CUPE Ontario condemns Niagara mayors’ “water for power” proposal amidst widespread provincial overreach

Toronto – The proposed amalgamation of Niagara municipalities is the latest example of Premier Doug Ford’s attempt to override local democracy in pursuit of his agenda, says CUPE Ontario. Ford has built his political brand on speeding up development, yet he has accomplished little actual building as progress has consistently stalled around the same issues:…

Workers at Regional Municipality of York vote to strike as staffing crisis deepens

Newmarket, ON – Roads workers, paramedics, public health workers and others represented by CUPE 4900 have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, sending a clear message to the Regional Municipality of York that urgent steps are needed to address a long-running retention crisis that is undermining vital public services. Once considered an employer of…

Waterloo-Wellington hospitals spent $31.9 million on for-profit staffing agencies in 2022-23, marking a 288 per cent increase over 10 years

Private staffing agencies drained $9.2 billion from public hospitals over 10-year period. Kitchener, ON – A new research report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives recommends Ontario make significant increases in hospital funding while phasing out costly for-profit staffing agencies and making investments in preventative health care. The report Hollowed Out: Ontario public hospitals…

CUPE Ontario and OMW join AMO’s, municipalities’ calls to deal with human and financial costs of Ontario’s homelessness crisis

TORONTO – In response to the report “Municipalities under pressure: The human and financial cost of Ontario’s homelessness crisis,” released by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, CUPE Ontario and its Ontario Municipal Workers committee (OMW) issued the following statement: With both a federal and provincial election in the offing, CUPE Ontario and OMW recognize…

Peel Transition Act: “A solution no one wants from a government that won’t deliver what we need”

PEEL REGION – CUPE Ontario has criticized the Ford Conservatives for interfering in municipalities’ business through the recently introduced Peel Transition Implementation Act. The bill downloads some services currently handled by Peel Region to the municipalities of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, while doing nothing – still – to meet residents’ housing and other needs. “Premier…