April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

food banks

Workers Rights

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This post will deal mainly with Ontario, though I would imagine similar situations are happening across the country.

In Ontario workers rights are being eroded at an alarming rate, most especially by the huge increase in Temporary Labour placement companies and their use by employers.

Temporary agencies, which require no licence to start up, are flourishing in Ontario where there are now 4,200 such businesses generating $6 billion a year in revenue. Yet Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, brought in 60 years ago to safeguard workers’ basic rights, makes no mention of them

The Star Jun 02, 2007

Temporary Agencies often do not provide proper training, do not provide benefits, do not provide the usual workplace protections from firing, and routinely refuse to pay stat holidays.

Now, when employers are caught, the fines range from only $250 to $1,000. While the labour ministry found employers violated employees’ rights in 11,358 claims last year and that almost $37 million in unpaid wages and benefits was owed to those workers, only four companies and two directors were charged.

[stats for 2006]The Star [Read more…] about Workers Rights

You want it when?

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Unfamiliar it seems with reality, Canada’s New Government™ has once again proven their incompetence.

Under questioning by NDP MP Irene Mathyssen, Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development finally admitted yesterday that none of the 70 million dollars earmarked for soup kitchens and shelters will be spent until or after April 1st.

Naturally in Canada in winter shelter is not a priority concern. People can do without food.

Harpers’ government has placed quite an emphasis on April 1st.

We can only hope that on that day we will learn this government has been nothing more than the practical joke it appears to be .

Star link

Foodbanking Women’s Issues

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I’m sure when foodbanks first started popping up they were considered a stop gap. A temporary fix to a major problem.

I’m sure there was an assumption that advocacy and research would be done to target the reasons for and solutions to most of the underlying causes.

Of course capitalism itself requires a certain level of poverty and unemployment to continue, it therefore, owes something to those upon whom the illusion is built.

Of course we know that despite the studies and proposed solutions the Liberal and Conservative governments have seen fit to reward corporations with tax cuts, and creating class warfare upon the poor.

The Conservative government has now taken the same approach to women’s issues. [Read more…] about Foodbanking Women’s Issues