Joint Statement from Educational Workers’ Unions in Ontario: Supporting Students with Autism

As parents, educators, front-line workers, education stakeholders’ and as concerned residents in Ontario, we strongly urge the government to rethink its rash decision-making on the Ontario Autism Program and put the needs of children with autism first. The Ford government’s reckless changes to the way it supports children with autism – in particular, its cuts…

PC health overhaul legislation explicit power to privatize services must be removed, says CUPE

TORONTO, ON – Despite assurances from the PC government that they will not use new health restructuring legislation to privatize services, “key sections of Bill 74 are designed to do just that,” warns Michael Hurley, the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE (OCHU). One of those sections explicitly removes reference to keeping hospital…

CUPE education workers condemn Ford government hiring freeze as “starving students of support”

TORONTO, ON – The contempt that the Ford government has shown to children with autism and their parents now extends to all children in Ontario’s public education system, said representatives of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in the wake of today’s news of a province-wide school board hiring freeze. The union warns that such a…

CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer to Ford government, “the people of Ontario do not want cuts and privatization, focus on raising revenue in upcoming budget”

PETERBOROUGH, ON – Service cuts and privatization is a failed strategy that the people of Ontario have seen far too many times, CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick told a pre-budget committee hearing in Peterborough today. “Doug Ford likes to talk about the provincial deficit, he even tried to redo the math to make it seem…

High turnout and support as CUPE members at Kingston Health Sciences Centre ratify new 4-year contract

KINGSTON, ON – 98 per cent of staff represented by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) have voted for a new four-year collective agreement. The vote turnout and percentage of ratification is the highest in the local union’s history. The 1,400 members at Kingston Health Sciences Centre are among…