Posts published in January 2026

Hundreds of the Ville de Montréal outside workers gathered outside city hall today during an adoption session of the 2026 municipal budget. Organized by the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal (CUPE 301), this mobilization denounced a budgetary framework that, if unchanged, will impoverish municipal workers.

“This budget confirms our fears: the city is cutting off its means of protecting workers’ purchasing power,” said Jean‑Pierre Lauzon, president of CUPE 301. “Given inflation is hitting full force, the framework amounts to asking outside workers to accept a net rollback.”

The demonstration comes less than a week after a strike notice announced workers would hold a first strike day on February 4. CUPE 301 pointed out that outside workers have not exercised their right to strike since 2009, despite several difficult rounds of bargaining. This demonstrates their willingness and ability to reach negotiated settlements in the past.

“The mayor talks about collaborating with municipal workers and her respect for their work. But today’s budget sends the opposite message. This is yet another example of presenting unifying public discourse while progress at the bargaining table has stalled,” Lauzon added.

For the union, the message from today is clear: the city must match its words to its actions. Outside workers still want a fair deal, but they won’t bargain toward their own impoverishment.

The union wishes to clarify that city hall was not stormed by outside workers during the protest. Some 30 outside workers peacefully entered city hall to attend the public city council meeting, a pivotal session for their working conditions. The police officers on site blocked their entry. It was only then that, still gathered in the entrance hall, they started making noise in protest.

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2024, and dozens of negotiation and mediation sessions have already been held.

Over one thousand positions already eliminated in multiple hospitals including North Bay, GTA, and Hamilton as hospitals buckle under budgetary pressures

As hospitals cut hundreds of jobs and eliminate vacant positions amidst budgetary constraints imposed by the Conservative government, the largest health care union in Ontario is warning about longer wait-times, rushed care, preventable mistakes, and overcrowded hallways.

On Tuesday, CUPE released a new research report,  “Driven to the brink: projected cuts to intensify Ontario’s hospital crisis,” which contrasts the additional resources required to simply maintain existing service with the government’s planned cuts by 2027-28, highlighting a 4,080 staffed bed capacity shortfall in the system.

The Ford government recently directed the hospitals to plan for a 2% annual increase in funding over the next three years, well short of the 6% average since 2020, precipitating cuts in multiple facilities hampered by budget deficits.

At least 1,000 jobs are being cut in hospitals in North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, Niagara and the GTA.

“This is a shocking political decision to cut our hospitals when we need more staff, not fewer,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE). “Hospitals could improve access, reduce wait-times, and provide better care by attracting and retaining qualified staff. Instead, the government is choosing to starve our public hospitals with another round of reductions to staffing levels and bed capacity.”

Last year, an analysis by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario showed that the government’s plan would entail the loss of 9,000 nurses and personal support worker positions across the health care sector by 2027-28.

Low staffing levels mean more waiting, notes the CUPE report. According to the most recent data reported by the provincial government (March 2024) there were nearly 73,000 patients in Ontario who waited longer than clinically recommended for their surgeries, up from 36,360 in 2019.

In surveys conducted by CUPE at hospitals implementing job cuts, staff have expressed concerns about worsening working conditions and the concomitant impact on patient care:

• “The [public should know] that hospitals are no longer safe. Lack of appropriate staffing makes it difficult to provide the care we desperately want to provide.”
    
• “[The job cuts will cause] increase in wait times. Job satisfaction will continue to decline. Patients will suffer the consequences. This continues to make the workplace unsafe and [increases] risks around violence.”
    
• “Losing staff means less time for therapeutic rapport building, takes away from personal aspect of nursing and turns the role into one where patients become ‘more of a number’ on the list of daily tasks required…increases the risk of staff and patient injury.”

“The frontline staff clearly express what they need to do their jobs effectively.” Hurley said. “Cutting hundreds of staff will badly weaken our hospitals.”

The government may also want to pay attention to Ontario residents. In December, CUPE commissioned polling by the research firm Nanos to gauge public perception about hospital care. Fifty-seven per cent of Ontarians disapproved of the Ford government’s management of hospitals rating it poor (25%) or very poor (32%). 94% supported more hospital funding to avoid job cuts or delays in surgeries.

The FAO noted that the number of staffed hospital beds would decline by about 2,400 by 2027-28 – a 7% decrease. Based on projected increase in patient volumes, the union estimates that Ontario actually needs an additional 1,600 beds (4.5%increase).

The reduction in staffed beds is alarming at a time when about 2,000 hospital patients receive care daily in hallways, storage closets and other unconventional spaces due to insufficient capacity, making it very challenging to provide safe care, noted Hurley.

These problems are self-inflicted as Ontario funds and staffs its hospitals at the lowest rate across Canada, said Doug Allan, senior CUPE researcher and author of the report. He said Ontario would need to add 48,000 hospital staff to match the average of the rest of Canada.  

“In contrast with government policies, we need a significant increase in beds and staffing levels,” said Allan. “We need this to end the backlogs, delays, and to reduce ‘hallway healthcare’ as the Ford PCs promised in their 2018 election campaign. We also need it to keep up with increasing demand pressures that naturally arise with a growing and aging population.”

The union is recommending the following actions by the provincial government:

• In the short term, add 6,200 staffed beds to improve service levels.
    
• Hire 48,000 full-time staff to reach the national per-capita average.
    
• Increase core hospital funding by $3.2 billion to match the rest of Canada.
    
• After the funding catch-up noted above, plan to fund at least 5 to 6 per cent annual growth to match cost pressures arising from inflation, population growth, population aging, and hospital utilization.

CUPE 2316 – representing approximately 500 workers at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto – has filed a ‘No Board’ report, triggering the countdown to be in a legal strike position as early as February 13 while frontline and support workers continue to warn that chronic understaffing and years of government underfunding are putting children and families at risk.

The move comes after workers delivered a strong strike mandate, with 82% of members voting and 83% voting in favour of strike action. Despite this clear message, the employer continues to refuse to address understaffing, service delivery concerns, and chronic workload and burnout.

“Our members have been more than clear,” said Aubrey Gonsalves, president of CUPE 2316. “Workers are exhausted, services are being cut to the bone, and the employer is still refusing to address the staffing crisis. This is no longer sustainable, and it is no longer safe for workers and the children, youth and families we support. We care deeply for the children, youth and families we serve, but we can no longer accept or work in these conditions.”

Earlier this month, CUPE 2316 formally notified CAS Toronto that current working conditions are preventing workers from meeting their obligations under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act. The union warned that burnout, job eliminations, and cuts to internal and preventive programs are creating critical gaps in service delivery and increasing the risk of serious harm to children.

“CAS Toronto can’t bargain its way out of a funding crisis, but they continue to refuse to stand up to the government and demand more funding,” said Gonsalves. “The employer’s position is shaped by years of provincial underfunding, and workers and families are paying the price for the Ford government’s refusal to properly fund child welfare, and it can no longer continue.”

CUPE 2316 points to rising case complexity and continued growing demands on workers that are putting the most vulnerable in the city at risk.

“This strike vote is about protecting children and families as much as it is about protecting workers,” Gonsalves said. “If the government and the employer continue down this path, they are choosing crisis over prevention and austerity over safety.”

CUPE 2316 is calling on the provincial government to immediately increase funding for child welfare and on CAS Toronto to return to the table with solutions that address workload, staffing, and service delivery to avoid a strike and provide the supports children and families deserve.

This time last year, York Region was celebrating being named one of Canada’s best employers by Forbes. This year, the region didn’t crack the top 300, validating what CUPE 4900 members have long known: York Regional Municipality is no longer an employer of choice.

After placing as high as sixth overall in government employers, this year’s list reflects a drastic decline in worker satisfaction, and a growing disconnect between York Region’s public reputation and the lived experience of its workforce.

CUPE 4900’s recently completed membership survey revealed that roughly half of York Regional Municipality workers do not live in York Region, the vast majority because they can’t afford rent with their wages. The survey further found that 41 per cent of members have a second job to make ends meet and 53 per cent struggle to afford their rent or mortgage each month.

“Top employers don’t have workers who are barely keeping their head above water. For years, York Regional Municipality has pointed to their ranking as evidence that they are a great place to work while ignoring their own workers who have been calling out for change,” said Crystal Cook, a registered practical nurse and CUPE 4900 President. “People who truly have a living wage do not go to food banks or pay off one credit card with another.”

Beyond the financial strain, CUPE 4900 members report increasing rates of stress and burnout with little regard from management for staffing levels or workload sustainability. Not only has management ignored workers needs, but they’ve also tried to undermine worker solidarity and confidence in their union following the rejection of a tentative deal in December.

Together this explains why York Regional Municipality has become a stepping stone for workers who get training and experience and then leave for better pay and more support elsewhere.

“The Forbes ranking isn’t a public relations problem to be managed, it’s a workplace culture issue that must be addressed,” said Cook. “If York Regional Municipality wants to rebuild its reputation as an employer of choice and refresh the trust of workers, it needs to start by listening to us, respecting our union, and addressing the very real challenges we face on the job and at home. Awards are earned through action, not slogans.”

CUPE 4900 has been trying to return to the bargaining table since the tentative deal was rejected more than 6 weeks ago to resolve the challenges facing workers and residents with practical solutions. The two sides will finally resume bargaining this week.