Soufriere Kid’s Development (SKD) Bilingual Child Care Centre operates licensed multisite child care and education for children in Durham Region. Recently, educators at this centre have attempted to exercise their legal right under Ontario’s Labour Relations Act, 1995 to form a union and bargain collectively for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.
Instead of respecting this right, educators are facing intimidation, threats, and retaliation. This includes anti-union meetings, threats of hours being cut, surveillance to track union activity and spreading misinformation with respect to collective bargaining rights.
Additionally, Vera Mercier, Chief Executive Director of SKD, serves as the Director on the board of Durham Children’s Aid and Chair of Ontario Children’s Aid Society, the same organizations entrusted with protecting vulnerable children and supporting child care quality.