Premier Kathleen Wynne got a rough ride from an autoworker Tuesday night as she faced voters at a town hall meeting in Ancaster.

“I respect you as premier but I’m a little pissed off right now,” said a man in a bright yellow safety vest who identified himself only as Doug.

His concern was about the way auto industry workers were excluded from new employment standards laws providing others with a minimum of 10 personal emergency leave days a year, for illnesses or pressing family matters.

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“You didn’t listen to autoworkers,” added Doug, who noted he gets just seven days and fears he could use them up in one go if he was injured or contracted a serious illness.

Wynne said the exclusion of auto workers is part of a pilot project that will be reviewed. Previously, Labour Minister Kevin Flynn has said the auto industry operates in “a particularly competitive global sector.”

“I get that there’s a difference” in the leave time, she added at the forum moderated by Hamilton Spectator managing editor Howard Elliott.

The talk is the latest in a series of town halls organized and paid for by the government to make Wynne, who is struggling with low personal popularity in public opinion polls ahead of the June 7 election, more accountable and accessible to the public.

She also faced questions about the future of the local steel industry amid threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump and the possible demise of NAFTA, the basic income pilot project as a possible alternative to traditional welfare, school repair budgets and the plan for government stores to sell marijuana instead of private cannabis stores once the federal government legalizes recreational pot this summer.

One woman who works at a private cannabis shop for medical users accused the premier of “criminalizing law-abiding citizens” and questioned her on why Ontario did not opt for a “mixed” retail model of government and private retailers as is the case in British Columbia and Alberta.

Wynne said the province is keeping stores in government hands to “undercut the black market” but was immediately challenged by the woman.

“Forty stores is not going to undercut the black market,” she retorted.

“I hear we’ve got a difference of opinion on this,” said Wynne, noting the plan for 40 stores is just a start.

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The premier is holding another town hall meeting Wednesday evening at the Design Exchange in downtown Toronto to mark International Women’s Day.

Previous town halls have been held in Toronto, Ottawa, Brampton and Windsor.

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