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Peel Paramedics with CUPE Peel Region

 

OPSEU paramedics stand in solidarity with striking Peel CUPE members


June 6, 2012

OPSEU Paramedics in the Region of Peel are calling on the Region to treat unionized workers fairly to end two strikes with CUPE 966 and ensure citizens can access life-sustaining and life-saving services.
 
The Region’s decision to offer these workers less than non-union workers has lead them to withdraw their labour to get a fair deal.
 
Today the Region’s Public Works workers were forced to strike to ensure a fair deal. This has the potential to negatively impact the health of the citizens of the Region of Peel.
 
Besides performing important tasks like chlorinating drinking water, the striking workers also keep the Regional Paramedic Service running. CUPE 966 members are responsible for the mechanical maintenance of the ambulances and rapid response units.
 
The Peel Regional Paramedic Service provides world-class life saving care, but the Paramedics of Peel Region can only provide that care once they arrive at the scene of an emergency.
 
”Without CUPE 966 members to service our ambulances I worry that Paramedics will be without working vehicles and will be unable to respond to calls,” says Dave Wakely, President of Local 277. He adds: “when ambulances are sent out to dealerships for maintenance it always seems to take longer and the dealerships cannot service any of the ambulance electronics. For the sake of our patients I hope the Region comes back with a fair offer.”
 
OPSEU Local 277 represents the nearly 500 Primary and Advanced Care Paramedics who work in the Region of Peel.  OPSEU represents more than 130,000 workers across Ontario.
 
For more information:
Dave Wakely, President, OPSEU Local 277:  905-601-3208 (cell)
 

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Privacy Rights Increasing Recognized - Hicks Morley

http://www.hicksmorley.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1175&catid=6

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Privacy Rights Increasingly Recognized

There is an increasing recognition of individual privacy rights when it comes to access to employee medical information for employers trying to manage illness in the workplace, says Dan Fogel, of Hicks Morley. Speaking at its 'Legal Issues in Managing Employee Illness' session, he said some decisions allow employers access to information that is reasonably necessary, as opposed to "absolutely necessary." Given this, he said, best practices require employers to get employee consent to access information. These requests should be specific, accurate, complete, and clear. Simply put, he said employers should state what they need and why they need it. As well, they need to set out who is entitled to see the information and make sure these are people where it is reasonably necessary that they have access to the information.

 

http://blog.isourcebenefits.ca/2012/03/08/privacy-rights-increasingly-recognized/

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Tax Ruling Helps Paramedics (and other Occupations)

dollar sign1As Paramedics, we often change services, positions (Part Time to Full Time) or relocation with change in level of care (Primary Care to Advanced to Critical).

A recent tax decision can help Paramedics in Ontario with moving expenses.

Now if only we could deduct our stethoscopes and personal safety vests....

From the Toronto Star - January 12, 2012

http://www.moneyville.ca/blog/post/1113928--he-fought-moving-expense-tax-ruling-and-won

you made a move in 2011 to significantly reduce your daily commute and kept all of your receipts, you can save yourself a chunk of money when you file your tax return.

As a result of a recent Tax Court of Canada decision, you can now deduct moving expenses if you moved to a new residence more than 40 kilometres closer to your workplace, even if you didn’t get a new job.

Glen Wunderlich was living in Toronto in mid-2004 when he accepted a position with the Burlington company Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Upon receiving a promotion from the same company in early 2007, he decided to move to Oakville.

In determining his income for 2008, Wunderlich claimed moving expenses of $33,160. The Canada Revenue Agency denied these expenses on the basis that he did not have “a new work location.”

Read more...

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Government closing of Peel Enforcement Office endangers motorists: OPSEU

November 28, 2011

PEEL – The Ontario government’s elimination of safety patrols for dangerous trucks in Peel Region will leave one of the province’s largest trucking hubs without basic safety enforcement, putting GTA motorists in grave danger, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU).

The elimination of the Peel Enforcement Office and the virtual elimination of area patrols in the region is part of the Ontario government’s goal of downsizing the public service by five per cent by Mar. 31, 2012.

Edie Strachan, president of OPSEU Local 506 and a transportation enforcement officer for the Ministry of Transportation, says that her members are extremely concerned about the danger to people in the GTA. “Our members can barely handle the workload right now,” said Strachan. “Peel Police only have two officers trained as inspectors and they will tell you, their mandate is not trucks.”

Strachan says that her members regularly find trucks with malfunctioning brakes and poorly-fastened wheels in Peel, which has more than a hundred bus operators and nearly a thousand garages doing truck and vehicle-safety certifications. “Now, unsafe trucks can go through Peel completely unimpeded without worrying whether their vehicles may be inspected to ensure they meet basic safety standards.”

Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of OPSEU, says that the decision to cut inspection patrols is profoundly weakening Ontario’s truck safety inspection system. “Ontario citizens are being placed at unacceptable risk,” Thomas said. “There will be more accidents, more injuries and more deaths on Ontario roads. The public expects our roads to be safe. We can’t provide that service if the government keeps slashing the foundation of public safety.”

The Ministry of Transportation has completed over one million commercial driver and vehicle inspections since 1999. These were conducted by 270 OPSEU-represented transportation enforcement officers.

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Firefighter's Trial Date Set

A firefighter accused of causing a crash earlier this year that killed a Mississauga woman will go to trial next March.
Yesterday in Brampton court, a judge ruled that the trial of Jarrett Johns, 35, of Toronto, will run March 5-8 and March 26, 2012.
Johns is accused of running a red light while driving the Mississauga fire truck that hit Kimberley Schulz's car and killed her on March 6.
Schulz, 42, was returning home after playing hockey at York University when she was killed in the Britannia Rd. W./Rodeo Dr. crash, which occurred a few minutes before noon on a Sunday.  
The fire truck had its lights and sirens activated, as it was responding to a nearby crash, Peel Regional Police say.
None of the three firefighters on board were injured.
The traffic light sensor system, which changes lights for oncoming emergency vehicles, was activated at the time of the crash, police said earlier.
By law, a fire truck en route to a call must come to a complete stop at a red light before proceeding.
If convicted, Johns faces a fine of up to $1,000.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

J Dean Mississauga News
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