MONTREAL -- Several hundred essential workers gathered in Jarry Park on Sunday to express their displeasure with their treatment by the provincial government.

The group, which included teachers, nurses and social workers, called on the government to improve their working conditions and increase their pay, saying the government's kind words towards them during the pandemic have not been enough to compensate for increased risk.

Teachers have been calling for improvements to COVID-protection in schools, including improved ventilation and air purifiers.

Nurses have also been outspoken at their displeasure on working conditions, as one major union is still in talks for a new labour agreement.

Since the start of the pandemic, 41,000 Quebec healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19, with 18 of those dying of the virus.