A school caretaker living in his car. An education assistant who can’t pay for gas to get to work. A school secretary with no savings and who can’t afford to retire. An early childhood educator who sees her own children growing up in poverty. Professionals and paraprofessionals with degrees and diplomas who don’t earn a…
Words matter. Recently, Health Minister Christine Elliott announced the expansion of private hospitals in Ontario. Missed this? So did many of us, possibly because of the words she selected: “we can let independent health facilities operate private hospitals.” That offhand reference to “independent health facilities” sounds a whole lot better than this: “We will award…
While OMERS was able to report what Mr. Hutcheson called “exceptional returns,” it has not been able to quiet unions whose members are part of the OMERS plan. The unions have been criticizing OMERS’s costs and long-term financial performance, particularly after 2020. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario, which called for an independent…
In Wednesday’s report, the FAO noted Ontario will spend about $118.1-billion between 2020 and 2040. About one-third ($39.8-billion) of the money is estimated to help out “non-residential ratepayers.” That term applies to businesses and factories – any place that is not a house that buys electricity. “While two-thirds of the spending will benefit Ontario households,…
CUPE Ontario, the political wing of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, also criticized the subsidies given to large businesses. “Companies like Loblaws, which have actually profited during this pandemic, are getting government money to pay their hydro bills, while public services are stretched thin due to years of underfunding,” CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn…
CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn said Ontario was last among provinces in per-capita health-care funding before the pandemic, which has exacerbated longstanding issues. He also took issue with the government’s use of the word “absenteeism” when discussing health-care and education worker shortages. “Workers aren’t absent. They’re sick,” he said. “It’s the Ford Conservatives who are absent.” Click…
In the wake of the Omicron crisis, the Ford government needs to provide workers with 10 employer-paid sick days in Ontario, according to a group of more than 30 labour organizations. In April, the province implemented the Ontario COVID-19 Worker Income Benefit, which required employers to give their staff three paid sick days for infectious…
The Ontario Municipal Employees’ Retirement System (OMERS) is one of Canada’s largest pension funds. Serving 289,000 municipal workers employed by cities across Ontario, OMERS has net assets of over $105 billion that are intended to support members in their retirement. This year, however, has seen OMERS swamped by numerous scandals. It is currently in the…
This month, Premier Ford’s Progressive Conservative government made major moves to court workers, seeking to change labour laws with the Working for Workers Act and pledging to raise the minumum wage. But, do Ontario unions actually like what they see, and will this help Ontario’s working class in substantial ways? Also, are we witnessing a…
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” famously opens Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. The line also perfectly describes the growing income and wealth inequality in Ontario, a tale of two provinces that compels us to finally institute a wealth tax. In the tale of one of the…
