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Workers from a provincewide coalition staged a rally outside Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith’s office this week, pressing the Ontario government to increase funding for community services.
The “Worth Fighting For” campaign represents employees from OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario who work in more than 70 different workplaces across the province, including developmental services, child welfare, youth justice, corrections, universities, children’s treatment centres, hearing services, community healthcare, and mental health and addictions. Local OPSEU/SEFPO president Jessica Bushey says workers are often expected to meet strenuous expectations without the resources to back them up.
The coalition says its members were left behind when other sectors received raises of 6.5 per cent or more after Bill 124 was repealed. The legislation, enacted in 2019 by the Progressive Conservative government to help reduce a deficit, capped wage increases for workers such as teachers and nurses before being repealed in 2024. Advocates and critics have argued the law, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsened staffing shortages, especially among nurses.
Organizers also point to $200 million in cuts to Children, Community and Social Services since 2018, a $133-million cut to Legal Aid Ontario in 2019, and a 2024 report from the Financial Accountability Office estimating a $3.7-billion shortfall in program funding. OPSEU/SEFPO regional vice-president Sara Labelle says when nobody can pick up the work, it leaves a gap in the community.
The campaign is demanding a 6.5 per cent retroactive catch-up increase applied to their wage grid, along with provincial funding boosts to prevent job loss and service cuts. Labelle says without a wage increase these agencies and services will be left at a disadvantage while attracting workers.
(Written by: Noah Lorusso)
