Environment and Conservation
Fisheries and Aquaculture
March 10, 2016
Ministers Offer Condolences on Passing of Joe O’Neill
The Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister Responsible for the Labour Relations Agency, and The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, today offered the following statements of condolence on the passing of Joseph O’Neill, Chairperson of the Labour Relations Agency Standing Fish Price Setting Panel:
“Mr. O’Neill has made a lasting and positive contribution to the labour relations environment in this province. He had an extensive career in the public sector, and was awarded the Public Service Award of Excellence for exceptional and distinguished service. On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador we offer condolences to his family, friends and colleagues on his passing.”
- The Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Conservation
The majority of Mr. O’Neill’s career in public service was in the field of labour relations. He was a mediator and Director of Labour Relations, Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister and served as Chief Executive Officer of the Workplace Health and Safety Commission.
In 1997 Mr. O’Neill was appointed to the Task Force on Price Settlement Mechanisms in the Fishing Industry, established to assess the effectiveness of the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act. In 2006, he was appointed Chairperson of the Standing Fish Price Setting Panel, a role he held for 10 years.
“Mr. O’Neill pioneered the establishment of final offer selection for fish price collective bargaining, and clearly touched the lives of many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians over the course of his distinguished career in public service. We extend our sincere sympathies to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
- The Honourable Steve Crocker, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Mr. O’Neill also served on numerous boards, including the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission, the Newfoundland and Labrador Safety Council and the Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Safety Association. He worked on the Premier’s Task Force to address labour relations in the fishery, chaired the Members’ Compensation Review Committee, served on the Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation, and represented the Canadian delegation in meetings before the International Labour Organization in Geneva, Switzerland in 2004.
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Media contacts:
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Emily Timmins Director of Communications Labour Relations Agency 709-729-2575, 709-693-1292 emilytimmins@gov.nl.ca |
Roger Scaplen Director of Communications Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture 709-729-3733, 697-5267 rogerscaplen@gov.nl.ca |
2016 03 10 10:45 a.m.