Labour ministry denies mall collapse responsibility, Mantha says

Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha is calling on the Ontario government to take action after a representative from the Ministry of Labour said workers, not government inspectors, are responsible for their own safety in the workplace.

“Last week, at the Elliot Lake inquiry, a representative of the Ministry of Labour said the ministry bore no responsibility for the tragedy in which Lucie Aylwin and Doloris Perizzolo lost their lives,” explained Mantha, an resident of Elliot Lake. “The Ministry official testified that the employer is responsible for the protection of their workers, but the workers are also responsible for their own safety.”
 
According to Mantha, the representative went on to say that ministry officials are only a check on the system, and could not be subject to discipline as a result of the disaster.
 
“To even imply that these two women were more responsible for their own protection in their place of work than the Ministry of Labour is ridiculous,” said Mantha. “The Ministry of Labour inspection offices were housed in the Algo Centre Mall for 10 years, but did little to address conditions in the leaking mall situation.”
 
Mantha urged Labour Minister Yasir Naqvi to address the problem.