Christmas came early for the Ministry of Education as they’ve achieved another deal with a group of education workers. The rare Sunday news comes from the Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW), a collection of unions representing thousands of education workers in schools around the province, who have now reached a tentative agreement with the Ontario government after a days-long stretch of bargaining. Continue reading “ON Gov Achieves New Deal with Another Group of Education Workers”
It only took a day, but the labour action by the province’s education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) will force the closure of Guelph and area schools this week. The Upper Grand Board schools will be open one more day on Monday, while the Wellington Catholic Board schools staffed by CUPE workers will be closed immediately. Here’s the update from the two school boards… Continue reading “School Plans: UGDSB and WCDSB Moving to Remote Learning This Week”
Sometimes it seemed like the honking never stopped along Woolwich Street. On Friday afternoon, as over 100 people demonstrated in front of the constituency office of Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner, almost every other car that drove by honked to show support for the local striking members of the Canadian Union of Public Employee. The takeaway message from the union is that they’ve got the support of the people. Continue reading “Big Support for Local CUPE Workers Demonstrating Outside Schreiner’s Office”
As the hours counted down on Thursday, it was clear that a job action on Friday by the education workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) was inevitable despite the Government of Ontario’s attempt to stop it. Despite a lot of action around Queen’s Park Thursday, CUPE workers look to be hitting the picket lines on Friday no matter what happens in the legislature. Continue reading “CUPE Strike Ready to Go Friday As All Sides Hit Impasse”
This week, the Guelph Chamber of Commerce posts the recorded Q&As they’ve done with the candidates running in each of Guelph’s six wards, and the mayor’s race, deviating from the live format they’ve done in years past. But today, it’s the Chamber’s CEO and President turn to answer the questions as we dive into the election issues at the intersection of government, business and community. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #341 – Election Economics”
On the same day that both Mike Schreiner and Andrea Horwath announced that COVID-19 had temporarily knocked them out of in-person campaigning, Guelph hosted its first visit from a provincial party leader that’s not based in this riding. Communist Party of Ontario leader, and former Guelph Communist Party candidate, Drew Garvie stopped by, and he told Guelph Politico that he’s got concerns going into the last few weeks of the campaign. Continue reading “Garvie Concerned About the Direction of a Second Ford Term”
Sunday was the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, but the season was barely a couple of hours old when Guelph’s political activists came out in force on Sunday afternoon. From anti-abortion activists in front of the Basilica of Our Lady, an anti-COVID mandates demonstration in front of city hall, to a march for migrant rights around the office of MP Lloyd Longfield, things here very politically busy downtown. Continue reading “Nice Day for a Protest! Political Action Marks First Day of Spring”
Nurses. We say they’re our heroes, but is that how we treat them? Through the course of the pandemic, many politicians, activists, and nursing representatives have said we don’t treat them like heroes, and that responsibility has been thrown at the feet of the Ontario government. So on Monday, the health minister literally raised the ante by $5,000, which will be made available to Ontario’s nurses if they stay in the nursing business. Continue reading “ONgov Offers Nurses $5,000 to Stick Around, Many Unimpressed”
It’s been said before, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work in more ways than one, and while many people probably enjoy the freedom of being able to work from home, how and when you’re working, as well as what else you’re doing on a work computer, could be being monitored by the boss. Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton apparently doesn’t like the sound of that, and wants to take steps to protect workers. Continue reading “Ontario Government to Add Work Protections from Employer Surveillance”
Members of Provincial Parliament and their staffs returned to Queen’s Park on Tuesday for the commencement of another legislative session, the last one before the Provincial Election, which is presently expected on June 2. For opposition parties and interest groups, it was a chance to talk about the challenges and issues still being caused by the pandemic, and for the Premier, it was a chance to just play politics. Continue reading “Busy First Morning Back at Queen’s Park Begins With More Sticker Drama”
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