I fully understand the…

I fully understand the importance of ensuring the protection of the environment during emergency and possibly strikes. However, should the best people not be the ones who do the job instead of someone who may know the process but not the ins and outs of the facility. Instead of removing bargaining power with making a strike pointless, why not just make Water and Wastewater works essential. Toronto made the TTC essential, and instead of talking about keeping a city moving I am talking about the health and safety of people. Is it better to have the person who spends 40 hours a week running the facility who took this job cause they care about the environment and the people they service, or some outside person who may understand the process but not the facility. If the environment and the people matter enough to amend the regulations then why not ensure the safety of the people by having the best. What happens if a facility enacts this emergency measure during a strike and someone brought into the facility makes a mistake. Who will be held liable, not the people outside striking, surely not the person thrust into a different environment then they are used to. The consequence for any injury or death should fall on the Director who approved and allowed the facility to use outside help.

I have thought this since I first started learned about the industry in college. Water and Wastewater must be an essential service to protect the public. Is it not weird that the news never covers wastewater and water workers when they are on strike, it is as if they do not want to cause panic. Access to clean and safe!! water is a human right as per the United Nations. Let us keep the most qualified and experienced with the facility working. Those are the folks who in an emergency like now, show up day in and day out. When no one knew if Covid could be passed through wastewater and PPE was running short, my colleagues showed up each and everyday to do their job. We did not ask to be thanked or recognized we did what everyone wants. We kept the systems working in the background like everyone expects. So make us an essential service and allow us to continue in the background protecting the environment and the people.