The filed record
Enforcing the Westray Amendments to Keep Workers Safe - by Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Councillor Amber Morley
The Public Gallery wrote no story on this item. What follows is the city’s own record of what happened to it, as filed: nothing on this page is summarised or scored by us.
The decision
2026-04-22 · Toronto City Council · adopted
As filed
City Council on April 22 and 23, 2026, adopted the following: 1. City Council request the Province of Ontario to ensure that Crown Attorneys and health and safety regulators are trained in the application of the Westray Amendment, and ensure that there are sufficient resources for training and investigation of workplace fatalities or injuries. 2. City Council request the Toronto Police Service Board to ensure that all
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police officers have training on how to apply the Westray Amendment and the resources necessary to investigate workplace fatalities and injuries.
On the agenda
As the city filed it
On May 9, 1992, 26 miners at the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia died in an explosion. Advocacy for better protections for workers and a subsequent Royal Commission led to changes to the law around criminal negligence, which allowed for employers to be held accountable when workers are killed or injured on the job. Police and prosecutors have used this law to prosecute employers who are negligent in protecting their workers, including in Toronto in the Metron case.
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However, with over 1,000 workers a year still dying on the job across Canada, more needs to be done. This motion makes requests of the Province and the Toronto Police Service Board to ensure that the training and resources are in place to ensure that the Westray Law is being enforced and workers are being protected. Reason for urgency: April 28 is the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured in workplace accidents and May 9th is the anniversary of the Westray Mine Disaster. The motion is urgent in order to meet these significant milestones.
Staff recommended
Mayor Olivia Chow, seconded by Councillor Amber Morley, recommends that: 1. City Council request the Province of Ontario to ensure that Crown Attorneys and health and safety regulators are trained in the application of the Westray Amendment, and ensure that there are sufficient resources for training and investigation of workplace fatalities or injuries. 2. City Council request the Toronto Police Service Board to ensure
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that all police officers have training on how to apply the Westray Amendment and the resources necessary to investigate workplace fatalities and injuries.
On the record
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