Toronto -There are more than 12,000 children on the waiting list for subsidized child care in the City of Toronto. Victoria Day Care Centre, one of the citys oldest child care agencies has 90 subsidized placements available to moderate-income families, but the centre has been closed since mid-June.
Victoria Day Care Centre workers went on strike early last summer because, as a means of cutting operating costs, the centres executive board stopped contributing to the workers pension plan.
A rally in support of the striking workers will be held on Thursday, January 18, 2001 8 - 10 a.m. 539 Jarvis St. (north of Wellesley).
Speakers to begin at 9:00 a.m. include:
- Sid Ryan, President, CUPE Ontario
- Nancy Riche, Secretary-Treasurer, Canadian Labour Congress
- Terri Brown, President, National Action Committee on the Status of Women
- Linda Torney, President, Toronto and York Region Labour Council
- Diane Dobusz, CUPE 2563
- Carolyn Egan, Steelworkers Toronto Area Council
Over the past six years, the Tory cuts to child care subsidies to the City of Toronto have resulted in the elimination of 4,000 subsidized spaces and despite a nominal funding increase this summer, the City of Toronto has not shown any commitment to adequately fund child care.
Child care workers (members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 2563) and inner city families are paying the price for a clear lack of commitment by the provincial government and City council to adequately fund child care centres to ensure they remain operationally viable.
Its just plain wrong for this executive board to demand that child care workers, earning moderate wages, subsidize the operation of Victoria Day Care Centre. And the lack of interest and insensitivity shown by municipal politicians, who could help resolve this strike, is astounding, says CUPE Ontario president Sid Ryan.
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For more information please contact:
Sid Ryan, President CUPE Ontario
(416) 209-0066
Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications
(416) 578-8774