To voice the concerns of front line workers providing key public services as well as those using the service, representatives from the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, Child Care Now and Free Transit Ottawa will speak at an online press conference. They will be making statements on the conditions of front line workers in the public sector in healthcare, public transit and childcare, and making demands for immediate improvements as well as in the post-covid period. Speakers include Michael Hurley (Ontario Council of Hospital Unions), Ayesha Basit (Child Care Now, Ottawa), Chelsea Flook (Free Transit Ottawa),and Clint Crabtree (President and Business Agent, ATU Local 279). 

Three groups fighting for improved public services and the rights of the workers in those sectors have come together to demand that the city of Ottawa recognize the importance of public services during the pandemic and take additional steps to protect workers and citizens. Free Transit Ottawa’s original statement demands the suspension of fare collection, higher service levels to allow for physical distancing, masks and hand sanitizer on all buses, access to testing and paid sick leave for drivers, and proper access to bathrooms and breaks for handwashing. Child Care Now’s petition demands a coordinated political response to ensure funding for licensed child care facilities to remain operational, expansion of eligibility for free child care, and improved safety measures for families and workers. The press conference will address these statements, the condition of workers of service users, and the path forward from COVID-19 for public services.

Please RSVP and share the Facebook event page with your network.