Workers Expect Meaningful Change From the Ministry of Labour's Changing Workplaces Review: Consultations Kick-Off Today in Toronto

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 16, 2015) - Ontario's labour laws must do more to protect workers - that is the message coming from community and labour groups across Ontario as the much-anticipated Changing Workplace Review kicks-off in Toronto.

Toronto consultations are scheduled for:

The Ontario government's stated goal is to modernize the laws governing workplaces in Ontario and has scheduled consultations in nine different communities.

"Too many workers are falling through the cracks due to outmoded laws that are increasingly failing the workers who rely on them," said Deena Ladd of the Workers Action Centre. "Overhauling employment laws - and investing in proactive enforcement - will make the rules fairer for workers and for businesses."

"The decent jobs that exist today are only there because workers organized to turn bad jobs into better ones," said Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. "The Ontario government must support workers when they stand up individually and collectively in unions to make workplaces better."

"Better wages and working conditions means healthier workers, healthier workplaces and healthier communities," said Sehr Athar, Research Coordinator with Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services. "It also makes economic sense because healthier communities translate into savings in other areas of social spending, not the least of which is health care."

The Fight for $15 and Fairness Campaign unites community and labour organizations in more than 25 cities across Ontario. For more information visit www.15andFairness.org.