You may have heard that there may be a teachers’ strike coming. Another disruption to the learning of Ontario’s students is the last thing anyone – from parents to government to the teachers themselves – wants. Having said that though, it does feel like we’re on a path to inevitable job action as teachers’ demand more resources and Queen’s Park demands moderation. Is there a middle ground? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #344 – Here We Go Again…?”
The hot dogs were grilled, the music was folksy, and the political takes were hot. Maybe it was just the thrill of having a Labour Day picnic again after two forced delays during the pandemic, but the crowds were bigger than usual for the annual event put on by the Guelph & District Labour Council. It also could have been the politics, as local unions are gearing up for a labour fights on a couple of fronts. Continue reading “Labour Celebrates Work and Politics at First In-Person Picnic Since 2019”
Like a lot of events this summer, the Labour Day Picnic in Riverside Park is making a comeback. The event held by the Guelph & District Labour Council has cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 and replaced with a Labour Day parade, but this Monday it’s hot dogs and samosas and solidarity in-person just like old times, and probably with a lot of political talk as well. Continue reading “Labour Day Picnic Back, In-Person, This Coming Weekend”
In a typical year, the Labour Day picnic in Riverside Park is a nice way to end your summer with some pro-labour activism, and a hot dogs with corn on the cob. In the year of COVID-19 though you’ll have to enjoy hot dogs and corn at home, but the camaraderie of Labour Day will be preserved in the form of a parade. Before Monday though, the president of the Guelph & District Labour Council has some thoughts on labour that she wanted to share. Continue reading “Labour Day Thoughts From the Labour Council President”
For the last several weeks, various advocacy groups have been making the case that Canada’s municipalities desperately need bailout money from upper levels of government to avoid service cuts at the end of the year. In an open letter sent to Guelph Politico from the President of the Guelph & District Labour Council, that group is adding their voices to the call. Continue reading “Guelph & District Labour Council Supports Call for More Money”
People around the world have been watching the events unfolding in the United States last weekend, and some of those people live in Guelph. As we struggle with our own feelings about the death of another Black man in police custody, and we think about our own roles in combating anti-Black racism, Guelph’s leaders have been offering words of comfort, understanding, and self-reflection. Continue reading “Guelph’s Leaders Offer Messages of Hope and Encouragement”
Last September at the Labour Day Picnic in Riverside Park, there were already signs that it was going to be a long year at the province’s schools. The contract with all four teachers’ unions in Ontario had expired, and the Ontario government was in no mood to approve new spending or pay raises for teachers and other school workers employed at our Catholic and separate public schools. That was only the beginning. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #224 – It’s Been a Long School Year…”
April 28 is the National Day of Mourning, a day where people are invited to remember those who were killed, or seriously injured on the job. Usually this involves people getting together to remember and memorialize, but this year, because of COVID-19, it’s forced a change of the usual plans for the occasion. This year, like with so many other events, the National Day of Mourning will be virtual. Continue reading “Like Everything Else, the National Day of Mourning is Going Digital”
For the second time in as many weeks, the Government of Ontario has announced that they’ve reached a deal with a teachers union. This time, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has reached a tentative agreement with the government, which means that the 83,000 teachers that the ETFO represents will be back to work without further labour disruption once the COVID-19 crisis has passed. Continue reading “Ontario Government Secures Deal With Second Teachers’ Union”
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