Five Montreal firefighters have COVID-19 and others have had to go into quarantine, so the remaining workers have changed their shift patterns and delayed vacations (although where could you go on vacation now?).
A third STM worker has the rona – in fact I’m surprised more drivers haven’t got it, considering their degree of exposure to the public even after they taped off the front of the buses.
Workers at at NDG pharmacy have also tested positive.
Le Devoir has a statement from an SAQ worker about what it’s like when every day is like the day before Christmas, and people ignore the rules.
Le Devoir also reports on the various hotspots around town, including a couple of outbreaks in Jewish communities following Purim and one big wedding in the west end. (Contrast Côte St-Luc mayor Mitchell Brownstein’s keenness on bringing in quarantine procedures with Hampstead mayor Bill Steinberg’s Trump-style denial of the facts.)
Raymond Lutz 07:45 on 2020-03-29 Permalink
From the linked article: “The solution may seem attractive, but not all (satisfactory skill levels) will be reached, ” said de Repentigny, giving technical training in health as an example. Graduating nurses, for example, who have not had some practical training, could be worrisome.”
Indeed. You can’t short cut technical formation… for pre-university programs, gaps _could_ be filled in later in the cursus… but not for techs.
Raymond Lutz 08:48 on 2020-03-29 Permalink
Oh and by the way, did you now I can’t harshly criticize here my CEGEP and the MELS decision to resume and finish the term?
I’m an employee and the Civil Code of Québec article 2088 stipulates: “The employee is bound not only to perform his work with prudence and diligence, but also to act faithfully and honestly and not use any confidential information he obtains in the performance or in the course of his work.
These obligations continue for a reasonable time after the contract terminates and permanently where the information concerns the reputation and privacy of others.”
As an example of what this means on the ground, I found the SAQ employees “Code Of Ethics And Conduct”. I’m not a lawyer but I guess it merely explicits article 2088 scope (they cite it in the document) so it should equally appliy to my CEGEP job:
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We must perform our work in a manner consistent with the company’s expectations regarding its mission and refrain from any action that could jeopardize its legitimate interests.
ACTING LOYALLY MEANS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, in a situation where a customer criticizes our store or company: staying calm; encouraging the customer to address his criticisms to our manager and, if appropriate, to Customer Service; keeping our personal opinions to ourselves; and focusing our efforts on serving the customer.
By acting in this way, we demonstrate loyalty. Regardless of our opinion of the comments being made, our professional attitude ensures customers receive courteous service in keeping with the SAQ’s brand image. The same is true for social media; we should not comment on debates or share them with others.
IT ALSO MEANS: not taking advantage of our position to promote a partisan position; rather than voicing our dissatisfaction to the media or on the Web (on blogs, for example), making constructive comments inside the company so we can improve our practices.
In this way, we will all help maintain the reputation of the SAQ and its personnel.
Moreover, our obligation of loyalty lasts for a reasonable period of time after we stop working for the company and forever when the reputations and private lives of others are concerned. What is considered a reasonable period will vary depending on an employee’s position and level of responsibility at the SAQ.
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I guess you could replace any ‘SAQ’ mention by CEGEP…
This is a lengthy comment but a welcome distraction from covid-19… 😎