LEAMINGTON, Ont. – The agency’s decision to close the Leamington office of Windsor Essex Children’s Aid (WECAS) will diminish access to family protection services, says the union representing WECAS workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
“Closing the Leamington office’s doors will diminish access to services for thousands of Essex County residents,” said Cathy Matthe, President of CUPE 2286. “County residents have the right to access the same level of service as people in Windsor.”
Matthe said the Executive Director of WECAS shocked the Union recently with “cost containment” measures including the closing of the Leamington office, service cuts and lay-offs.
“Management is trying to balance its budget shortfall on the backs of the workers and the clients and community we serve,” Matthe said. “But this fight is between WECAS and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Our agency should not shut offices and cut services right when demand has begun to rise because of the economic downturn.”
Matthe is urging people to contact Essex county councillors, the WECAS board of directors and local MPPs to voice their opposition to the office closure and service cuts.
“There is a rising chorus of community voices calling to stop the closure and cutbacks,” Matthe said. “The issue is access. We must maintain levels of service for the whole community.”
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Contact:
Cathy Matthe, President, CUPE 2286, cell: 519.996.4438
David Robbins, CUPE Communications, cell: 613.878.1431