On Monday, February 26, OPSEU/SEFPO forest firefighter and Local 703 VP Noah Freedman and OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick spoke at a press conference at Queen’s Park calling for immediate government action to fix the health and safety crisis for Ontario’s forest firefighters before the imminent start of the 2024 wildfire season.
They were joined by NDP MPPs Lise Vaugeois, Guy Bourgouin, Sol Mamakwa and Jamie West. In addition to former forest firefighter and cancer survivor Simon Chateauvert. Together, they called out the Ford government’s negligence in regards to the health and safety of forest firefighters.
The press conference received a lot of media attention both provincially and regionally. You can read the coverage here:
Timmins Today: Forest firefighters worry Ontario not taking smoke exposure risks seriously
My Kaphearst Now: Bourgouin and northern MPPs urge province to help forest firefighters
Kenora Online: Forest firefighters still wait for government action
Soo Today: Union sounds alarm over forest firefighter staffing ‘crisis’
InSauga: Forest firefighters face huge health risks and want the Ford government to do more
L’Express: Les pompiers de forêt de l’Ontario inquiets pour leur santé
Village Report: ‘It’s scary’: Crew leader demands changes to wildland fire program
Forest fire workers have been fighting for recognition, appropriate PPE and workers’ compensation for decades. In recent months, they’ve been campaigning, and garnering significant public support, to fix the crisis in Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES). They even met with Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Graydon Smith, to discuss their demands but unfortunately, he, like the rest of the Ford government, has chosen to ignore them and shut them out.
Join their fight and send message to your representatives, calling on them to protect forest firefighters now, before the 2024 wildfire season begins: https://opseu.org/protect-forest-firefighters/?source=wp