The Precarity Penalty International Symposium

PEPSO's The Precarity Penalty report was officially launched at a 2-day symposium on May 21 and 22, 2015 at the Central YMCA in Toronto, Ontario. Approximately 200 key stakeholders from the private sector, labour, government and community organizations, including international experts, attended the symposium. The symposium keynote speaker was Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario.

  Download our Symposium Booklet for the complete two-day agenda, speaker biographies, and a list of international delegates that participated in the event. 

  Download our presentation slide decks (PDF) on key topics on precarious employment.

DAY 1

The Precarity Penalty
Presenters: Wayne Lewchuk (McMaster University) and Michelynn Lafleche (United Way Toronto & York Region)

Employee Selection, Training, Development & Certification
Presenter: Rod Jones (Ontario Manufacturing Learning Consortium)

HSTAC & Other Training Consortia in Ontario
Presenter: Ken Delaney (Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition)

Employer Practice Makes a Difference
Presenter: Will Stratton (KPMG)

How Temp Work Became the Norm ...and Where to go From Here?
Presenter: Erin Hatton (State University of New York at Buffalo, USA)

Precarity in Work and Life: Forging a New Reproductive Bargain
Presenter: Heidi Gottfried (Wayne State University, USA)

Who Benefits and Who Loses from Less Secure Forms of Employment?
Presenter: Fran Baum (Flinders University, South Australia)

DAY 2

Living beyond the Minimum — The Hamilton Living Wage Initiative
Presenter: Tom Cooper (Hamilton Roundtable on Poverty Reduction and Ontario Living Wage Network)

City of Toronto Job Quality Assessment Tool
Presenter: Dena Warman (City of Toronto)

Precarious Undertakings: Nonprofit Work, Funding and Communities at Risk
Presenter: John Shields (Ryerson University)

Impact of High Levels of Precarity on Urban Neighbourhood Economies and Particular Populations in Peel
Presenter: Grace-Edward Galabuzi (Ryerson University)

Challenging Precarity Through Community Benefits Agreements
Presenter: James Nugent (University of Toronto)

State of Ontario’s Minimum Wage
Presenters: Serene Tan (University of Toronto) and Kaylie Tiessen (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ontario)

Like Wonder Women, Goddesses and Robots: How Racialized Immigrant Women in Toronto are Impacted by and Respond to Employment Precarity
Presenter: Sehr Athar (Access Alliance)