COPE ONTARIO

The date of our first upcoming Stewards Training session has been changed - it will now be held on Thursday, August 20th. If you have signed up for this session, a member of the COPE Ontario team will be reaching out to confirm the change.

And, if you haven't done so already, you can sign up for this training as well as all our upcoming workshops at the following link: https://forms.gle/QwaYKYu7eBU9WPeu9

Don't miss out on these free opportunities to learn how to fight for fair contracts, stand up to unsafe conditions, and hold the line when it matters most!

Why is there two classes of people in this province?

One class gets a long weekend in August. The other doesn't.

The Civic Holiday isn't a stat holiday under Ontario law, so whether you get it off comes down to what your employer decides, or what's written into your collective agreement.

Folks in government offices, banks and unionized workplaces are far more likely to get the day off. Folks in retail, hospitality, warehousing and other non-union jobs? They're often working like it's any other Monday.

COPE Ontario believes that a long weekend in the middle of summer shouldn't be a privilege reserved for some workers and not others. This is what happens when workers don't have a union backing them up to negotiate better working conditions for them

Every worker deserves rest. Every worker deserves a say in their working conditions.

Want to learn more about unionizing your workplace? Reach out to COPE Ontario. We're fighting for you.

A reminder to register for our upcoming workshop all about Collective Bargaining, to be held over Zoom on August 18, 5:30-8:30PM.

In this workshop, Labour Relations Specialist Steven Champagne will be covering each step of the bargaining process, empowering COPE Ontario members to show up stronger at the table.

Register now: https://forms.gle/jFfByJXmV73H9a1H7

The wins just keep on coming! 🎉

32 members from COPE Local 343 have just ratified a new 3-year agreement with their employer, Pathwise Credit Union.

A big thank you to the bargaining team and to Labour Relations Specialist, Rick Miller. Keep doing what you're doing!

Education workers, we want to hear from you! We want to know what's really happening in your workplace. Tell us the hardest parts of the job, what needs to change, and where you feel unheard.

Your answers will better inform our next campaign, shaping how COPE Ontario fights for you.

Got 5 minutes to spare? Click the link to access the survey: https://forms.gle/2p86qTQCm5kxiUgV6

We are uniting two bargaining units from ParaMed. 52 members working at Rehab Express (now owned by ParaMed) have moved from Local 550 to 521.

Strength in numbers! Welcome to Local 521 folks!

Environmental Defence Canada, a new member of Local 225, is organizing this rally, and we're encouraging our members to attend.

Toronto's waterfront is under threat. The proposed expansion of the Toronto Island Airport would bring constant jet noise overhead, more air and water pollution, worse downtown traffic, and the loss of thousands of badly needed new homes. Our federal government and Toronto's MPs need to hear from us that this isn't acceptable.

Join us this Sunday, July 26 for a rally and march to protect the waterfront. It kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at Harbour Square Park, marches to Union Station at 11, then heads down to HTO Park at 11:45 to meet a flotilla of local boaters on the lake.

Bring your signs, bring your voice, and bring your neighbours. Let's tell our MPs no jets on Toronto's waterfront.

📅 Sunday, July 26
⏰ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
📍 Starting at Harbour Square Park

(Poster reposted from )

Over the weekend, Doug Ford held a press conference regarding the wildfires that have raged through parts of Northwestern Ontario and displaced several First Nations communities.

Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, made the following post in response. COPE Ontario echoes these sentiments:

"I guess First Nations leadership didn’t get the memo that Premier Ford was coming to Thunder Bay today.

The Premier came up to meet local people coordinating Ontario’s wildfire response. That’s fine, but he also needs to engage with First Nations leadership managing this situation.

On Friday Doug Ford claimed that Ontario is “throwing every single resource we can” at the wildfires that are threatening our communities. That’s not what we are seeing on the ground.

The Ford government left the people of Namaygoosisagagun to fend for themselves as the flames wiped out their community. Eabametoong First Nation (Fort Hope) waited for days for their evacuation to begin.

I would like to remind Doug Ford that it’s our people that are being impacted the most by these wildland fires. If you are going to make the effort to come up, it can’t just be for a photo op.

Ontario receives millions each year from the federal government to manage emergencies like this. For days we have been asking for details about where our members will be evacuated to and what supports will be available to help care for them in these host communities. To ensure that they will be safe and supported wherever they go. So far there has been no response.

Today’s visit would have been a good opportunity for the Premier to provide some answers.

But he chose not to include First Nations leadership."

Some good news - COPE Local 343 members at Canadian Actors' Equity Association have renewed their collective agreement for the 2026-2029 term!

This secures some key wins: 10% salary increases, increased stat holidays, increased severance entitlements and benefit improvements.

A big thank you to the bargaining team and to Labour Relations Specialist, Rick Miller. We needed some positivity today! ✊

COPE Ontario encourages its members and the general public to donate to support Namaygoosisagagun First Nation. All funds go directly to supporting those who have been displaced due to the wildfires in Northwestern Ontario. We have donated $500 on behalf of our members in the area (Local 81, 96, 454 521) - and we hope you'll join us in doing the same if you are able to.

Communities have lost so much overnight due to the recklessness of our federal and provincial governments. How much worse does it have to get until Ford, Smith and Carney wake up to the reality of climate change?

Let's show up for one another. Donate at https://an7gc.ca/donate/