This year marked the 20th anniversary of the Nova Scotia Westray mine disaster in which an underground methane explosion claimed the lives of 26 workers prompted years of relentless lobbying by the United Steelworkers that finally resulted in Bill C-45 changes to the criminal code that allowed for the prosecution of negligent employers.
OFL Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Hutchison, herself the survivor of a work-related illness, appeared with retired Steelworker Health and Safety Director Andy King on the CBC’s “Sunday Edition” to discuss the legacy of the Westray disaster. Hutchison flew out to Nova Scotia the following week to attend the Westray Memorial.
“In the eight years since Bill C-45 was passed it was unused in Ontario, yet more than 500 workers have been killed on the job and more than two million are injured,” said Hutchison. “Mothers, fathers, children, friends and neighbours have endured the worst tragedies imaginable as the relentless drive for profits has been allowed to take precedence over the health and safety of workers. We cannot permit one more company to ignore its obligation to put people ahead of profits.”
The OFL’s “Kill a Worker, Go to Jail” campaign calls for the vigorous use of C-45.
Click here to listen to the entire interview on CBC’s Sunday Edition.
