Politicians often compare household and government budgets. For one, they tell us they’re both about balancing income against spending. But there’s an important difference between them. For a household in crisis, cutting spending and saving money is usually a key response. But for a government which represents many people and communities with different challenges, the…
DetailsOn Monday, October 26, thousands of health care workers, members of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) went on a wildcat strike in Edmonton, Calgary, and other municipalities in the province. They were proudly joined in solidarity by workers from many other unions in that province, including members of CUPE Alberta from health care, social services, municipalities,…
DetailsThe proposed legislation, Bill 168, introduced by conservative MPPs Robin Martin (Eglinton—Lawrence) and Will Bouma (Brantford—Brand) with the misleading title “Combating Anti-Semitism Act,” is an assault on the freedom of speech of Ontarians that must be defeated. Many concerns have been raised regarding Israel’s human rights record of offences against the Palestinian people, and it…
DetailsTORONTO, ON – CUPE Ontario, SEIU Healthcare and Unifor held a joint press conference on Tuesday morning, calling on the Ontario government to legislate a minimum care standard of four hours of hands-on care in long-term care homes by immediately passing Bill 13, the Time to Care Act. Based on the latest pre-pandemic calculations by…
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Two-thirds of all approved COVID-19-related claims to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ottawa came from workers at nursing homes and residential care facilities – but the numbers should be much higher. “Many of these [long-term care] workers are part-time. They’ll just go home. They won’t file claims and they’ll wait out … the…
DetailsTORONTO, ON – With Ontario breaking two records this weekend, and logging more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario is calling on the Government of Ontario to commit to funding immediate and significant actions. The record-setting spike in cases follows budget consultations hosted by Ontario’s Ministry…
DetailsTORONTO, ON – Ontario’s Long-Term COVID-19 Commission released an interim report today, calling on the government to implement a minimum daily care standard of four hours of hands-on care per resident. “We thank the commission for their work and for recognizing the need to institute a staffing standard,” said Candace Rennick, CUPE Ontario’s Secretary-Treasurer. “Residents…
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Candace Rennick, secretary treasurer for CUPE Ontario, says long-term care employees may not file a WSIB claim if they contract COVID-19 at work due to a fear of reprisals from their employer. Watch the video clip here.
Over the course of this pandemic, we’ve seen that people who were already facing systemic barriers are the ones facing the greatest impacts now. Racialized communities, the LGBTQ2S+ community, and others marginalized by a foundationally unequal system have faced the brunt of COVID-19. And so it’s deeply concerning that, rather than extending more robust supports for all Ontarians, the Ford…
DetailsToronto, ON — Ford’s proposed regulation changes come just before Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day on October 22, which acknowledges and thanks the hard work and dedication of workers in the sector. Ford’s proposed changes to the Child Care and Early Years act lowers caregiver to child ratios, erodes important staffing…
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