October 21, 2021 is the 21st annual Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. Each year the day is proclaimed by municipalities, school boards, and child care operators across Ontario. This year we will be celebrating Early Learning and Child Care Heroes for the vital work they do in our communities and their…
It’s been said so many times it’s become cliché: the pandemic exposed the deep inequities running through our communities from the local to the global. But unlike other clichés, this well-worn phrase must be recognized as an important truth, deserving attention and urgent action. Nineteen months into this crisis, and after multiple waves of this…
As nursing homes prepare for the end of pandemic emergency orders, operators want a permanent role for new, low-paid workers. But advocates like CUPE Ontario’s Candace Rennick question the use of inexperienced staff with vulnerable residents, saying it is a “very sad policy choice.” Called “resident support assistants,” the entry-level job was approved by a…
Toronto, ON— Workers at Toronto Parking Authority, who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 416, have reached a tentative agreement and avoided a possible lockout or strike. “Our expressed goal at the bargaining table is to protect Toronto’s critical parking infrastructure that we need now more than ever as we…
The line item, the FAO notes, which covers “funding to support the implementation of public health protocols in schools” received $702 million in 2020-21. This year, the province is budgeting $569 million in 2021-22,. That’s a reduction of about $133 million. At the same time, according to the report, local school boards have spent $391…
“There was no real sense of urgency or understanding or acceptance of how critical the situation actually was. And in the case of Madonna, you know, that situation proved to be fatal — not just for workers, but for … several residents as well,” said Candace Rennick, a former PSW and an executive with CUPE…
WINDSOR, ON – Over 600 Thanksgiving gift hampers will be distributed to individuals and families in need in Windsor this Friday as part of a charity drive by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in partnership with the Windsor-Essex Food Bank Association. The hampers have been packed by municipal and community care workers represented…
WHITBY, ON – Emphasizing the needs of vulnerable community members, CUPE Local 53 has donated $2,000 to the Feed the Need program in Durham Region as food bank demand rises through the pandemic. “Our union members have always believed that we should help the most marginalized members of our community,” said Rob Radford, president. “We…
TORONTO, ON – There is cautious optimism from Ontario’s largest health care union – the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario – following a provincial government announcement today that promises money for long-term care homes to hire additional staff now and a four-hour care standard in a new revamped Long-Term Care Homes Act. “While…
TORONTO, ON – The Ford government has underspent and has passed the buck to the Federal government when it comes to measures in response to COVID-19, said the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario. “This week, Doug Ford launched his re-election bid with an advertising campaign billing him as a big spender, but yet…
