CUPE calls on Feds to face the infrastructure deficit
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities released a report this week pegging the infrastructure deficit in Canada’s cities and towns at $123 billion.
“This report confirms what municipal workers have known for some time, that our physical infrastructure is past its service life,” said Paul Moist.
Moist also criticized the federal government’s response, the Building Canada Fund.
“The Building Canada Fund announced last year repackages already designated federal dollars into a scheme designed to use the infrastructure crisis to privatize municipal services,” he said.
CUPE National Office moves next week
The CUPE National Office will close at noon November 27 and reopen December 3 at 9:00am at the union’s new building, 1375 St. Laurent Boulevard.
While phone numbers will remain the same no one will be answering while the office’s furniture, files, computers are packed, then moved across town.
CUPE email will function throughout the entire move. The national website, and websites that CUPE national hosts will be down between 8:00pm and midnight, November 27.
The last mail delivery to 21 Florence Street will be November 27.
CUPE’s new national office coordinates:
1375 St. Laurent Boulevard
Ottawa, ON
K1G 0Z7
Phone: 613 237 1590
Fax: 613 237 5508
CUPE social service workers meet
Social service workers from across the country met in Ottawa for three days last week to plan strategies for improving public services and protecting their working conditions.
Françoise David, a feminist, environmentalist and social justice activist, and Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University’s business school addressed the delegates.
Public works for Halifax sewage treatment
The first plant in Halifax’s new sewage treatment system is up and running, and the project is on track and under budget. It’s the latest proof that privatization would have been the wrong choice for the region’s harbour cleanup.
CUPE and the Council of Canadians, along with local environmental groups, were instrumental in a local water watch committee that waged a long fight to stop the harbour cleanup from being privatized through a P3.
UNICEF says Canada failing many kids
Canada has a poor record on promoting children’s rights and healthy development, including scandalously high rates of child poverty, according to a new report released on National Child Day.
The Unicef Canada report looks at the well-being of children 18 years after our government signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Despite helping draft this progressive – and legally-binding –document, our country hasn’t lived up to its expectations. Canada ranks 12 out of 21 wealthy countries. The report looked at child poverty, health, violence, education and obesity.
One in six Canadian children live in poverty, and rates have risen 20 per cent since 1989. Aboriginal child poverty is almost double the national average, and many in remote communities don’t have access to safe water, proper housing and quality education.
Nova Scotia members talk politics
With Rodney MacDonald’s minority government looking vulnerable, a record number of CUPE activists from across Nova Scotia gathered in Halifax for a political action conference.
CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh urged delegates to, “put aside traditional voting patterns and consider which party is really going to look out for the interests of working families”.
The conference was organized by the division’s Political Action Committee.
Saskatchewan universities refuse mediation
Negotiators for Saskatchewan’s two universities have rejected CUPE 1975’s proposal to send the issues in the three week old strike to mediation.
The union had proposed veteran conciliator Doug Forseth as a mediator to help resolve two outstanding issues while members would have gone back to work within two days.
The employer said “no”. For their part, the employer has asked the union to put their final offer to a vote among CUPE 1975’s members.
Local leaders point out that the employer offer going to their members is worse than what was on the table at conciliation.
Kootenay health care workers reject CLAC, join HEU
About 250 health care workers at two privately-operated care facilities in the Kootenays have voted to join the Hospital Employees’ Union.
In Nelson, more than 90 care staff at Mountain Lake Seniors’ Community joined HEU as part of a joint campaign with the BCGEU that also included some of the company’s operations in the Okanagan.
In a Labour Relations Board (LRB)-supervised vote, workers rejected the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) and voted to join an HEU/BCGEU “poly-party” bargaining unit.
In Cranbrook, more than 160 staff at Golden Life’s Joseph Creek Village voted to join the HEU.
Singer offers Journal de Québec striker platinum support
Singer Pascale Picard has dedicated her platinum album to MediaMatinQuébec arts journalist Serge Drouin.
The rising star of folk pop dedicated the disk, which honours the 100,000-sold mark of her recording, Me Myself and Us, to Drouin for supporting her and her band from the start of her career.
Drouin, in turn, dedicated the disc to the other 250 Journal de Québec employees locked out since April 2007.
“It’s thanks to all of you that I can continue to do my work with the same passion,” he said.
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