CUPE at municipalities meeting
Hundreds of delegates to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities stopped by the CUPE booth at the three day conference to discuss issues of significance to cities, towns, and villages.
Paul Moist was at the booth handing out literature when he was not participating in workshops, and meeting delegates from communities whose public services are provided by CUPE members.
CUPE distributed materials at the FCM and offered a pair of tickets to anywhere in North America (carbon offsets paid by CUPE) as a prize at the CUPE booth.
Yukon government rejects TILMA
The Yukon government won’t be joining the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement.
The territorial government consulted extensively with local business, municipal government, aboriginal governments, and unions.
Saskatchewan also rejected TILMA after holding province-wide public hearings.
CUPE urged Ontario and Québec to also hold province-wide public hearings before deciding on any sort of TILMA-like arrangement.
Ontario needs to consult on Bill 77
CUPE members who work with the developmentally disabled in Ontario are calling for proper public consultation on a new law that would leave parents on the hook for finding and paying for support services for their children.
While the union believes legislation governing these services needs to be updated, the voucher-like system being proposed is exactly the wrong way to go.
Please visit cupe.ca/action/bill77consultation to email Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur to ask for consultations on Bill 77.
CUPE urges feds to leave InSite alone
CUPE supports efforts to get the federal government to support InSite, a Vancouver safe injection and addiction treatment program.
InSite supporters got a boost from the BC Supreme Court May 28, when a judge struck down portions of the criminal code that would have forced the site to close its doors.
But the federal government is expected to appeal the BC Supreme Court ruling, which gave the government 60 days to bring Canada’s drug laws in line.
“It’s a simple fact that if InSite closes, people will die,” said CUPE National President Paul Moist. “The Harper government needs to understand that and get behind InSite and similar harm reduction programs”.
Natural Resources Canada honours CUPE for energy efficiency
Natural Resources Canada has given CUPE its ecoENERGY award for meeting high energy efficiency standards at our new national office.
The ministry gives the award to new buildings that - among other criteria - exceed Model National Energy Code for Buildings’ energy efficiency standards by 25 per cent.
The national office has features such as:
• passive heating and cooling design
• automated timers that turn off lights in un-used spaces
• solar-powered hot water heating
Saskatchewan needs a nursing plan
Despite the nursing shortage in Saskatchewan, many licensed practical nurses complain their skills are not being used.
A 2006 survey by the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN), found only 50% of the practical nurses were working to their full scope of practice.
CUPE met with health care employer representatives to propose a plan to fully use LPNs, but SAHO (Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations) has refused to sign on to the plan.
CUPE represents about 1,300 practical nurses in Saskatchewan.
The union launched a television ad on May 21 to publicize the issue.
Remstar’s news-free plan for TQS hits a snag
Remstar’s effort to buy and re-launch a “news-free” TQS hit a major snag with Canada’s broadcast regulator this week.
The CRTC sent the Rémillard brothers back to the drawing board after a rain of objections showered down on their efforts to purchase the Québec TV Network and shut down its news room.
The commission gave the entrepreneurs a week to come up with a new plan that includes regional news broadcasts.
CUPE members at TQS were happy with the developments, but were far from claiming victory.
“They’re still not dealing with what Remstar’s doing to its employees,” said local president Éric Léveillé. “But the CRTC’s message is clear: they’ve got problems with the format Remstar’s proposing: commentary, announcers, but no hard news.”
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