Saskatoon healthcare workers launch petition for safer parking
The Service Employees International Union West (SEIU-West), which represents some Saskatoon healthcare workers, has launched a petition calling for safer parking.
“They want safe parking, they want well-lit parking, they want accessible parking,” said SEIU’s president Barbara Cape. “We want to partner with every single health care worker who's affected by this.”
In December, a healthcare worker was assaulted blocks away from RUH on her way to work.
Cape says many workers at Saskatoon’s hospitals and health care facilities have to park in residential areas. The union has concerns because many areas are not well lit, especially when employees get off late or head in for an early shift.
“Can't we work together to find a park and ride or a shuttle system that makes it just a little bit safer to make it from your car to your workplace so that you can provide care?”
The petition is open to all healthcare workers — including doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists, says Cape.
“We're going to talk with the Health Authority, we're going to talk with the (provincial) government, we're going to talk with the city we're going to talk with transit, because, this is not an insurmountable problem. We just need to have some political will to get it done,” she said.
The petition has over 300 signatures so far.
In response to the launch of the petition, Health Minister Paul Merriman says his ministry is looking at security issues at Saskatchewan’s hospitals.
“We’ve had some issues there, specifically at the University Hospital, also at the General Hospital in Regina and at St. Paul’s,” said Merriman.
“We’re continuing to look at, and making sure security is there and is available,” he said. “We do want to make sure our staff is safe coming to and going to the hospital(s).”
Currently, the petition only includes Saskatoon, but Cape says it could up to Moose Jaw and other locations that have expressed similar concerns.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.