Quebec urged to list burnout as an occupational disease in update to workplace safety laws
Labour groups and medical specialists want burnout categorized as an occupational disease, meaning it would be considered the same way lung cancer is for construction workers exposed to asbestos.
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MONTREAL With an eye to post-pandemic life, the Quebec government announced $91 million for job training programs on Tuesday. Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge and Labour Minister Jean Boulet made the announcement, which will see the money spent over two years. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in around 125,000 job losses in the province since March. The minister said their goal is to better match the supply and demand of jobs with short-term training and to ensure that people forced into unemployment turn to sectors where demand is high. Boulet said he hopes Quebecers have “a change in culture” when it comes to work.
Workers’ rights advocacy group denounces bill amending workplace safety law 18 January 2021 at 18 h 31 min Reading time: 1 min CTTAE coordinator Patrick Morin
(Photo : Michael Boriero)
The Comité des travailleurs et a accidentés de l’Estrie (CTTAE) is one of several workers’ rights groups in Quebec demanding the provincial government withdraw its recently proposed Bill 59.
“What we’re asking François Legault and Jean Boulet is to pull out the bill and return to the drawing board because right now it isn’t worth it,” said CTTAE coordinator Patrick Morin.
Bill 59 is an act to reform and modernize the workplace safety law, which was created in 1979. Morin told The Record that with work-from-home becoming more accepted due to the pandemic, and with a continued rise in automation, the law needs to change.
Quebec pins all its hopes on the vaccine, but experts say action is needed on multiple fronts
The province s pandemic exit strategy leans heavily on mass vaccination, but experts argue there s a need for bold action to curb transmission. It doesn t appear to be forthcoming.
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QUEBEC A coalition of 215 community groups are demanding the Legault government increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour. “It’s a question of social justice, a question of dignity,” said Marc-Edouard Joubert, president of the Federation of Workers of Quebec. The provincial minimum wage is currently $13.10 per hour. Compared to the other provinces and territories, Quebec sits in seventh place. Nunavut has the highest minimum wage in the country, at $16 per hour. Following that are Alberta ($15), BC ($14.60), Ontario ($14.25), Yukon ($13.71), and the Northwest Territories (1$3.46). In a joint statement, the groups criticized the Legault government, saying many essential workers rely on food banks because they can’t afford the cost of food.