Posts published in January 2026

On Saturday, January 10, CUPE scored big as the proud sponsor of the Swift Current Broncos game in Saskatchewan.

Throughout the evening, CUPE kept its presence strong with an information table, featuring flyers about the vital services CUPE members provide, along with free raffle tickets for an exciting prize: a Broncos jersey signed by the entire team.

CUPE Saskatchewan President Kent Peterson and CUPE 183 Vice-President Emilie Poh brought energy to the ice, launching T-shirts into the stands with a T-shirt cannon. Peterson also had the honours of dropping the ceremonial puck and drawing the lucky winner of the signed jersey.

During second intermission, three randomly selected fans participated in CUPE trivia, and the winner received a free pair of future game tickets.

“We’re proud to support the people who keep our schools, libraries, municipalities, and communities running,” said Peterson. “Events like this help us to connect with the community and show the value of strong public services.”

CUPE is proud to keep the puck moving – on and off the ice – by supporting workers and building strong communities.

CUPE predicts 2026 to be an incredibly difficult year to defend public services in Newfoundland & Labrador, without public pressure on the provincial government. CUPE members in every public sector are reporting attacks to our services through funding cuts, reduction of services, public-private partnerships (P3s), and the increased use of artificial intelligence.

“Our government is systematically deconstructing the public service,” said Sherry Hillier, CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador President. “From Memorial University preparing for ‘a smaller future,’ to costly private contractors in public housing amid the housing crisis, to travel nurses being the norm in our province—our home is under attack from within.”

In almost every sector of public services, CUPE is aware of job vacancies going unfilled for months, resulting in workers being overloaded and our communities being underserved.

The new ‘integrated’ ambulance system was supposed to improve response times, but the private company hired to manage the newly combined public and private service has not been able to address staffing shortages and publicly stated they don’t have a strategy to do so. For $560M in public dollars the province now has fewer ambulances out at any given time, rural communities reporting an increase in wait times and the many unfilled vacancies remain.

“Our government is trying to convince us that public services have no value. They are actively degrading those services, and they are misleading the public about the potential for public-private partnerships to improve the daily life of struggling communities across Newfoundland & Labrador.”

Amid recent reports of substandard care, poor conditions, abuse and evictions in the home care sector, we also know that private companies were given over $80M to subsidize private facilities last year (an increase from $50M the previous year) by the province. 

In childcare, over $400M has been paid to fewer than a dozen private companies over six years. Last year, private companies were paid approximately $400,000 per child for housing and care of children with complex needs.

Deloitte was paid almost $2M for a 10-year plan to address staffing gaps in healthcare and their report had completely fabricated sources. The Education Accord NL, another ten-year plan paid for with public dollars, was also found to have AI-generated content and fake sources.

“I urge our communities to heed the warnings of public workers,” continued Hillier. “We’re on the ground; we see the destruction of public services in our workplaces every day. When we hear about a new private contract instead of a new hire, when we are told to send members of our community to a government website instead of helping them access services, we know these are signs pointing to a difficult future for Newfoundland & Labrador.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly spreading in Canadian workplaces, with few laws or regulations, and little testing. New technologies can have positive and negative impacts on our society. The harmful effects of AI for Canada’s energy infrastructure and the environment could outweigh any benefits we gain from these new tools. There is a responsible way to use AI as a tool in workplaces, but it will require new laws, public ownership and transparency.

This backgrounder looks at AI’s energy use, its environmental impacts, the private sector’s role in accelerating these impacts, and what we can do to address them.

CUPE is calling for action to protect workers and the planet

The federal government should introduce and enforce environmental laws and regulations for AI technologies

This legislation must mandate sustainability, including requiring that AI technologies be powered by clean energy. Legislation must require transparency regarding energy and water use for any AI technology in Canada and could also mandate public registries to track AI energy and water use.

The federal government should invest in and develop public digital infrastructure to secure our sovereignty

Currently, all government investment in AI supports projects developed and managed by private corporations, most of them with deep ties to the U.S. The federal government should invest in the development of public cloud infrastructure, including data centres and software for public sector use.  Public ownership of digital infrastructure is important for Canada’s economic independence from the U.S. and would protect Canadian sovereignty.

Employers should release information on AI environmental impacts

CUPE members can help address the impacts of AI in their workplaces. Workers should ask employers to evaluate and disclose the environmental impacts of any new AI technologies.

Download the backgrounder

Resident care and working conditions will suffer as the Royal Ottawa Place (ROP) long-term care home plans to eliminate 15 positions almost exclusively affecting nurses and personal support workers, according to CUPE 942. The union held a rally outside the home on Monday morning, supported by CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE).

ROP houses 64 residents with mental illness, physical limitations or other complex needs.

“The majority of residents at the Royal Ottawa Place are not independent, they rely heavily on staff for personal support and medical care,” said Amir Sigarchi, president of CUPE 942. “They need help with basic tasks such as eating, bathing, toileting, walking, and so much more. Taking away staff will reduce the quality of their lives and increase the risks of negative incidents such as falls and fractures. The working conditions will also suffer, which will lead to higher rates of injuries, burnout and ultimately attrition.”

The layoffs call into question the government’s stated promise to “fix LTC,” Sigarchi said, as it will jeopardize the progress made in recent years. The union represents 83 nurses and PSWs at the facility, with 14 of them being laid off alongside a clerical worker.

“We are very disappointed as we have fought for many years to win improvements in staffing,” Sigarchi said. “But now the employer is saying they must make cutbacks due to a budget deficit. It’s a shame because the residents have very complex needs, and to make cuts will deny them the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The adjoining Royal Ottawa Hospital is laying off 5 additional workers represented by CUPE 942. The cutbacks are part of a wave of health care cuts across the province including at hospitals in Hamilton, Niagara and North Bay.

CUPE is blaming the provincial government for insufficient funding. In October, the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario projected a reduction in 9,000 nursing and PSW positions by 2027-28 based on the government’s spending plan.

“The provincial government must fund the vital mental health services that these residents need,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), which represents 45,000 staff at long-term care homes and hospitals including the Royal Ottawa Place.

“It is unacceptable that at a time when there is a profound shortage of long-term residential care services for people with mental illnesses in Ottawa, that the Ontario government would cut these vital resources. We are calling on the government to properly fund the Royal Ottawa Hospital so that these cuts can be rescinded.”