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Message

President’s Message

The Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission’s (HMIRC) dual role is to balance the right of chemical companies to protect trade secrets and the need of workers to have accurate health and safety information about hazardous chemicals used in the workplace. The Commission, created in 1987 as part of the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, is a model of industry, labour and government consultation, consensus and cooperation.

The Commission has undertaken an internal process of revisiting and updating its vision, mission, and operating principles since 1998. This renewal process has been and continues to be my top priority and that of Commission staff. Our major thrust is a client service orientation balanced with a more focused role in workplace safety.

Working in partnership with our tripartite Council of Governors and our stakeholder groups, we wrote the Commission’s first strategic plan entitled Commission Renewal: Blueprint for Change. The Blueprint was the beginning of open, honest and challenging dialogue, and acted as a gathering place around which all interested parties met to review, reaffirm and identify enhancements to the services offered by the Commission. The Blueprint was met with unanimous approval and support by the Commission’s Council in June 1999 and endorsed by the Minister of Health in October 1999. In November 1999, we published the Blueprint and mailed copies to all interested parties.

In order to implement the strategic initiatives outlined in the Blueprint, the next step was the development of an operational workplan. The Commission presented its renewal Workplan to our tripartite Council in January 2000, and received unanimous endorsement. The plan will be the operational foundation that will direct the course of the Commission’s work for the next couple of years.

We believe that the Workplan clearly and transparently demonstrates our commitment to our stakeholders in the renewal process of the Commission. As such, the Workplan will also be widely published as tangible evidence of this commitment and to ensure our accountability for its completion.

Both HMIRC’s tripartite Council and our stakeholders have provided unyielding support and encouragement for the Commission. This support motivates the Commission to sustain the momentum of renewal and push on with achieving our commitments.

Weldon Newton