The climate crisis is here. Ontario is burning. This summer, all across Ontario the skies were orange and the air was thick with smoke from fires throughout the province and in other parts of the country.
We are living through a climate emergency and working people are bearing the brunt of climate change – many working outside in record-breaking heat waves and through unprecedented weather events.
But by harnessing our collective power, working in and with our communities, and demanding immediate climate action working people have the power to solve this crisis.
This summer, Ontario’s forest fire workers took on the Ford government. They demanded adequate funding and planning so that not only do we have the crews we need to fight fires safely, but also the necessary teams in place to reduce the impacts of these fires by clearing the bush, effective forest management, and other means of fire mitigation.
The concerns of those members are not unique. Until the Ford government begins to take steps to address the climate crisis, workers in this province will continue to be put in harm’s way.
Ontario’s public service workers will play a key role in ensuring a healthy greener future for this province. There cannot be climate justice without social justice, and to achieve both we need a strong and powerful labour movement working alongside and with our communities.
That’s why OPSEU/SEFPO is proud to endorse the Global Fight To End Fossil Fuels.
President JP Hornick will be speaking at the event at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Saturday, September 16th at 11 am.
Other events are being organized across the province including in Sarnia, London, Stratford, Waterloo, Brampton, Barrie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Huntsville, Lindsay, Peterborough, Kingston, and Ottawa.
To learn more about this global movement and find other events near you, click here.