Posts published in April 2026

Workers at the Toronto Zoo, represented by CUPE 1600, sent a strong message to their employer, voting 99% in favour of strike action if necessary to secure a fair collective agreement.

“This strong mandate shows our members are united and our goal remains to reach a fair agreement at the bargaining table,” said Lynda Bongelli, president of CUPE 1600. “Our members are the people who care for the animals, keep the Toronto Zoo running, and make sure visitors have a safe and meaningful experience every day. Their work is essential to a major public institution in this city, and it deserves to be respected.”

The strike vote gives the union a mandate to take strike action if required, but a strike deadline has not been set. CUPE 1600 is seeking an agreement that improves hours of work and protects against precarious work, while rejecting employer concessions that would cut overtime, sick time, and bereavement leave for many workers.

CUPE 1600 represents more than 400 workers across over 140 roles at the Toronto Zoo, including zookeepers, horticulturalists, trades workers, educators, conservation staff, and guest services workers. Their collective agreement expired on March 31, 2026.

Long-term care workers from 22 homes across Nova Scotia submitted their 48-hour notice to strike, with more homes expected to follow suit in the following week. This first wave of the strike will see over 2,200 workers on picket lines across the province on April 13 at 7 AM.

“Health care workers shouldn’t have to go on strike to earn a living wage,” said Ty Loppie, CUPE Long Term and Community Care Committee Communications Officer, “but that’s exactly what this government and our employers are forcing us to do. It’s not a choice any of us are making lightly, but it feels like that’s the only one we can make after years without a contract and months without any real bargaining.”

Dax Law, CUPE 70 Library Director, spoke to reporters on how Bill 28 will impact library workers who will have to make sense of the confusing, vague, and problematic legislation. 

Bill 28 will require the physical segregation of library materials the government deems “explicit” and will make those materials inaccessible to the public unless they go through library staff.

“Right now, we have no clear understanding of how many items in our collections would be affected,” said Law. “But we do know this will mean that adults would be forced to ask library staff for permission to borrow a book or movie the government has decided is too ‘graphic.’”

Sue Gouw, CUPE 70 President, said, “For workers, this new system would mean constantly being pulled away from essential services like helping patrons and running community programs to act as gatekeepers. That’s not what library staff signed up for.”

Law continued, “We are trained professionals. We have been handling questions about age-appropriate materials for decades without issue. As library staff, our focus is on helping people find the right book, not blocking them from what the government decides is the wrong one.”

Law also touched on a new and troubling element of Bill 28: the potential for library inspections and professional consequences for staff.

“This possibility creates a chilling effect in our workplace,” said Law. “Instead of being able to support intellectual freedom, workers may feel pressure to over-restrict access to avoid complaints or investigations. That’s not good for staff, and it’s not good for the public.”

“We’d like the government to work with library professionals,” said Gouw. “Library staff have decades of experience managing collections responsibly. Instead of imposing top-down rules, the government should trust that expertise and support libraries in continuing to serve their communities.”

Gouw finished, “At its core, Bill 28 is unnecessary, unworkable, and creates more problems than it solves. It increases workload, threatens privacy, and restricts access to information. We are calling on the government to reconsider this legislation and work with library professionals, not around them.”

Saskatchewan’s largest union is sounding the alarm on for-profit cash-for-blood schemes that present a clear and present danger to Saskatchewan residents.

Following the shocking revelation that two people in Manitoba died after donating plasma at two separate, for-profit Grifols plasma collection clinics, Health Canada has pla­ced terms and con­di­tions on Gri­fols’ blood estab­lish­ment licence. Health Canada’s investigation found the Grifols plasma collection centre in Regina was also non-compliant with rules designed to keep people safe. In addition to allowing someone in Regina to donate plasma twice in 48 hours – a dangerous violation of safety regulations surrounding blood donation – the investigation found “recur­ring, sys­temic defi­cien­cies.”

“It is clear private, for-profit blood plasma clinics cannot be trusted to follow the rules,” said CUPE Saskatchewan President, Kent Peterson, “Scott Moe needs to follow the lead of other provinces and introduce legislation as soon as possible to ban these clinics once and for all,” he added.

The provincial government first allowed private, for-profit blood plasma clinics in 2016. Saskatoon was the location of the first such clinic in Canada, followed by a clinic in Regina. CUPE Saskatchewan first warned of the risks these clinics posed in 2016 and continues to call for them to be banned from the province.

“When the Sask. Party government first allowed these immoral, cash-for-blood operations to set up in Saskatchewan we warned that people could be hurt – or worse,” said Peterson. He added, “Well, with deaths being investigated in Manitoba and the for-profit Grifols clinic in Regina violating donation regulations, it gives me no pleasure to say we were right. The Sask. Party government should have listened to our warnings.”