From the CUPE Ontario web site: “In Ontario, CUPE represents roughly 5,000 public health members workers who work in 25 of the 34 public health units in Ontario as Public Health Inspectors, Dental Hygienists and Assistants, Health Promoters, Family Home Visitors, Public Health Nurses, Smoke Free Ontario Inspectors, Nutritionists, Epidemiologists and Administrative Assistants, to name a few.
These workers are incredibly important to their communities. They promote the health and safety of residents and they reduce future healthcare costs by preventing chronic disease, illness and injury.
Despite this, over the last 20 years, public health funding at both the provincial and municipal level has been significantly underfunded. This underfunding has resulted in service cuts, layoffs, and wages that haven’t kept up with the cost of living, which in turn have made recruiting workers more challenging and retaining existing workers due to the growing workload unlikely.”
For more information on this campaign and how you can show your support please visit: https://cupe.on.ca/because-public-health-matters/