CREATING INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS

Bartenders Benevolent Fund is active and determined in our vision to empower hospitality. On November 15th, we took another step in our work to help the industry members as we partnered with the ADLER Centre to launch a new program: Hospitality Workers Mental Health Fund (HWMHF).

Monthly hospitality industry members can apply through BBF to obtain counseling services free of charge through the ADLER Centre.

As access to counseling can be prohibitive because of the associated costs, BBF and the ADLER Centre are working together to ensure that every month a selected number of hospitality workers who are in most need, can benefit from the support necessary by having access to free sessions.

Counseling can be beneficial to help find some clarity, or just to have someone to talk to. Maintaining good mental health is important, now more than ever.

The ADLER Centre is housed in the ADLER Graduate Professional School, located in Midtown Toronto. This private school has been offering professional graduate-level education since 1978. The ADLER Centre was established by the school to offer services that improve mental health and quality of life. The Centre provides compassionate, proficient mental health services in a learning environment.

You can read more about the Hospitality Workers Mental Health Fund here; and the work of the ADLER Centre at Adler.ca .

Less than a quarter of part-time, temporary and contract workers have access to the same benefits granted to full-time employees in Canada. The Portable Benefits Advisory Panel aims to change that.
 

The Panel was established in March 2022 to advise the Ontario government on a portable benefits program that would see health and dental benefits tied to the individual workers themselves, not the employers.
 

The Bartenders Benevolent Fund (BBF) was invited to join a community discussion with the Panel on November 16th, 2022, along with representatives from WorkInCulture; United Way Greater Toronto; Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI); and Civic Action.
 

During the conversation, Dr. Andrew Toplack, BBF co-founder, and Mat Savulescu, BBF Executive Director, highlighted the organization’s work to support members of the hospitality community over the past ten years. In particular, noting the financial challenges faced by many within this community when it comes to prioritizing health alongside daily living expenses and necesities.
 

Together, the group outlined four considerations for the members of the Portable Benefits Advisory Panel to bring forward to the Government of Ontario in their final report:

• The absence of benefits has a negative impact on other systems across the province.
• Portable benefits do not replace adequate employment standards and universal support systems.
• There is an active need to establish a minimum floor for benefits.
• The benefits framework should be based on equity and accessibility, aimed at providing the maximum impact to those who require portable benefits most.
• The Panel will issue a report with their recommendations in 2023.