The Honourable Monte McNaughton
MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex & Minister of Labour, Training & Skills Development
My number one priority is for every worker in Ontario to come home to their family after a hard day’s work. Every year, we pause on April 28th to remember relatives, friends, and neighbours who have died or been injured on the job. In 2021, unfortunately, this includes frontline heroes who paid the ultimate price in our fight to defeat COVID-19.
From day one of this pandemic, my ministry has done everything in its power to help keep workers safe. This includes giving workers unlimited job-protected leave so that nobody has to choose between their job and their health.
To date, over 500 health and safety inspectors, along with hundreds of officers from across the government, have conducted more than 47,000 COVID-19-related inspections and stopped unsafe work 80 times.
When it comes to the well-being of workers, my message is loud and clear: there are no shortcuts to health and safety. Any employer breaking the rules will quickly find an inspector at their door.
And while the pandemic remains front and centre, any type of workplace death is one too many. This is why I continue to work with our labour and industry partners to build a safer future.
We’re all on the same team. We have a shared responsibility to keep our workplaces safe now and for the days to come. The best way to honour those we remember today is to pledge to do better tomorrow.
