Ottawa next, 'no sweat' activists say

Catholic New Times, May 21, 2006

TORONTO -- Following the successful campaign to adopt a "no sweatshop" purchasing policy at the City of Toronto, Canadian "no sweat" activists are urging other major Canadian cities to follow suit.

The City of Toronto passed a No Sweat purchasing policy at its Council meeting in April, requiring apparel manufacturers who supply the city to comply with internationally recognized labour and human rights standards. According to reports, the city purchases millions of dollars worth of apparel each year.

"We'll be presenting our draft Ethical Procurement Resolution to the City of Ottawa's Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee this coming Tuesday," said David Calvert of the Ottawa No Sweat Coalition. "Our city's tax dollars shouldn't go to subsidize unfair labour practices and poor environmental standards. We hope to make Ottawa Canada's next No Sweat city."

Paulette Sadoway of the Canadian Labour Congress in Halifax said, "The City of Halifax has already pledged to develop a policy this year ... We'll make sure Halifax is an active partner in the growing movement to end sweatshops."

Last year, Vancouver adopted an Ethical Procurement Policy for city apparel, food and coffee. The City of Calgary has also been developing a No Sweat policy for procurement. No Sweat activists said they hope that an increased number of participating municipalities will lead to the enforcement of standards and the investigation of complaints.

"With almost 60 cities in the United States and an increasing number of cities in Canada adopting fair labour standards for apparel, the ability to enforce these standards is growing every day," said Kevin Thomas, of the Toronto-based Maquila Solidarity Network, who promoted the Toronto policy. "There's strength in numbers."