Union Representing Ontario’s TSSA Inspectors on Strike

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), which represents Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) inspectors, including those who inspect vertical-transportation (VT) equipment, went on strike on July 21, TSSA announced. TSSA contends it offered OPSEU a “reasonable and fair” contract that included “excellent health, dental and pension benefits and salary increases for a multiyear agreement.” Bogdan Rus, vice president of Operations at Richmond Hill, Ontario-based Element Elevators Inc., tells ELEVATOR WORLD the situation is affecting his company’s ability to turn over elevators to end users following modernizations. Owners of VT equipment, sites and businesses regulated under the Technical Standards and Safety Act remain responsible for maintaining and operating devices safely and for immediately reporting incidents. TSSA says it will continue to respond to serious safety incidents and any sites classified as high risk. The authority will also continue to provide services for critical infrastructure, such as hospitals.