Advocates call for tougher safety standards for Ontario mines

Sudbury NDP MPP Jamie West and safety advocates urge Ontario to adopt stricter exposure limits for diesel fumes and silica.

Sudbury MPP Jamie West, who is the NDP’s shadow minister of labour and energy and mines, was joined by Sudbury health and safety advocates at Queen’s Park this week.

The group discussed the importance of protecting miners in the province from occupational disease and said the solution is changing exposure limits.

From exposures to diesel fumes, particulate silica, and other carcinogens. Officials said mine workers in the province have a 54 per cent higher chance of getting lung cancer and 165 per cent higher chance of getting COPD.

“Mining contributes about $23.8 billion annually to the economy, yet 87 per cent of mine fatalities are due to occupational disease,” West said.

“At USW Local 6500 in Sudbury alone, we have lost 47 workers to occupational disease over the last two decades,” said David Lisi, of USW 6500 Health and Safety.

“And that number represents only the workers whose WSIB claims were filed and accepted. Many more cases remain tied up in appeals -- and countless non-unionized workers never report their illnesses.”

But advocates said it doesn’t need to be this way. They are calling on Ontario to join other provinces like BC and Alberta in modernizing occupational exposure limits.

“Silica needs to come down from 100 micrograms to 25 micrograms per metre cubed,” said Sean Staddon, WSIB worker advocate.

“Diesel particulate also needs to come down to 20 micrograms per metre cubed. These are not radical numbers. These are based on established science.”

As more mines open across the province, the group said the time to change things is now.

“In other jurisdictions where the levels are lower, the fans have to run more often to change the air,” West said.

“In Ontario, where you’re allowed to breathe a little more of the carcinogens, the fans don’t have to ramp up as often.”

Diseases take decades to appear

“These diseases take 20 to 30 years to show up in a person,” Staddon said.

“The effects of the 1990s are just showing up in my office today. So if we don’t get this right, it’s going to be decades and generations of families suffering from this.”

A lengthy statement from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said, in part, that Ontario has “one of the most robust occupational health and safety regimes in North America and our government is continuously strengthening this framework, including through new tools and legislative updates that enhance accountability and transparency.”

“To address long-term occupational illness, we are taking concrete steps to improve prevention, detection and response,” the statement said.

“This includes the launch of the first-in-Canada Occupational Exposure Registry, which allows for better tracking of worker exposures over time and supports earlier intervention.”

The statement also said that a new, state-of-the-art training facility is being funded by the WSIB in mining communities such as Sudbury.

“These investments ensure that workers and employers have access to the latest knowledge, technology and best practices to reduce risks on the job so that every miner in Ontario can return home safe and healthy.”