Northern MPP wants Ontario government to apologize to miners
Sudbury MPP Jamie West will bring forward a motion on Thursday calling for an official apology from the Government of Ontario to the 25,000 miners who were forced to breathe in harmful aluminum dust between 1943 and 1980.
McIntyre powder was supposed to prevent disease but instead is linked to high rates of Parkinson's disease among those forced to inhale it before their shifts underground.
"This isn’t about offering money," West said.
"This is about recognizing what was done shouldn’t have happened to them and that it was wrong. Because many of those remaining miners are elderly and most remaining miners are health compromised, it remains incredibly urgent and important that we hear this apology as soon as possible."
West said the government of the day sanctioned the use of McIntyre Powder, despite expert evidence that recommended against its use.
The move comes after the Ministry of Labour announced a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease linked to dust will be formally recognized as an occupational disease under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act.
"You had no choice but to breathe it in," said Bill Ferguson, a miner affected by McIntyre powder.
"I mean, you were right in the middle of this black cloud and you had to breathe it in and they thought they were doing us some good. I breathed it in for approximately 20 years."
The motion will be read during Question Period at Queen's Park on Thursday and the hope is that the apology can be given at that time. West said it's fitting that it would fall on the International Day of Mourning, a day to remember workers who died, were injured or became sick from their job.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.