West tables bill designating June 1 Injured Workers Day in Ontario

QUEEN'S PARK- Jamie West, MPP for Sudbury and Labour critic for the Ontario NDP, introduced a bill to the legislature today that would proclaim June 1 each year as Injured Workers Day.

"On June 1, 1983, more than 3,000 injured workers came to Queen's Park for public hearings on a proposal to change the workers' compensation system. All day, injured workers told their stories, shared their perspectives about the workers' compensation system, and advocated for themselves and their fellow workers with great success.

For the past 40 years, injured workers and their advocates have continued to gather in cities across the province on June 1 to recognize Injured Workers' Day.

After four decades, it is time for the Ontario Legislature to officially recognize June 1 as Injured Workers Day

Injured Workers Day would serve as an opportunity for the Province of Ontario to recognize the individuals who have been injured at work or who have suffered injuries due to their workplace conditions. This is a day to bring awareness to workplace injury issues and the plight of injured workers and demonstrate a commitment to workplace injury prevention and remediation."

Quotes:

"We would be so pleased to have the Ontario Legislature officially recognize June 1 as Injured Workers Day. Injured Workers often feel invisible. Especially those 20,000 workers each year with a severe injury or illness that ends up as a permanent, lifelong disability. We often lose our jobs, our income, our place in life and our social connections. This could be one step forward to help us heal and to create a more inclusive society."

Janet Paterson, President of ONIWG

"Any one of us at any moment in our working lives could become an injured worker – and experience the loss of self, purpose, relationships, financial security, and many other impacts faced every day by injured workers and their families. Injured Workers Day acknowledges those impacts and breaks the isolation felt by these hard-working members of our communities. I sincerely hope the members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario will formally recognize June 1 as Injured Workers Day."

Janice Hobbs Martell, Founder of the McIntyre Powder Project

"Steelworkers have a proud history of defending and advocating for workers' rights. This will always include injured workers who are injured in the workplace. These workers are our brothers, our sisters, and our friends. This is a day for us to stand in solidarity with Injured Workers and to acknowledge the impact workplace injury has, not just on the workers, but also on families and on our community."

Miles Sullivan, Director USW

"For decades, Ontario workers have observed June 1 as Injured Workers Day, an important landmark to honour those who have been harmed at work. We are hopeful that officially enshrining this date will be an opportunity for all of us to come together and show our support for injured and ill workers every single year."

Patty Coates, OFL President