalent among workers than in the community, not using unreasonable standards to make decisions about supporting sick workers, creating a presumption of work-relatedness for certain cancers, and requiring WSIB to recognize diseases caused by exposure to multiple carcinogens at once.

The Occupational Disease Reform Alliance is on Facebook and can be reached at odreform@gmail.com.

An ODRA representative will join with Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups(ONIWG), labour organizations and allies for the 30th anniversary Christmas Holiday demonstration being held online on December 14 at 10:00 am. See ad below and watch for further information on coming events on the cpcml.ca homepage. 

This article was published in

November 26, 2021 - No. 112

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO081123.HTM

    

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