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Workplace injuries have hit a record low in Alberta, the province said Wednesday as labour groups demanded more action to protect employees.

"Alberta today is at a 19-year low relative to injuries," said Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

"There were 13,000 fewer people hurt last year on the job."

In 2009, 1.69% of workers filed lost time claims, the lowest number since the province started tracking the claims in 1991.

The disabling claim rate in 2009 was 3.09%, also a record low.

Still, 26,000 Albertans were hurt on the job last year, while 110 people died.

Of those fatalities, 49 were caused by occupational disease, 41 were workplace accidents, and 20 were motor vehicle incidents.

"That's 110 Albertans too many," Lukaszuk told reporters.

"Every Albertan deserves to come home after work unhurt and, obviously, alive."

In 2008, 166 people died on the job.

More must be done to protect workers, said the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees president.

Guy Smith said too many people are being hurt or killed on the job.

"That is simply not acceptable," Smith told a crowd gathered for a memorial ceremony.

"It's a disgrace."

The Alberta Federation of Labour, meanwhile, said the province must spend more money on workplace safety to spare employees from danger.

Gil McGowan, AFL president, said the government spends less on workplace safety now than it did in 1991.

"Keeping Albertans safe just doesn't seem to be the high priority it should be," he said.

Though injury rates have dropped, the province won't stop working to keep bringing those figures down, the minister said.

"I will not be resting on the laurels of these numbers," Lukaszuk said.

"And I will be the first one to tell you that we still have a long way to go."

Layoffs caused by last year's economic downturn accounted for some of the injury rate decline, Lukaszuk said, but he attributed most of the plunge to increased worker education.

Lukaszuk also addressed a recent auditor general's report that suggested lax enforcement at Occupational Health and Safety was letting problem employers put workers in danger.

He said he has since hired eight more front-line workers to inspect workplaces.

"I will be following all of the auditor's recommendations," Lukaszuk said.

"Any extra set of eyes that will provide me with constructive criticism is good for all of us."

Edmonton Sun, Wed Apr 28 2010
Byline: Michelle Thompson

Government spending on workplace safety in Alberta has not kept pace with growth in the provincial economy and population, according to research from the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).

As a result, workers around the province are at risk, especially if the economy ramps up for another boom, said Gil McGowan, president of AFL.

"Alberta is one of the most dangerous places in Canada to be a worker," said McGowan.

"We have more people working in dangerous industries than other provinces and we have a workplace fatality rate that's much higher than the national average."

The report, Danger: Workers at Risk, found Alberta spends less per worker on workplace safety than it did in 1991 and has just 1.4 health and safety inspectors per 10,000 workers compared to the national average of 2.1.

Alberta also has more workplace fatalities than the national average, at 5.9 per 100,000 workers compared with 4.2 nationally.

The report also found the number of Albertans working in the four most dangerous industries has almost doubled since 1991, growing to 620,000 workers from 341,000

The government's chronic under-funding of workplace safety is particularly troubling in light of the recent report on occupational health and safety from the Alberta Auditor General, said McGowan.

In his report, the Auditor General concluded the government "does not have a clear decision ladder for escalating compliance action from promotion and education to enforcement," even in cases where an employer has repeatedly been found in violation of workplace safety legislation.

"In other words, not only does the Alberta government have an inadequate number of inspectors - it also doesn't empower those inspectors to crack down on employers who they know are putting workers at risk," said McGowan.

None of this bodes well for working Albertans as the provincial economy begins to show early signs of a return to growth, he said.

"Workplace fatalities shot up during the last boom and they'll shoot up again if we don't put adequate resources and procedures in place now," said McGowan. "Now, before the next boom starts, is the time to fix Alberta's broken system for workplace safety. If we don't, more Albertans are going to needlessly pay the price. And that price will be paid with their bodies and with their lives."

HRReport.com, Wed Apr 28 2010

Alberta has many dangerous industries for employees, with a government that is spending less on workplace safety than they were in 1991.

According to Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour who cited from a report titled Danger: Workers at Risk put out by the Alberta Federation of Labour keeping Albertans safe is not the high priority it should be with the government.

Alberta has more workplace deaths than anywhere else in Canada with 5.9 per 100,000 workers dying on the job. That is much higher than the 4.2 Canadian average.

Since 1991 the number of Albertans of working in the four most dangerous industries have almost doubled. Yet despite the increase Alberta employs fewer health and safety inspectors than elsewhere in Canada. There are only 1.4 inspectors per 10,000 workers compared with the national figure of 2.1

"Workplace fatalities shot up during the last boom - and they'll shoot up again if we don't put adequate resources and procedures in place now," concludes McGowan.

"Now - before the next boom starts - is the time to fix Alberta's broken system for workplace safety. If we don't, more Albertans are going to needlessly pay the price. And that price will be paid with their bodies and with their lives."

Digital Journal, Wed Apr 28 2010

Alberta has less work site health and safety inspectors than many other provinces, even with an increasing number of workers in dangerous industries, according to a new report from the Alberta Federation of Labour.

"Albertans face one of the most dangerous workplaces in the country," said Gil McGowan, president of the federation, which represents more than two dozen Alberta unions.

The federation's report is being released to coincide with the National Day of Mourning, an annual union and community event to remember workers injured or killed on the job.

The report, titled Danger: Workers at Risk, says the provincial government employs 1.4 health and safety inspectors per 10,000 workers, while the national average is 2.08.

Only British Columbia and Quebec employ fewer inspectors, says the report, which examines federal census data.

The federation's report says that spending on Alberta's workplace safety programs has not kept pace with inflation, even as Alberta's oil and gas and construction industries have flourished.

Both industries include large numbers of high-risk jobs.

Alberta's rate of workers killed on the job, nine per 100,000, was the second highest among the provinces in 2008 -- Newfoundland and Labrador was first. The national rate was 7.24.

"If something isn't done, there will be consequences," McGowan said.
In Edmonton today, Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk will release more of the 2009 workplace injury and disease statistics.

On Tuesday, Lukaszuk said he is open to constructive criticism, but said workplace safety in Alberta is constantly improving. He is working with both labour and employer groups to begin a new era of workplace safety enforcement.

"That means more boots on the ground," Lukaszuk said.

Whether Occupational Health and Safety in the province is underfunded "depends how you measure it," the minister said.

"Let's say only one person perished last year. I still wouldn't be satisfied. I think it's a work in progress," Lukaszuk said.

The National Day of Mourning will be marked by events across the country, including two noontime ceremonies in Calgary.

Julie Hamilton, whose son Timothy died at a golf course near Bragg Creek in 1999, will speak at an event supported by industry safety groups and the Workers' Compensation Board at James Short Park.

Hamilton's 19-year-old son was killed when the pole he and a coworker were lifting from inside a tent struck an overhead power line.

"As parents, partners, siblings and kids of people with a work ethic who go to work every day, we deserve better than this," Hamilton said.

In 2009, the province counted 110 people who died while working, or died from a disease related to work -- the lowest fatality level in seven years.
The lower fatality rate came during an economic slump. Not included in that figure were workers who died on Alberta work sites regulated by the federal government.

"It's really important that people in Alberta recognize that they haven't lost numbers, they've lost people," Hamilton said.

The other Calgary event today will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the workers' memorial at City Hall.

It will "honour all of the Canadian workers who lost their lives, specifically the Albertans -- the 110 of them last year," said organizer Nick Lepora, president of the Calgary and District Labour Council.

A report released this week said federal government neglect is increasingly jeopardizing the safety of truckers, postal employees and other workers regulated by Ottawa.

The report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said Ontario, Quebec and Alberta have led the provinces in chalking up significant improvements in workplace safety for workers under their jurisdiction.
However, Alberta's auditor general warned this month that the province isn't adequately cracking down on employers who repeatedly flout safety rules and whose workers face a significantly higher risk of injury than most Albertans.

Calgary Herald, Wed Apr 28 2010
Byline: Kelly Cryderman

A new report by the Auditor General of Alberta suggests that the province needs to drastically improve its approach to worker safety.

The semi-annual report, released on April 14 by Merwan Saher, the province's acting auditor general, identifies a number of concerns surrounding the province's enforcement of occupational health and safety legislation. "A small but high-risk group of employers consistently fail to comply with OHS orders, often despite numerous reinspections" by Alberta Employment and Immigration (AEI), Saher writes. In addition, he points out that "half of those employers that persistently fail to comply with the OHS Act also continue to hold a valid Certificate of Recognition (COR), and continue to have elevated injury rates among their workers."

COR-holders are entitled to a rebate of up to 20 per cent of their workers' compensation premiums.

Labour federation hails "landmark" report
"It's a landmark document," comments Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL). "It confirms many of our worst fears when it comes to the Alberta government's approach to workplace health and safety. In particular, it demonstrates clearly that the province hasn't been aggressively enforcing its own workplace rules."

In fact, the report notes, 63 employers in the province - whose combined work force accounted for over 31,000 employees - failed to comply with safety orders within the span of a year. It also revealed that the Office of the Auditor General examined 18 employers whose oh&s orders had been suspended. For 14 of the 18 employers, the reasons given for suspending the orders were not in line with Alberta Employment and Immigration's mandated guidelines, the report points out.

"The majority of orders were suspended simply to be reopened in the next fiscal year as new orders. This practice skews compliance statistics and may present management with a compliance picture more favourable than it really is," notes the report. "For most of the suspended orders that were later reopened, we saw no evidence that employers took action on the original contraventions."

In addition to identifying problems in the province's workplace health and safety system, the auditor general's report listed a number of recommendations for improvement. These include that: AEI enforce compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act; it improve its planning and reporting systems for workplace health and safety to reduce chronic injuries and occupational diseases; it strengthen its inspection program by improving its employer selection method and risk focus; and, it improve the system of issuing CORs by obtaining confirmation of work done by COR auditors and consistently following-up on recommendations made.

For McGowan and the AFL, the auditor general's report highlights concerns over the transition from "education to enforcement." McGowan suggests that the government's focus on education is a poor substitute for enforcement, and that the current system lacks the resources needed to effectively enforce the legislation.

"Rules mean very little if there isn't a system in place to enforce them," he observes. "The government's current approach of education and gentle persuasion may work with the majority of employers, but you clearly need a system in place to deal with those employers who refuse to get with the program and continue to put their workers at risk."

Brian Mason, leader of the Alberta NDP, urges AEI to immediately release the list of employers who have repeatedly breached oh&s orders. "We want them to lift the [CORs] of all these companies immediately," he adds. "These companies are repeat offenders. They have not responded to education."

The AFL has also called for the list of employers to be made public. "A public list would provide a positive incentive for employers to improve their workplace safety practices," McGowan notes, adding that "there's nothing like the light of public scrutiny to improve corporate behaviour."

Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Employment and Immigration, could not be reached for comment on the report or the provision of a public list of offenders.

Canadian Occupational Health & Safety News
Tues Apr 27 2010

As the high season for temporary foreign workers in Canada kicks off, critics argue the program is broken, serving the short-term needs of the labour market while acting as an underground immigration pipeline and leaving foreign workers vulnerable to exploitation.

Researchers and advocates at a recent symposium at the Ontario Metropolis Centre, an immigration research centre, argued the program is "inherently exploitative" and one of the most important but ignored social issues in the country.

"There's no recognition of this and the really tragic thing is, if there's ever any recognition, it takes the form of Canadian Border Services Agency raiding workplaces and homes and deporting people, rather than saying, 'Why is it that we're developing this problem?'" says Yessy Byl, a lawyer and advocate with the Alberta Federation of Labour, and keynote speaker at the February symposium.

Canada's temporary foreign worker program allows employers to hire from outside the country if they've demonstrated no qualified Canadian applied for the job, and workers are permitted to stay in Canada only as long as they have a valid work permit. The program includes live-in nannies and eldercare workers, agricultural workers from Mexico and the Caribbean who help out on Canadian farms during planting and harvest, and low-skill service-sector jobs.

In 2008, the last year for which complete data is available, Canada admitted 250,000 immigrants as permanent residents and more than 192,000 temporary foreign workers, up from about 103,000 five years earlier. There are seasonal ebbs and flows to the number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada, with nearly one-third of the annual total arriving between April and July.

"Immigration Canada has been pushing the idea of temporary workers because they are very into the idea of disposable labour," says Francisco Rico-Martinez, an advocate on the issue and director of the FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto. "You bring someone here to work and you don't spend any money training them, preparing them, nothing. And at the end of the two years working here, you send them back and you don't have any responsibility whatsoever about that person."

Temporary foreign workers hired overseas agree to certain work conditions, Rico-Martinez says, but when they arrive in Canada, there's often "a big surprise." Agricultural workers may take a job that promises an hourly wage but find out when they arrive that it's paid according to what they harvest, he says, or employers may deduct money for food, clothing, or accommodations from their pay.

"If they complain to the employer, the solution for the employer is, 'You know what? I will send you home,'" he says. _"The employer can basically not honour the agreement and put someone on the street."

Dan Kelly, vice-president legislative affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents 100,000 small-business owners, says he doesn't doubt that some abuses occur, but he dismisses the idea that employers hire temporary foreign workers to take advantage of an "indentured relationship."

"I can tell you from speaking to thousands and thousands of employers, no one in their right mind would bring in a temporary foreign worker over an able and willing Canadian participant," he says, adding that regulatory hoops, airfare and recruitment fees make it much more expensive to hire a foreign worker than a Canadian. "The temporary foreign worker program is not perfect but it's been an absolute godsend for many, many small businesses."

Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, says temporary foreign workers are afforded the same legal protections as all Canadian workers and employers must adhere to provincial labour codes and pay the minimum wage for their region.

Earlier this year, the government tightened regulations to penalize employers who don't conform to the rules, he says, and later this spring they'll introduce new measures to crack down on unscrupulous immigration consultants.

"The reality is that there are tens of thousands of Canadian businesses which would go under if they didn't have access to this labour," Kenney says. "It's a very simple economic choice for the government: either we kill tens of thousands of businesses by refusing to allow them to have access to labour for jobs Canadians are not applying for, or we facilitate, on a limited and short-term basis, access to that skilled labour."

The government believes the "overwhelming majority" of foreign workers return to their home countries when their work permits expire, Kenney says, but he concedes: "There's not a seamless way to track it because Canada doesn't have exit controls."

The seasonal agricultural worker program, which accounts for 15 per cent of temporary foreign workers in Canada each year, allows better tracking because workers must check in with the labour ministries in their home countries when they return, Kenney says, and the compliance rate is over 90 per cent.

But Byl says "the vast majority" of temporary foreign workers come to Canada expecting to immigrate permanently, and they're often misled by recruiters who have charged them illegal fees.

Rico-Martinez says the government is "in denial" about the huge number of temporary foreign workers who go underground and stay in Canada when their work permits expire.

"The biggest reason for that is that Canada has never had a reputation for being a migrant worker country," Byl says. "Canada's reputation has been as a country to immigrate to, so there's been that mindset for people. I think we underestimate how desperate people are to improve their lives and the lives of their families."

Byline: Shannon Proudfoot
Canada.com, Mon Apr 26 2010
Montreal Gazette, Tues Apr 27 2010

Lives of workers put at risk by government

• The government's shocking failure to enforce its own workplace safety laws is putting thousands of workers at risk, according to a new report from the Auditor General. Not only have companies that have violated the Occupational Health and Safety Act been allowed to continue without penalty, some have been awarded Certificates of Recognition that earn them WCB discounts and help them win contracts. The AFL has long fought for stronger health and safety standards and enforcement. It now calls on the government to quickly implement all recommendations made by the Auditor General, including the naming of those companies that are repeat offenders. Workers have a right to know whether their workplace is safe or not. Go to Call to Action - Report of the Alberta Auditor General for details or to the AFL release.

It's time to stop the exploitation of vulnerable temporary foreign workers

• The vast majority of temporary foreign workers in Alberta have been charged sometimes illegal fees ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 by "employment agencies," but the government of Alberta has failed to prosecute these agencies, says AFL's Temporary Foreign Worker Advocate. The government is now seeking feedback on changing legislation governing these agencies. We have until April 30 to tell them that we don't support exploitation. For more details ...

Alberta abandons leadership role in tackling crisis on pensions

• Finance Minister Ted Morton has played down the seriousness of the pensions crisis facing Canadians, reversing the position taken earlier by the Alberta government. Rather than pushing for a much-needed boost to the pensions system, Morton claims there is no crisis and no need for urgent action. "It looks like the government's commitment to push for meaningful changes is starting to evaporate," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL.  For more information ...

Alberta continues to shed jobs while other provinces recover

• The latest figures from Statistics Canada reveal that unemployment in Alberta has risen to 7.5 per cent, its highest level since 1996 - and it's the only province that continues to lose jobs. There are 87,200 fewer Albertans working in full-time jobs today than there were at the top of the pre-recession boom in October 2008. While other provinces have embarked on stimulus programs to boost their economy, the Alberta government has chosen to stand idly by and watch jobs disappear. For details ...

Urgent Action

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Phone now to save union jobs

• The Yellow Pages Group has decided it will no longer print and distribute White Pages phone books. This may mean the loss of 42 jobs of members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union at World Color in Edmonton, where the directories are printed. It's also bad news for seniors who may not have access to online directories. But there is a chance to reverse the decision and save jobs. If you want White Pages delivered to homes and offices, call 1-877-909-9356. For more details ...

Events

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2010 AFL Kids' Camp
August 9 - 13, 2010

16th Annual AFL Kids' Camp, August 9 to 13, 2010. The theme for this year's camp is "Health and Safety: Not Just for Adults." The camp is open to children of all AFL affiliates.

Camper Registration Form and Union Donations and Volunteer Form
Deadline for registration is June 18, 2010.

Did you know ...

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• That there were 166 occupational fatalities in Alberta in 2008, compared to 154 the previous year;
• That 63 companies have failed to comply with Occupational Health and Safety orders after one year or more;
• That 31,000 employees work for those companies;
• That half of those companies that consistently fail to comply with OHS orders still hold valid Certificates of Recognition; andThat not one of those companies has been named by the Alberta government.

Alberta Auditor General Report, April 2010 - occupational health and safety

The Alberta government says it wants to release the names of companies with poor safety records, but it needs legal approval first to ensure no privacy laws are broken.

The Alberta government says it wants to release the names of companies with poor safety records, but it needs legal approval first to ensure no privacy laws are broken.

"I know who they are, but now to make this public, it could potentially put them out of business," provincial Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said Thursday.

"I want to be satisfied 100 per cent that they indeed fall into that category because I would hate to put a business - and hence, workers - out of work by saying, 'Whoops, I made a mistake.'"

On Wednesday, acting auditor general Merwan Saher called on the province to get tough on this "small, but high-risk" group of employers, who have higher-than-average rates of workers with disabling injuries - in many cases, three to four times the provincial average - and consistently fail to abide by orders from Occupational Health and Safety.

The report also criticized the province for suspending compliance orders to boost safety statistics, as well as lacking the systems to track non-compliance properly.

The report's findings were lauded by the Alberta Federation of Labour, which now hopes it will prompt the province to make changes.

Lukaszuk has vowed to crack down on unsafe companies and says he'll go one step further if he can release the company names.

"I want to release all employers because there could be some on the fringe of that list ... you know, they're not as bad but they're getting there. So what I want to do is actually release the statistics of all employers," he said.

Lukaszuk said he hopes to have an answer about legally releasing the names within a few months.

CBC News, Fri Apr 19 2010

Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said Thursday he will publicly identify employers who consistently ignore safety orders, once he finds a way around privacy issues.

Opposition parties, unions and academics called for Lukaszuk to distribute the list, but the minister said privacy concerns prohibit him from doing so right now.

The issue heated up a day after an auditor general's report highlighted a lack of enforcement to deal effectively with companies that fail to meet safety standards, sometimes after workplace accidents.

Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, said the government owes it to Albertans to name employers who fail to follow safety orders.

"Albertans deserve to know whether the company they work for, or apply to work for, takes safety seriously," he said. "There's nothing like the light of public scrutiny to correct corporate behaviour."

That request was echoed by the provincial Liberals and the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research.

"If you have a restaurant that doesn't comply with health standards, they go on a public list," said Don Voaklander, director of the centre. "It should be no different here."

On Thursday, Lukaszuk said he can't release the list, but left the door open to doing so in the future.

"Now I cannot legally release the list," he said, citing privacy laws. "Although I am a proponent of releasing that list."

Lukaszuk said he is working on a new policy that would allow him to release all employers' safety records. He said his staff has been working on such a measure for weeks. It is unclear what information would be released, but he says it would not be limited to employers who have outstanding compliance orders.

"It will provide a list of not just the bad guys, so to speak, but all employers."

Lukaszuk could not explain why companies that failed to follow orders were not fined or otherwise punished, though he added those that "willingly choose to ignore" laws will be dealt with.

He was appointed employment minister earlier this year.

Over a five-month period in 2007 and 2008, the auditor general's office reviewed nearly 4,000 compliance orders issued by the government. While most employers did comply, 109 orders for 63 employers were not followed. Those employers had an injury rate three to four times the provincial average.

Auditors also found the government often suspended compliance orders even if the companies didn't follow them.

Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald wants the list released. He rejected the argument that privacy rules prevent the government from doing so, saying the government is simply unwilling to protect workers to the fullest.
The review of Workplace Health and Safety was supposed to be done last year, MacDonald said, but was delayed because of budget cuts to the auditor general's office.

While Voaklander said enforcement options should be used, he cautioned against too much emphasis on reactive strategies, after an injury has taken place.

"The 'get it done' attitude won't work," he said.

"A culture where safety comes first will work. If that comes from the top, if everyone watches everyone's back, it will be a safe and productive workplace."

McGowan criticized the government for being "pro-business," and not wielding "the big stick," against the minority of employers who fail to comply. He has requested an emergency meeting with Lukaszuk.

The auditor general did not release the names of any employers, but his report said "the majority of these employers have less than 200 workers. Their combined workforce accounts for over 31,000 jobs."

There were 110 workplace-related deaths in Alberta in 2009. There were 166 in 2008, and 154 in 2007.

Byline: Ryan Cormier
Edmonton Journal, with files from Trish Audette, Fri Apr 16 2010

Write Employment and Immigration Minister and the Premier!

Apr 15, 2010

Issue: Report of the Alberta Auditor General (April 2010) - Occupationa Health and Safety

Action Requested: Write the Minister of Employment and Immigration (the Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk) and the Premier

When: Immediately

Background:

Many of you will be aware that Alberta's Auditor General released a report this week that was highly critical of the Alberta Employment and Immigration's implementation and enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

His report identified "serious weaknesses in the (government's) system for dealing with persistent non-compliance." In particular, the report said the government doesn't have a clear "decision ladder for escalating compliance action from promotion and education to enforcement."

In addition, the AG's report found:

• Over 60 companies have persistently failed to comply with OHS orders.

• Half of those employers continue to hold a valid Certificate of Recognition (COR) that helps them win contracts and qualifies them for reduced WCB rates while stats show that their workers are much more likely to get hurt on the job than the provincial average.

• In a number of cases, the government simply suspended compliance orders even though the company in question had done little or nothing to address the issues.

AFL's Position:

This is a landmark document for the AFL's struggle for stronger occupational health and safety standards and enforcement in Alberta. We have been lobbying for years for better standards and enforcement for occupational health and safety in our province and this document gives empirical evidence that what we have been calling for is necessary.

The Auditor General has made five recommendations including: a call for greater enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act; improvements to planning and reporting for health and safety; improving proactive inspections; and ensuring that companies with Certificates of Recognition are addressing any safety issues they have been cited for.

The entire report can be found at: http://www.oag.ab.ca/files/oag/OAGPubRepApr2010.pdf.

The AFL has requested an urgent meeting with Minister Lukaszuk, who has committed to address all of the issues brought up by the Auditor General "in one way or another," to discuss timelines for the implementation of all of the recommendations made in the report.

Action:

We urge each of you to also write to the Premier and the Minister and insist they take immediate action to implement the Auditor General's recommendations.

We would also encourage you to join us in calling on the government to publish the names of companies that are repeat offenders of the Occupational Health and Safety Act as it should be a worker's right to know whether their workplace is safe or not.

We are also calling on the government to bring in legislation that would make joint health and safety committees mandatory on every work site, which the Auditor General has recognized as being a helpful tool in other provinces where it has been implemented.

This is a window of opportunity for us that we must not allow to slip by without taking action.

Contact information:

The Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk

Legislature Offices

Legislature Office
#418 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 415-4800
Fax: (780) 422-9556

The Honourable Ed Stelmach

Legislature Offices

Legislature Office
307 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-2251
Fax: (780) 427-1349