Police: sugar worker, 86, fatally shoots boss after firing


© Provided by The Canadian Press

BELLE GLADE, Fla. (AP) — An 86-year-old sugar mill worker with 31 years on the job fatally shot his boss after he was refused another year at the mill, authorities said Saturday.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office said in a news release that Felix Cabrera was jailed without bail on a first-degree murder charge following the Friday morning shooting at the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative in Belle Glade.

Jail records did not list an attorney for Cabrera. The victim's name was not released by the sheriff's department. He was a 67-year-old man from nearby Martin County.

Authorities say Cabrera sought to work one additional year for financial reasons but was turned down. That's when he allegedly pulled out a handgun and shot the boss several times, killing him.

The cooperative is comprised of 44 different sugar cane farms that operate on about 70,000 acres (28,327 hectares) in the Everglades Agricultural Area near Lake Okeechobee.

The cooperative put out a statement saying it was “horrified and deeply saddened by the senseless violence,” The Palm Beach Post reported.

“The victim was part of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative family, and we are praying for the victim’s loved ones, as well as all our team members and growers," the statement said.

SO WAS THE EMPLOYEE EXPLOITED FOR 31 YEARS AND ALL HE ASKED WAS TO BE EXPLOITED FOR ONE MORE YEAR FOR SHIT WAGES.

The Associated Press

Workers are 'rage quitting' their jobs as a tightening labor market forces employers to take note of unfavorable conditions and low pay

insider@insider.com (Áine Cain) - 9h ago


© Samantha Lee/Insider

Are we seeing the rise of rage-quitting at work? 

The waning days of the pandemic have prompted plenty of work-related reflection.

The result is a pent-up feeling that's prompting some to walk off jobs in frustration.

But is the advent of "rage quitting" really a positive thing for employees? Experts aren't sure.

Kendra wasn't usually one to get mad, especially not on the job. She'd joined Dollar General in 2019, as a longtime homemaker hoping for a change of pace. She loved chatting with the regulars who filed into her small-town location. She was meticulous about all the little tasks that went into keeping the store clean, organized, and running smoothly. Kendra had even worked her way up to the role of key-holder, the store employee responsible for opening and closing.

But then came the pandemic, and Kendra began to watch the stress start to "roll downhill." The headwaters of the strain seemed to be visits, announcements, or corrections from regional and district management. The negativity seemed to submerge Kendra's store manager, who became overwhelmed and less communicative toward her team. Soon, Kendra herself would find herself drowning in an increasingly fraught work environment.

"By the time you get down to that lowly stay-at-home mom that just wanted a part-time job - who is earning less than a hundred dollars a week because she's making $7.25 an hour and only working 10 hours a week - it's not worth it," Kendra told Insider.

She says she's not the "type of person" who acts out of anger. Yet, in the springtime of 2021, Kendra rage-quit her job.

Kendra isn't the Dollar General worker's real name. After verifying her employment records, Insider is protecting Kendra's identity because she is concerned about getting her ex-boss in trouble with management. She said her manager is a "good person" who is simply under pressure.

On her last shift, Kendra says she could tell her store manager was displeased with something. During the pandemic, Kendra said she felt like she was constantly dealing with passive-aggressive and snide remarks, instead of clear direction.

"It's like, if I've done something wrong, just tell me, you don't have to be mean about it," Kendra said. "Just tell me."

The manager declined to share what the problem was, and the conversation got heated. So Kendra walked out, and never went back.

The phenomenon of rage-quitting is as old as work itself. Some people prefer to end things with a bang, not a whimper. So things like bridge-burning, walking off sans a two weeks' notice, or even making a scene are nothing new when leaving a workplace. But the American workforce seems to be primed for rage-quitting at the moment - especially hourly workers in low-wage occupations like retail, which make up a giant portion of the workforce. In fact, hourly workers made up 58.1% of the US workforce in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Recently, multiple Dollar General employees at a store in Maine walked off the job after posting notes decrying the company's work culture and pay. Similar incidents have occurred at Chipotle, Hardee's, and Wendy's around the country. Meanwhile, employers are complaining of a tight labor market, in some cases accusing unemployment benefits of luring potential workers away.

But there's also evidence that many hourly wage-earners are simply fed up with their jobs. A study from the human resources assessment platform Traitify found that one in four respondents were at least "somewhat" less happy with their job than they were a year ago.

Gigs in industries like retail have long been denounced over low pay and high stress. But will the boiled-over rage of workers fresh off a life-altering pandemic - and any resulting labor shortage - finally prompt a major shift in working conditions?

'So done with that job'

The pandemic itself had an outsized influence on worker's decision-making. In some cases, workers who spoke with Insider cited the coronavirus as a primary reason for their unhappiness on the job, and their ultimate departure.

That was the reasoning behind Crista's choice to depart from their job at PetSmart. Crista is also a member of the labor rights group United for Respect.

"I was really concerned about bringing COVID home from my place of work," they told Insider.

Those fears grew as they watched managers and coworkers continuously flout mask requirements within the stores, even as COVID-19 deaths spiked. Crista says they found the work environment "callous."

"It's definitely hard to report stuff to the boss when the boss is breaking the rules, too," they said.

Crista lives with their mother, who is 62. Their decision to quit was informed less by "rage" than by a deep dread over potentially infecting their loved one. Still, it amounted to a hasty departure. Crista can even pinpoint "the exact moment" they realized they needed to leave.

"My coworker was talking about how masks are so inconvenient to wear," they said. "And she said, 'If any of y'all get COVID from me, then sorry, not sorry.' So she literally was like, 'Yeah, I don't care if you get sick, I just don't want to wear my mask.'"

After thinking it over at home, they decided the "amount of pay" wasn't worth the "lack of safety." They called into work to put in their two weeks notice.

"The team lead said, 'Just write it down on a piece of paper and don't say anything about why,'" they said.

"I found it very strange and concerning that they would rather not hear why someone found a company to be a bad fit, especially during a global pandemic," Crista said.

Crista says they went in to hand-deliver the note, but couldn't find a manager. They left after situating the letter on a doorknob, and never received another call from PetSmart.

"PetSmart should know that there's a huge disconnect between the corporate policies that have been put in place versus what their management and their staff actually do at their stores," they said. "And that there needs to be some oversight and enforcement."

In a statement sent to Insider, a PetSmart spokesperson said that the company remains committed to measures like "enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols, face covering requirements for associates and customers, daily health screening for associates, and many other steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19."

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our teams and pet parents, and since the beginning of the pandemic, we have continuously directed our stores to adapt business practices to meet or exceed all applicable health and safety guidance, as well as other best practices for retail store operations," the spokesperson said. "Additionally, we have significantly invested in personal protective equipment, including cloth face coverings, KN-95 masks and gloves for associates, cleaning supplies, physical barriers in our stores, and other items to protect our associates and customers."

Insider also spoke with Helena, a former employee at a fast-fashion retailer. Insider verified her work history and is using a pseudonym to protect her identity over concerns about retaliation.

Helena says she had a number of relatives died from COVID-19, and she was often stressed about her boss taking the side of maskless shoppers over her own team.

"I was like, you know what, this company and the employees here just don't care about anything other than the bottom line," she said.

But things came to a head after Helena took a moment to check her phone at work, looking for updates on a relative who had just had a stroke.

"My manager went on the walkie-talkie for everyone to hear, saying, 'Do me a favor and put your phone in your locker," Helena said. "This was right after the mass shooting where the employees couldn't even call home because they were made to put their phones in their lockers."

During the April FedEx hub shooting in Indianapolis, workers trapped inside the facility were unable to call or text loved ones because of the shipping giant's policy against cellphones at work.

The next day, the manager sent a long text out to the store workers about staying off their phones while on the job.

"This company furloughed us at the beginning of the pandemic," Helena said, thinking to herself: "Why are you working so hard for them? They pay you $10 an hour and you have to do way more work. They don't care about you."

Helena had always given two weeks' notice before leaving a job, so she penned a resignation letter and went to work her next shift. At closing, she found herself getting yelled at by her manager once more, as she tried to deliver her two weeks' notice.

"I was just so done with that job," she said.

She decided to just not show up the following day.

"When they texted me to ask me where I was, I told them I was revoking my two weeks' notice," she told Insider. "It felt so good to know that I would never have to work there again."

Gypsy Noonan, another United for Respect member, thought about quitting Walmart many times. She was often assigned as the sole cashier in the store, a task which she found incredibly stressful. Noonan says that work-related stress ended up causing her seizures. But she ultimately managed to hold off until she was offered a new opportunity. She gave her two weeks' notice, but then found herself assigned to work the cash registers alone, once more.

She requested backup from her team lead, and from other coworkers. Everyone refused.

"At this point, it's like a light bulb went off and I was like, I'm not doing this. I don't have to do this. I refuse to let myself be abused by the system. And I walked out the next day"

'Just trying to survive'

Some experts say that the spate of rage-quitting could signal a sea change for hourly workers. Quincy Valencia, the vice president of product innovation at hiring platform Hourly by AMS.

She began her career in big box retail management where she said "you enjoyed your workers, and the best ones you wanted to keep, but if someone quit, it was not a big deal. There were 10 people waiting to take that job."

Now, Valencia said that attitude "boggles" her mind.

"A bad experience with the cashier is going to ensure that a customer doesn't come back," she said. "Nobody cares who your financial analyst is. And yet these industries have always taken more time and more care in trying to hire the right people into those [corporate] roles, than in hiring the people who are upfront."

She said that there's a "twisted mentality" around hiring hourly workers, in particular. Namely, jobs like working as a cook at a fast-food joint or a clerk in a grocery store are seen as a "rite of passage" for high schoolers, a frequently touted myth.

"Even now, the debate is going on about how these workers shouldn't make $15 an hour, because these should be for high school students," she said. "I would counter that this is sort of off-topic. So what, you can abuse them because they're not raising a family?"

Valencia said that this attitude "cannot" continue to pervade the talent acquisition community.

"This category of worker - particularly in retail - has driven our economy over the past, especially here through this pandemic," she said. "And now there's a big mismatch right now between job availability and applicants for those jobs."

But still, that doesn't mean that going through with rage-quitting will empower workers on an individual basis. Laurie Ruettimann, a human resources expert with a focus on fixing work, told Insider that she's concerned about the long-term implications for rage-quitters forced to find a new job on the fly.

"Why would you give up your known crappy job for an unknown, potentially crappy job?" she told Insider. "There is this tendency - especially when we've been sheltering in place for so long - like, 'I've just got to get the hell out of here.' But that instinct to just flee is always the wrong instinct."

Ruettimann said that employees considering rage-quitting on the spot should try to give themselves "permission to take this process slowly" and to focus on gathering information on truly promising new opportunities before resorting to drastic measures.

For her part, Kendra, the former Dollar General worker, says that she doesn't feel good about quitting out of anger. For now, she is enjoying spending more time with her husband, who she rarely used to see because of all the night shifts she worked. She also feels that there was no reason for her to continue subjecting herself to a high-stress environment for so little pay.

"I feel bad about it," she said. "But in this country, everyone's making money except for the ones actually doing the work."

Kendra tries to avoid driving by her old Dollar General. The sight of the distinctive black-and-yellow sign makes her sad, thinking about all the workers "just trying to survive."
Read the original article on Business Insider

Pope meets Canadian cardinals after indigenous school scandal
By Philip Pullella - 10h ago

© Reuters/POOLFILE PHOTO: Pope Francis leads Holy Rosary prayer in Vatican gardens to end the month of May

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis met with both Vatican-based Canadian cardinals on Saturday as their country reels from the discovery of the remains of 215 children at a former school for indigenous students run by the Catholic Church.

The pope met separately with Cardinal Michael Czerny and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Vatican said in its daily announcement of papal appointments.

Ouellet meets with the pope every Saturday in his capacity as head of the Vatican department that oversees bishops.

Czerny, the Vatican's expert on migrants and refugees, does not have a regular weekly meeting with the pope. He is a Czech-born Canadian national whose family emigrated to Montreal when he was two years old.

While the Vatican did not say what was discussed in the private audiences, diplomats said it would be highly unusual if the recent events in Canada did not come up.

Many Canadians have called on the pope to make a formal apology for the Catholic Church's role in the residential schools, which operated between 1831 and 1996 and were run by a number of Christian denominations on behalf of the government.

Francis, who was elected pope in 2013, has already apologised for the Church's role in colonialism in the Americas but he has mostly chosen to make such apologies while visiting countries. No papal visit to Canada is scheduled.

Visiting Bolivia in 2015, Francis apologised for the "many grave sins were committed against the native people of America in the name of God".

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday the Catholic Church must take responsibility for its role in running many of the schools.

The residential school system forcibly separated about 150,000 children from their homes. Many were subjected to abuse, rape and malnutrition in what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 called "cultural genocide".

Run by the government and various Christian Churches, their stated aim was to assimilate indigenous children.

The discovery last month of the remains of the children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, which closed in 1978, has reopened old wounds and is fueling outrage in Canada about the lack of information and accountability.

In 2008, the Canadian government formally apologised for the system. Trudeau said on Friday many are "wondering why the Catholic Church in Canada is silent, is not stepping up".

(Reporting by Philip Pullella)

CANADA

Catholic church’s ‘lack of commitment’ to share residential school records under scrutiny


By Amanda Connolly Global News
Posted June 3, 2021 

WATCH: Canadians have been mourning the discovery of an unmarked burial site at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

 But Indigenous leaders and experts say the uncovering of the remains of 215 children is not an isolated incident. Emanuela Campanella has more.

Warning: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.

The Catholic church is showing a “lack of commitment” to face up to its role in the horrors of Canada’s residential school system, according to one former Canadian senator and a residential school survivor.

Senator Murray Sinclair’s testimony before a special parliamentary committee came as calls continue to grow for church officials to open their archives to survivors and formally apologize for the schools.

Scrutiny of the church’s inaction is mounting after the horrific discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in B.C.

“The fact that there are still church records that have not been revealed … is also a sad commentary of the lack of commitment by the Catholic church to allow us to investigate this further. We need to have that question looked at as well,” Sinclair told the committee.

1:56Fundraising campaign to start searches at other residential school sites

READ MORE: Residential schools — What we know about their history and how many died

Shortly before his testimony, residential school survivor Evelyn Korkmaz told journalists that the time for “crocodile tears” from governments is over, and the time has come to support Indigenous communities that have for years been pushing to explore the former school locations for unmarked burial sites.

As part of that, the Catholic church, which ran roughly 60 per cent of residential schools, must also recognize its role.

“The Catholic Church also needs to acknowledge and take ownership to repent and pay for their sins,” said Korkmaz at a press conference ahead of a House of Commons debate on an NDP motion urging the government to act.

READ MORE: Canada’s Catholic bishops have responsibility to apologize for residential schools, minister says

Martin Reiher, an assistant deputy minister with the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations, suggested there’s no easy way to get those records from churches until they offer them up.

He said federal officials have had conversations with the churches involved in running the schools.

“As part of these discussions, they have all indicated around the table they are prepared to share the information in their archives,” he said.

“In terms of legal capacity to impose sharing, we do not have that authority.”

Residential schools were boarding schools set up by the Canadian federal government and administered by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Methodist and Presbyterian churches as part of a federal policy with the goal of stripping Indigenous children of their culture and identities.

READ MORE: ‘Disgrace’ — Indigenous leaders blast Catholic Church for silence on residential schools

Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada, described the intent of the schools as follows:

“When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write his habits, and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly pressed on myself, as the head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.”

ALBERTA PREMIER JASON KENNEY IS A BIG FAN 

OF SIR JOHN 'EH THE DRUNK

A total of 139 residential schools across the country have been identified in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. A map of the schools can be found online.

Victims forced to attend the schools suffered horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse.

But so far, the responses from Catholic church representatives have ranged from regional apologies to a complete lack of acknowledgement of the church’s role in the system.

0:40 Trudeau disappointed by Pope’s decision not to apologize for residential schools– Mar 28, 2018

Richard Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed “sorrow” in a statement that described the discovery of the remains as “shocking.” The statement made no apology and did not acknowledge the Catholic church’s central role in the residential school system.

Archbishop Brian Dunn of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in Nova Scotia issued a statement that acknowledged the participation of Catholics in the residential school system and called news of the discovery of the 215 remains “absolutely heartbreaking.”

“I am conscious that this tragedy has a significant impact on all Indigenous communities, especially those here in Nova Scotia,” he said in the statement.

“As Archbishop I want to offer my prayers for these children, their families, and their communities. Acknowledging and bringing to light this dark chapter of our Catholic and Canadian history is difficult but necessary in order to be able to do and be better,” Dunn continued.

“I continue to be committed to all who have been mistreated and hurt by the residential school experience, in which Church members participated knowingly or unknowingly.”

READ MORE: No apology for Canada’s residential schools, Pope Francis says

Rev. J. Michael Miller, the current shepherd of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, apologized to all First Nations governments, Indigenous communities, families and citizens for the Church’s involvement in a letter released Wednesday.

“The Church was unquestionably wrong in implementing a government colonialist policy which resulted in devastation for children, families and communities,” he said.

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) last week called on Pope Francis to apologize.

He has refused to do so, despite issuing formal apologies for the “crimes” of the Catholic church in Ireland and for its “grave sins” in Latin America

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller on Wednesday said he believes the time has come for a papal apology, while Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said that it’s clear Indigenous people want an apology and that it’s up to Catholics to urge their church to do better.

‘Shameful’ Catholic Church hasn’t apologized over burial sites discovered at B.C. residential school, Indigenous Services minister says

Anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience can access the 24-hour, toll-free and confidential National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Congo volcano observatory failed to predict eruption due to mismanagement, say workers


© Reuters/Stringer .Residents walk near destroyed homes with the smouldering lava deposited by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano near Goma

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Researchers at an eastern Congolese volcano observatory on Saturday said they could have predicted the deadly eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in May if their work had not been impeded by alleged mismanagement and embezzlement.

At least 31 people died when the volcano sent a wall of lava spreading towards Goma on May 22, destroying 3,000 homes along the way and cutting a major road used to bring aid to the strife-torn region.

In a public letter to President Felix Tshisekedi, the workers at OVG, which monitors Nyiragongo, said the organisation had been crippled by salary arrears, embezzlement of funding, mistreatment of employees and other issues.

"Nyiragongo's recent eruption could have been predicted by OVG researchers if it were not for all the problems," they said, demanding payment of back salaries and the nomination of new management.

Representatives of OVG's current management committee did not respond to requests for comment.

In late May, the president's office said it would pay all OVG's salary arrears and unpaid operational costs, promising to replace out-of-date or damaged equipment.

Before the latest eruption, volcanologists at OVG struggled to make basic checks on a regular basis as the World Bank had not renewed funding amid embezzlement allegations.

From October to April, the observatory could not carry out comprehensive seismic checks on the volcano because analysts lacked an internet connection. Nonetheless, volcano-watchers have said the eruption was not easily predictable.

"Even if there were more instruments, I don't think we would have been able to know in advance," said Francois Kervyn, the head of GeoRiskA, which monitors geological hazards in Africa. "It surprised us that it happened very abruptly."

(Reporting by Hereward Holland; Additional reporting by Aaron Ross; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Transgender Salvadoran killed despite long search for safety

SAN MIGUEL, El Salvador (AP) — Rejected by her family, Zashy Zuley del Cid Velásquez fled her coastal village in 2014, the first of a series of forced displacements across El Salvador. She had hoped that in the larger city of San Miguel she could live as a transgender woman without discrimination and violence, but there she was threatened by a gang.

She moved away from San Miguel then back again in a series of forced moves until the 27-year-old was shot dead on April 25, sending shockwaves through the close-knit LGBTQ community in San Miguel, the largest city in eastern El Salvador.

“Zashy was desperate; her family didn’t want her because of her sexual preference and the gangsters had threatened her,” said Venus Nolasco, director of the San Miguel LGBTQ collective “Pearls of the East." “She knew they were going to kill her. She wanted to flee the country, go to the United States, but they killed her with a shot through her lung.”

One day after Del Cid’s murder, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris identified anti-LGBTQ violence in Central America as one of the root causes of migration in the region during a virtual meeting with the president of neighboring Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei. She is scheduled to visit Guatemala and Mexico this week.

Transgender migrants were present in the Central American caravans that attempted to reach the United States border in recent years, fleeing harassment, gang extortion, murder and police indifference to crimes against them. Even in those large migrant movements say they faced harassment.

Things had been rough during Del Cid’s first stint in San Miguel. She and Nolasco had been living in a neighborhood where, as in many parts of the country, the MS-13 gang was the ultimate local authority. Gang members began to harass her, then brutally beat her, breaking her arm in 2015, Nolasco said.

“They warned her to leave, but she didn’t listen,” Nolasco said.

Instead of leaving, Del Cid moved in with Nolasco in the same neighborhood. One day, the gang grabbed Del Cid again.

“They took her, they wanted to kill her,” Nolasco said. “I begged them not to kill her, to let her go and she would leave the neighborhood.”

Del Cid moved back to her hometown, but her family rejected her again. She tried to please them, but she couldn’t, Nolasco said. Del Cid joined a church, got a girlfriend, had a baby girl, but could not maintain that life, she said.

She returned to San Miguel, where initially things seemed to go better. In 2020, Del Cid received humanitarian and housing support from COMCAVIS TRANS, a national LGBTQ rights organization, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Del Cid rented a home and opened a beauty salon there. She hired another woman to help her and was participating in a entrepreneurship program. She was preparing a business proposal to move the salon out of her home into its own space.

But Del Cid was shot in the back walking alone at night down the street. Passersby tried to help her and took her to a local hospital where she died. So far, police have made no arrests and Nolasco believes that like other hate crimes in the country, “it will be forgotten; they’re not interested in what happens to us.”

Laura Almirall, UNHCR representative in El Salvador, said Del Cid’s killing frightened her community and saddened everyone who knew her.

“She was excited about her new plans and her new life. And unfortunately and tragically, everything came to an end,” she said.

Nolasco said that in San Miguel, some 90 miles (150 kilometers) east of the capital, the transgender community endures constant harassment from intolerant residents and gangs. They have rocks thrown at them, are beaten and extorted. If they go to police to make a report, they are insulted and demeaned. “Don’t come here to claim rights, because there are no rights for you,” police tell them, Nolasco said.

The “Pearls of the East” group has a parade squad in which Del Cid participated. It started with some 50 people, but crime and forced displacement have shrunk it to 35, Nolasco said.

“No one does anything here to protect us,” Nolasco said.

Bianka Rodríguez, director of COMCAVIS TRANS, said the forced displacement of transgender people in El Salvador increases each year. Even though a law exists to protect people displaced by violence, it hasn’t been effective, she said.

A report prepared by the organization found that gangs were responsible for nearly two-thirds of the violence against the LGTBQ community, while government authorities accounted for another 21%. Since 1993 in El Salvador, a country of only 6.5 million inhabitants, more than 600 LGBTQ people have been killed, according to their tally.

They registered 84 cases of internal displacement in 2019 and another eight who left the country, but were deported and needed protection.

“Regrettably, (multiple displacements) are very common not only for the LGBTI community, but thousands of people in El Salvador have been displaced because of gang violence and often we find that displacement does not occur only once, but families and individuals are displaced more than once,” Almirall, the UNHCR representative, said.

Del Cid “was displaced so many times in the country and finally she managed to get a new life project and to be part of the community again and everything ended so abruptly and so tragically,” Almirall said.

__

AP writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Marcos Aleman, The Associated Press

THEY STILL GOT THE $$$$

Canadian MPs unanimously condemn Air Canada for millions in executive bonuses

So far, the government has offered little indication of a further response to the airline's decision.

By Amanda Connolly 

Global News
Posted June 3, 2021 

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch 

FILE: In June, Air Canada closed its stations in in Bathurst, N.B., and Wabush, N.L., and indefinitely suspended 14 routes in Atlantic Canada.

Members of Parliament from all parties voted unanimously on Thursday to condemn Air Canada for paying out millions of dollars in executive bonuses while negotiating a COVID-19 support package with the federal government, refusing to honour customer refunds and laying off thousands of staff.

Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval put forward the motion, which states “that this House condemn the decision of senior management of Air Canada to pay themselves $20 million in executive bonuses when they’re received $6 billion in public assistance."

Air Canada informed shareholders on Monday that its top executives and managers were getting a combined $10 million in stock options and bonuses for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday called that “unacceptable.”

The airline is facing heavy criticism over its decision to pay out $10 million in bonuses as well as special stock options to its executives despite spending the past year laying off roughly 25,000 workers and refusing to compensate Canadians for flights cancelled because of the pandemic.

Its board had initially approved $20 million in bonuses but paid out $10 million.

The payout late last year came as the airline was negotiating a federal support package after claiming it could not reimburse customers and had to hack away at regional flight routes out of financial difficulties.

Those bonuses also came as the airline was agreeing to federal assistance terms that stipulated it will have to limit executive compensation to $1 million while restricting dividends and share buybacks.

The government’s aid package for Air Canada included a $4-billion loan and $500 million in federal equity, plus a separate $1.4-billion loan to be used specifically to get the airline to refund customers.

Conservative transport critic Stephanie Kusie questioned the terms of the support package.

"The fact that the Liberal government agreed to a deal with these terms makes it clear that only Conservatives are fighting for the health of the airline sector," she said in a statement.

Barsalou-Duval on Wednesday called Air Canada "grifters" and Trudeau said he understands the "shock" Canadians are feeling at the airline's decision to reward executives.

“We all are waiting for Air Canada to explain itself," Trudeau said.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government plans to voice its concerns about the airline.

She told reporters during a phone call on Wednesday that she’s disappointed some businesses receiving taxpayer-funded federal aid to survive the pandemic aren’t behaving as good corporate citizens.

So far, the government has offered little indication of a further response to the airline's decision.

Air Canada’s $10M bonuses ‘unacceptable’ while laying off staff, Trudeau says

By Amanda Connolly 

Global News
Posted June 2, 2021 

WATCH: During question period in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about Air Canada paying out large bonuses to senior executives after receiving government funds to help the airline deal with losses incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it is “unacceptable” that Air Canada paid out some $10 million in bonuses to senior executives after laying off thousands of staff, refusing to grant customer refunds and negotiating a federal COVID-19 aid package that limited its ability to do exactly that.

The airline on Monday informed shareholders that its top executives and managers were getting millions in special stock options and bonuses for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Air Canada spent the past year cutting regional air routes, slashing roughly 25,000 jobs and refusing to issue refunds to passengers whose flights were cancelled by COVID-19 travel restrictions.

A $5.9-billion federal support package made up largely of loans by the federal government limited executive compensation to $1 million while restricting dividends and share buybacks.

“We signed an agreement with Air Canada that among other things limited bonuses and share purchases of executives but even when they were negotiating those contracts with us, they were giving out huge bonuses to their senior officials,” Trudeau said in French during question period on Wednesday.

“That was unacceptable. I hope that Air Canada will explain their decision and their reasoning to Canadians who are shocked by the choices that Air Canada has made.”

Bloc Quebecois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval called the airline’s executives “grifters” and pressed Trudeau for more information on what the government would do in response.

READ MORE: Air Canada paid $10M in COVID-19 bonuses to top execs while negotiating gov’t rescue plan

“I understand full well the … shock of Canadians with regards to this news that seniors executives at Air Canada have an explanation to give to Canadians,” Trudeau said, again in French.

TWEET THISCLICK TO SHARE QUOTE ON TWITTER: "WE ALL ARE WAITING FOR AIR CANADA TO EXPLAIN ITSELF."

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government plans to voice its concerns about the airline.

She told reporters during a phone call on Wednesday that she’s disappointed some businesses receiving taxpayer-funded federal aid to survive the pandemic aren’t behaving as good corporate citizens.

The government’s aid package for Air Canada included a $4-billion loan and $500 million in federal equity, plus a separate $1.4-billion loan to be used specifically to get the airline to refund customers.

–With files from The Canadian Press

ALBERTA
Firefighters raising alarm over province’s wildfire response

By Erik Bay Global News
Posted June 4, 2021 

VIDEO While the Alberta government claims it’s ready for wildfire season, wildland firefighters are raising concerns. 

As Erik Bay reports, problems with pay, recruitment and management dysfunction has the province playing with fire and the season is just getting started.

Alberta wildland firefighters are sounding alarm bells this wildfire season.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees vice-president Mike Dempsey says Alberta’s wildland firefighters are missing paycheques as the province works out issues with its new 1GX pay system.

“We have folks who have started a month to a month and a half ago who haven’t got a single paycheque yet,” Dempsey said. “We’ve got members — and we’re talking hundreds here — who’ve been getting incorrect amounts of pay.”

READ MORE: 15,000 acres burned in Blood Tribe wildfire Sunday, caused by sweat lodge session

1GX replaced the Government of Alberta’s previous business support system, which was over 20 years old. In a statement to Global News, Service Alberta director of communications Graeme McElheran admitted there have been some challenges with the system change.

“Service Alberta is aware of concerns related to firefighters, including seasonal hires, being paid on time and accurately,” McElheran said.

“We are taking action to resolve these issues. Everyone will be paid accurately.”

2:09 Three wildfires, heavy winds leave damage in southern Alberta Mar 29, 2021

But Dempsey says firefighters can’t wait.

“We can’t have people literally putting their life on the line — literally — and dismissing them, ‘Oh we’ll get around to paying you whenever we fix the system,'” Dempsey said.

READ MORE: Claresholm father recounts futile attempt to save family home from wildfire

Dempsey also alleges seasonal employment letters were sent to potential workers less than a month before their proposed start date, causing high seasonal crew member turnover.

It’s a claim the press secretary for the minister of Agriculture and Forestry calls “untrue.”

“It’s unfortunate a union organization purposely tries to spread misinformation,” Justin Laurence said in a statement. “Alberta Wildfire hired 432 seasonal crew members this year with an 11.6 per cent turnover rate, well below the average of approximately 25 per cent.”

1:54 More people getting outdoors has Alberta wildfire officials on alert Mar 23, 2021

Dempsey says the turnover rate among wildland firefighters is closer to 50 per cent.

“Because the job offers came so late, many of (the firefighters) got jobs in British Columbia or the provincial parks,” Dempsey said. “Half of all those workers and seasonal workers that are hired of those many hundreds aren’t coming back.

“We’re really getting a bad rep throughout western Canada for how we treat our seasonal folks and especially those who work in the fire game.”

READ MORE: Lethbridge fire crews battle wind and flames in 3 separate blazes

The conditions are leaving the province unprepared for fire season, says Dempsey.

"THERE'S A LOT OF NERVOUSNESS OUT THERE, WITH THIS FIRE SEASON THAT'S COMING ON."

According to local officials, fire season is off to a dry start this year.

“The moisture content in all the fuels that are on the ground is in the extreme level, so meaning everything is quite dry,” Coaldale deputy fire chief of operations Clayton Rutberg said.

“That bumps our fire risk up quite a bit this time of the year when we start to get that high heat, lower humidity and things get nice and crisp and dry.”

2:09 How COVID-19 changed Alberta fire bases Jun 2, 2020

Rutberg reminds anyone having uncontained fires to get a burn permit and to be fire safe.

“If they are using a fire pit… have a way to extinguish the fire pit and make sure they keep it to a reasonable size.”

As of Friday, several fire advisories and warnings were in effect across Alberta.

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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

STAMPEDE SUPERSPREADER

COVID-19: Doctors’ group concerned about Calgary Stampede, major corporate partner won’t take part

EDMONTON HAS CANCELED ITS SUMMER EXHIBITION

#NOSTAMPEDE2021

By Phil Heidenreich Global News
Posted June 4, 2021 


WATCH  (From May 26, 2021): Premier Jason Kenney answers a question about what can be expected at the Calgary Stampede if public health measures are relaxed. – May 26, 2021

It’s normally billed as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, but with the Calgary Stampede getting the conditional green light to go ahead amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some are concerned the event could become one of the greatest superspreaders of the novel coronavirus that the province has ever seen.

In an open letter to Premier Jason Kenney on Thursday, the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association, which includes Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health Dr. James Talbot, raises concerns about the province’s plan to lift virtually all public health restrictions next month and specifically references Calgary’s largest annual get-together.

“Events such as the Calgary Stampede could pose a significant risk of transmission — less so in the Exhibition Grounds, but with greater risk in the bars, clubs and hotels as well as in crowds,” the letter reads. “Attendees may then travel home to potentially infect their families and close contacts.

“In our opinion, it is unsafe to hold a major event such as the Calgary Stampede, which may draw attendees and participants from multiple provinces and countries before at least 70 per cent of eligible Albertans have been fully vaccinated with two doses.”

Kenney, who, along with several cabinet ministers, has recently come under fire for an outdoor working dinner during which some public health restrictions appear to have been broken , has called his government’s Open for Summer plan “a safe and cautious plan… to get back to normal.”

The premier has set thresholds for each stage of the reopening plan linked to how many Albertans have been partially immunized against COVID-19 and how many people are in hospital.

“At the end of the day, we cannot permanently rely on damaging public health restrictions to protect our public health from this pandemic, especially since we now have the incredibly effective and powerful tool of vaccines,” Kenney said at a news conference last week, adding that vaccines have benefited jurisdictions that have successfully immunized large numbers of people.

“We have seen those jurisdictions be able to open up, get life back to normal while continuing to observe significant declines in pressure from COVID.”

2:01How close did 3rd wave of COVID-19 come to overwhelming Calgary hospitals?

Last week, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that if the benchmarks are reached that would allow for a massive event like the Stampede to go forward, she does not believe the event will pose a “significant risk to the health-care system.”

READ MORE: Hinshaw voices support for Alberta’s COVID-19 reopening plan, says success hinges on vaccine uptake

The Stampede has said it is planning for a scaled-down event that still includes midway rides and a rodeo, but does not include chuckwagon races.

TC Energy, a company that says it has a “longstanding relationship with the Calgary Stampede,” said this week that while it will continue to offer financial support to some Stampede events, it won’t be “participating in those events this year, from both a brand and a hosting perspective.”

TC ENERGY HAS BEEN GIVEN TAXPAYER MONEY BY KENNEY FOR ITS FAILED KXL PIPELINE BIDEN STOPPED

“This is a difficult decision for us but we believe it is the prudent one,” TC Energy spokesperson Suzanne Wilton said in a statement to Global News on Friday. “Safety is our primary value and nothing is more important than the health, wellness and safety of our people and the communities where we live and work.

“TC Energy has a responsibility to deliver the energy North America needs safely and reliably. While we are as eager as everyone to return to normal, we must remain vigilant in our own protocols. Participating in Stampede events could create unnecessary health and safety risks for our people and business partners.”

While TC Energy won’t take part in Stampede events as a company, it says it has not directed employees in whether they should or should not attend on their own personal time

The EZMSA said it believes “planning such an event with the current unknowns, along with concerns of reduced vaccine protection against highly-transmissible variants puts attendees and their contacts at risk.”

“It also increases the risk of a fourth wave of COVID-19 later in the autumn of this year,” the association’s letter reads.

When Global News asked for comment on the EZMSA’s letter and the decision made by TC Energy, a spokesperson for the Calgary Stampede said its organizers are working closely with Alberta Health to ensure “safe Stampede experiences” are held in July.

“It is important to note that this Stampede will look different with an emphasis on outdoor attractions, more space and fewer people,” the spokesperson said.

“Our focus in 2021 is primarily local and regional visitors, and we have been realistic since planning began that international visitors would not be possible this year.”

Last month, the Calgary Stampede’s communications manager said safety will be the event organizers’ top priority.

“Normally, when you come to Stampede Park, (there are) lots of crowds, lots of lineups, and we know this year we can’t have that,” Kristina Barnes said.

“(But) there will be that comfort that we have each year that we celebrate the spirit of our communi

READ MORE: COVID-19: Calgary Stampede emphasizes physical distancing as 2021 plans ramp up

A spokesperson for the premier’s office told Global News “Albertans have worked hard to crush the spike of COVID-19 and deserve to enjoy the summer.”

“Albertans are excited that their province will soon reopen and large events like the Calgary Stampede will proceed,” Jerrica Goodwin said in an email on Friday.

“Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan is based on expert advice from the chief medical officer of health that having 70 per cent of the population vaccinated with at least one dose will allow for the safe lifting of public health restrictions.”

In an email to Global News on Friday, Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan said the province is “limiting the spread of variants in Alberta as we safely open for summer,” addressing one of the issues raised by the EZMSA.

“To date, there have been 88 cases of the B.1.617 variant identified in Alberta,” McMillan said. “We are now screening 100 per cent of our positive tests each day for the B.1.617 and all other variants of concern.

“With this aggressive screening in place, case investigation teams have begun conducting two follow-up calls for every case with this variant. This second notification will allow us to do even more in-depth investigations and aggressively contain the virus.”

McMillan added that Alberta is also currently “leading the country” in second doses of COVID-19 vaccines and that the pace of vaccination is only accelerating.

“Alberta’s data released shows that one dose of vaccines have been 73 per cent effective against the U.K. variant and 75 per cent effective against the P.1 variant. With two doses, this number rises to 91 per cent and 89 per cent, respectively,” he said. “Since Jan. 1, 96 per cent of all confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alberta were either unvaccinated or diagnosed within two weeks of receiving their first dose, while their immunity was still building.

“Just 0.2 per cent of all people who had one dose of vaccine in that time frame since Jan. 1, got COVID(-19) once 14 days had passed since that shot.”

In an interview with Global News on Thursday, Talbot said the newly-named Delta variant, which is also known as the Indian variant, “is capable of infecting about two-thirds of the people who only had one dose of the vaccine.”

He added that he is concerned about other variants’ ability to worsen the health crisis as well.

“Before large-scale events that have the ability to restart a fourth wave, in which all Albertans who have only received one or zero doses are at risk, before that should happen, we should have 70 per cent of the population with two doses, and that could be achieved by the fall,” he said.

“I think most countries — the U.K. is the most experienced with this new variant — are looking hard at not reopening in a significant way until people have received two doses in significant numbers.”

Late last month, country singer Paul Brandt, who was slated to perform at the Stampede last year before the pandemic forced its cancellation, announced he would not be performing at the event if it goes ahead this year.

In a statement, the musician said he looks forward to returning to stages, including ones at the Stampede, when the time is right.

“I have had a positive and longstanding partnership with the Calgary Stampede throughout my career,” Brandt said.

“Like many musicians, when it comes to my performances, it is always about the fans, and creating the best possible experience for them.”

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has said there will still be distancing rules if the Stampede goes ahead and other changes will be made to ensure the event is safe for everyone.

“Large public events like the Calgary Stampede should be cancelled or postponed to the autumn after most Albertans will have been fully immunized,” the EZMSA said in its letter.

To date, nearly 65 per cent of Albertans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

–With files from The Canadian Press

Watch below: Some recent Global News videos about the Calgary Stampede.

CANADA

What’s driving COVID-19 workplace transmission in the third wave


© Provided by Global NewsAmanda Yeung Collucci holds a photo of her and brother, Godfrey Yeung, who died of COVID-19 he contracted at work in January.

On New Year's Day, Hong arrived at the industrial laundry facility where he’s worked for the past decade, unloading and unpacking bags of dirty linens and garments.

He took his lunch break with a longtime colleague and friend, as he had countless times before. But on this day, his friend was not feeling well. He complained of dizziness and had a cough, but he told Hong he had to come into work.

He was the only person in his household with a job at the time, and with no paid sick leave, he made a calculation: put food on the table for his family or go hungry.

“He needed money, so he forced himself to go to work,” Hong says.

Eight days later, his colleague was rushed to hospital. He remained in the intensive care unit until he died three weeks later from COVID-19. He was one month away from retirement.

Hong also tested positive for COVID-19, as did another co-worker who was in the lunchroom that day.

Global News agreed to hide Hong’s identity as he fears reprisal from his employer.

It marked the beginning of a months-long saga of health issues for Hong — extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and swollen legs that make it painful to stand for more than an hour. After medical tests showed he's still suffering symptoms, Hong worries he now falls into a rare group, which many now refer to as “COVID long-haulers.”

When he returned to work, he says he discovered that his colleagues did not know about his COVID-19 diagnosis.

“The company didn’t tell my colleagues that I had contracted COVID-19,” he says, adding that it also didn’t acknowledge his co-worker’s death.

Unable to stand for his ten hour shifts, Hong is now off and is receiving workers compensation.

He says his health issues and co-worker's death could have been prevented had paid sick leave been available and if more infection control measures were in place in the lunchroom. While pieces of plexiglass divide tables, it was not enough to prevent the virus from spreading.

“The lunchroom is about 30 square metres, you can, at most, have 20 people in there. How do you maintain social distance in such a space?” Hong says. “It’s impossible.”

COVID-19 has stricken workplaces in the third wave of the pandemic — as warehouses, manufacturing and food processing plants continue to be significant drivers of transmission.

In Ontario alone, 68 people have died from COVID-19 that they got at work and more than 25,500 had contracted it on the job as of May 31, according to the province’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). But advocates say those numbers could be even higher since they only include people who have submitted claims to the WSIB.

Many also argue provincial governments were slow to act and enforce rules. In some provinces, like Ontario, that has since changed, but despite increased workplace inspections and enforcement, essential workers continue to contract COVID-19 on the job.

More deadly and contagious variants have further increased the risk essential workers face just showing up to work every day. And new research suggests that COVID-19 spreads primarily through airborne transmission.

Experts and advocates say workplace infection control measures have not been strengthened enough to reflect that.

For months, health-care professionals, scientists, and occupational health and safety experts have been pushing the federal and provincial governments to strengthen rules around airborne transmission.

“There continues to be a lack of attention to the importance of ventilation at the provincial and federal levels,” states an open letter from more than 300 experts that was sent to the prime minister, premiers and chief medical officers of the federal and provincial governments in January.

More recently, in April, the Occupational Hygiene Association of Ontario (OHAO), an organization of occupational hygiene professionals that work to prevent the spread of diseases in workplaces, sent a letter to the Ontario Ministry of Labour warning that the “new variants appear to be overwhelming previously prescribed control measures” and that increased control measures were needed to keep essential workers safe.

“We have to deal with that piece,” says Anne-Marie Landis-Groom, president of the OHAO. “All of these other public health measures of handwashing, social distancing — those are absolutely part of the puzzle, but the ventilation piece, which is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Labour, is the one tool that really hasn't been flexed.”

Ministry inspectors can order an employer to have their ventilation system reviewed under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

“The ministry seems to be only focusing on employers maintaining the ventilation that they have, but not trying to improve the ventilation,” says Landis-Groom.

The organization is calling on the Ontario government to require employers to investigate improved ventilation controls and implement such measures. It is also recommending the province mandate the use of N95 masks and add on-site rapid testing in workplaces identified by inspectors as high risk due to poor ventilation in order to keep essential workers safe.

“They have to go to work and they should be going to work and leaving work in the same condition, hopefully with more money in their pocket,” says Landis-Groom.

In a statement, the Ontario Ministry of Labour says it continues “to review and evaluate evolving scientific information during the pandemic, including the scientific evidence on the variants of concern and disease transmission."

The department says it’s up to inspectors to determine if ventilation systems are not in compliance with OHSA guidelines. The ministry declined to say how many times inspectors had ordered assessments of employers' ventilation systems and if any changes had been made based on those investigations.


The ministry also says its recommendations on personal protective equipment (PPE) will remain. Currently, an N95 respirator is only required for certain medical procedures and in some health-care settings.

Last spring, when Deena Ladd first became aware of the crisis unfolding in long-term care, she got a sick feeling in her stomach.

“All of these stories were coming out of long-term care and all of the seniors were dying. But all of the conditions that were being described were all the conditions that I knew were prevalent and systemic in every other sector,” Ladd says.

She’s the founder and executive director of the Workers’ Action Centre, an organization that supports workers and advocates for changes to labour laws to improve wages and working conditions.

“I knew that when those sectors reopened, what was happening in long-term care would shift to those warehouses, to those factories, to all of those other settings.”

Before the pandemic started, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government in Ontario stripped some workers of newly created paid sick days, scheduling rights and a wage increase as part of his “open for business” platform.

“So a lot of essential workers came into the pandemic in a much more vulnerable place than they would have been if those rights hadn't been taken away,” says Ladd.

And it’s not just Ontario — Canada’s labour market has undergone a radical transformation in the last few decades. There has been a massive shift towards precarious work; part-time work, temporary jobs and increasing use of temp agencies and subcontracting have left a significant portion of the Canadian workforce with fewer benefits and less job security, according to Statistics Canada.

A recent study found that 58 per cent of Canadian workers did not have paid sick leave from their employer.

“All of those issues create a very unstable feeling, create a real sense of fear, a real sense that you can't really speak up because your job is on the line.”

Labour laws mostly fall under the jurisdiction of provinces, and Ladd says “they've taken a hands-off approach” and refused to impose regulations on employers that would offer more protection for workers.

Video: “It’s to do with systemic racism”: Deena Ladd on why governments have been slow to change labour laws

Ladd also says during the pandemic, in the absence of provincial actions, local health districts have had to step up. As cases of COVID-19 began to increase in the new year, Toronto and Peel health districts issued orders to partially or fully shut down businesses with five or more cases of COVID-19 and began posting data of workplace outbreaks on their websites.

“What we've seen is municipalities really struggling with trying to enforce better protections because the provinces haven't been doing their job,” says Ladd.

There’s been an outpouring of praise for the people who have continued to go to work in order to keep services — and the economy — running. Even the language we’ve used to identify them has changed. Once low-wage workers, now deemed essential workers. But in most workplaces, there has been no tangible reward for the risk they have assumed over the past year.

Many actions designed to improve working conditions are temporary; some employers have rescinded ‘hero pay’ raises and in Ontario and B.C., workers’ three paid sick days are set to expire in September and December, respectively.

“We have to deal with some of these fundamental systemic issues,” Ladd says.

“What more evidence do you need? How many more people do you need to die or to be infected? There is clear correlation between workplace outbreaks and precarious employment and not having particular labour standards in place, such as paid sick days.”

Just knowing the first three digits of a postal code can likely tell you if someone’s been able to work from home, if they had timely access to a vaccine and their likelihood of getting sick with COVID-19.

A recent study found that 63 per cent of people who live in hot spots are racialized and are four times more likely to be essential workers in manufacturing and utilities and twice as likely to work in trades and transport. They’re also more likely to be low-income earners.


© Provided by Global News

What’s driving COVID-19 workplace transmission in the third wave

“What we've really found is that postal code is code language for the structural determinants of health and these health disparities have long been in place,” says Dr. Andrew Boozary, an expert in social medicine.

He leads a team of researchers at the University Health Network’s Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine Innovation who have been studying hot spots in Toronto and Peel.

Boozary says the data is a wake-up call that essential workers in these neighbourhoods need urgent protection at work and vaccine access, but also that these long-term health disparities can only be addressed by policy changes.

Video: “We as a society have to be accountable”: Dr. Andrew Boozary on addressing long-term health disparities

“We're going to need to see more measures like sick leave, but also living wages come into effect for people who have given everything they have over this past year,” he says.

“To go back and say, ‘Well, you only have a certain value at this time, but after that, it's back to normal.’ That means we're going back to accepting that essential workers will continue to have worse health outcomes.”

Some employers have taken initiative to improve working conditions and benefits even though the government has not required it.

Early on in the pandemic, Nature’s Path, a family-run organic food manufacturer based in Metro Vancouver, decided to take extra precautions to make sure its employees were safe.

“People were scared to come into work. And we said, ‘Well, what can we do to alleviate that concern to make sure people are safe?' So we talked to consultants. We talked to experts,” says Arjan Stephens, Nature’s Path’s general manager.

The company rearranged its floor to allow for distancing, and added plexiglass barriers and a computerized screening system that checks employees’ temperature as they walk in the factory.

It offers a now permanent hero pay raise of $2 per hour and increased paid sick leave by two weeks at its four facilities in Canada and the U.S.

It also decided to focus additional efforts on an area of transmission concern – the lunchroom.

Stephens says the company consulted with engineers about new technology to improve ventilation and kill airborne pathogens. It ended up installing far-UVC lights and an air filtration system from Heathe Inc., a U.S. company.

“Because we know that when people have to take off their mask, when they're sitting down in the lunchroom, that's also when they're vulnerable,” Stephens says.

The changes at all four locations cost the company close to US$4 million. But Stephens says it’s been worth it. There has been no workplace transmission at the Canadian facility.

Out of a combined workforce of 700 in the two countries, the company has had 50 employees test positive for COVID-19, but it says the cases were “isolated incidents” contracted outside of work.

“We feel that if we look after our team members, eventually the profits will come,” Stephens says. "A lot of companies where people don't have this, they'll come to work sick because they don't have another option.”

And for those advocating for change, that is key: recognition that the work these people do is essential every day — pandemic or not — and wages and working conditions should reflect that.

“That public consciousness, that awareness of the fact that we need to be concerned about the conditions of the cashier at the grocery store, because if she's not well, then that affects my health. So I should actually give a damn.”

Ladd says the next test will be whether people will remember the sacrifice essential workers have made over the past year and hold governments accountable.

“We have to do this work. We have no choice because I think otherwise, all of those people who have died and have been impacted, I think we do them a disservice. I think we dishonour them.”