To the Premier, through you, Speaker: Your government announced a one-time bonus for wildland firefighters, a great PR stunt that completely ignores the need for a higher base salary for these workers. It continues to amaze me how disrespectful the government is towards wildland firefighters.

According to OPSEU, the bonus was a take-it-or-leave-it offer that did not come out of consultation with the workers. Yes or no: Will your government commit to permanently raising the wages of wildland firefighters?

I have yet to hear this minister actually say the word “forest” firefighters. I remind the government that only a week ago, you voted against an amendment that would have included forest firefighters under WSIB coverage, so I’m glad that the minister has finally decided to come to the table, even if it is late.

We need to know exactly how and when the government intends to recognize wildland fire rangers as firefighters in legislation. Legislative recognition also means supplying them with the proper PPE so that these firefighters have a chance not to become sick in the first place. Recognizing wildland firefighters as firefighters means better training and having a retention strategy, which means better pay so there is not a shortage of available fire crews as wildfires threaten our communities earlier and earlier each year.

Will the minister commit to including wildland firefighters as firefighters in legislation, with the necessary supports to protect these workers from exposure to toxins, before the start of this year’s fire season?

Interjections.

The government received a joint health and safety committee recommendation pointing to the failure of the ministry to acknowledge well-known and serious health risks to forest firefighters. Forest firefighters are exposed to silicas, benzines, formaldehyde, poison ivy smoke, carbon monoxide and dump fires riddled with carcinogens. And yet, unbelievably, forest firefighters are told that all they need to protect themselves from toxins is a homemade bandana. Does this government seriously believe this is an acceptable standard of worker health and safety?

To the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, through you, Speaker: There have been a record number of wildfires in the province this year—738—and none have been more affected than the forest rangers who put their lives and health on the line for us by fighting these fires. They need to be reclassified so they will be recognized, compensated, and receive the same WSIB protection as all other firefighters.

Will the minister commit to the reclassification of these wildfire workers today?

It does seem to be a government that is good with some kinds of infrastructure but really lousy with workers and proper employment and paying decent wages and making sure that they actually have protection for when they are exposed to hazardous materials in their job. I truly don’t understand. I know that there are members on that side of the House who do understand the risks of firefighting, but I do not understand why that side of the House does not respect wildland firefighters enough to pay them properly and make sure that they are covered for work exposure to carcinogens. That needs to happen now; it could have happened months ago. It needs to be in this bill.

The minister knows full well that there are very, very legitimate concerns about how nuclear energy is going to roll out. If there is no space on that side of the House to actually entertain those concerns, they are not doing their job as a responsible government. Thank you very much.

I’d also like to mention that this is also taking place with workers in the trucking industry—

I have two points. The coverage is not explicit enough in the bill as it is for firefighters.

Regarding climate action by this government, I simply need to point to the greenbelt and the giveaway of farmland; the giveaway of farmland that we’re seeing in the Hamilton area and the loss of wetlands and the things that they were told—“Absolutely, do not do this.” They were begged for months and months and months: “Do not do this. It will be harmful to the environment. It undoes anything else you might be doing to address climate change.” You can’t just take away with one hand and do something over here and expect they will never come together.

Thank you for your presentation. I want to ask about—I’m very glad to see that some cancers are now being recognized as affecting firefighters. That’s terrific; it’s an important change. But I worry very much about the workers I know—I’ve been involved with the Thunder Bay injured workers support group for many years. There are workers who worked at the mill in Dryden. For many, many years, they’ve been waiting to have the neurological damage and lung damage recognized, but WSIB is still refusing to do that.

I’m wondering if you anticipate changing the direction of WSIB so that it’s really there for workers when they need it.