'We need a little bit more to survive and strive': municipal strike in small northern Ontario town hits day 39
CBC
Municipal workers in the small northern Ontario town of Cochrane have now been on the picketline for 39 days, while the town has been forced to bring in replacement workers to keep services running.
The 60 employees represented by CUPE walked off the job in late July after not getting a 3 per cent pay increase each year for the next four years.
"We tried to meet half way with the employer, but it just wasn't meant to be," said Lyne Nolet, the president of CUPE Local 71.
"We all want to go back to work, but the economy has changed and we need a little bit more to survive and strive."
Cochrane Mayor Peter Politis says the town has offered the workers the highest pay increase in decades, including bumps of 3 per cent and 2.5 per cent in years two and three of the proposed contract.
"We're very comfortable that we provided more than a fair offer," he said.
"We are where we because of philosophical and idea logical differences, not because of personalities."
That offer was rejected by the union bargaining team last week, but the town has now requested that it be taken to the striking workers directly for a vote.
"This is a very tumultuous time that we're all trying to work our way through," said Politis.
"And let's not burn bridges while we do that. Let's remember that we're a close-knit community and we need to remain that way."
The town has been forced to close its municipally-run daycare centre because of the strike, but Politis says all other municipal services are still running.
He says about half of those services have required the town to bring in replacement workers, hiring contractors to run the water and sewer system, as well as garbage collection.
Politis says if the strike isn't resolved in the next week, Cochrane will also need to hire contractors to put ice in the arena and get it ready for hockey and skating season.
Nolet says most of her members remain in "good spirits," although none expected the strike to last this long.
As teachers continue to raise concerns about challenges in their classrooms, the Saskatchewan government has pledged to do better when it comes to education — including a plan to expand specialized support classrooms.
Three family members are suing the Alberta government and a company that operates an Edmonton group home, alleging both failed to take steps to prevent the death of 15-year-old Noah Gitsel.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
City staff are working on long-term plans to prevent toxic and smelly algae blooms at the Hamilton harbour – and short-term plans to mitigate blooms when they happen – but are cautioning residents that it's not the type of problem with a quick fix.
Another blockade of the Ambassador Bridge wouldn't play out like what happened in February 2022 — thanks to police being empowered to act faster and harder, according to a report that's going to Windsor city council next week.
On the first day of 2025, Alberta's default electricity rate is set to be replaced by the new "rate of last resort," in what the province says is a bid to protect consumers from a volatile electricity pricing landscape.
Canadians and Americans sit next to each other in the stands of a small Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., hockey arena to watch the Soo Thunderbirds face off against their cross-border rivals, Michigan's Soo Eagles.
A number of school bus routes in northwestern Ontario have been cancelled Wednesday after a dump of snow overnight in the region. A number of weather advisories also remain in effect in the region, including snow squall warnings in the Greenstone area.
Waterloo regional councillors have voted down a motion that would have asked the Waterloo Regional Police Service to cut $4 million from its proposed 2025 budget.
Residents of a neighbourhood in the heart of downtown Charlottetown hope to have a community garden in place on some vacant land by the time spring arrives.
Planting trees is a popular way to mitigate climate change, but in northern and Arctic regions, it may not be an effective solution.