A province-wide strike calling for wage increases for workers represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) began today, May 25.
Thousands of workers at nearly two dozen community organizations, including Community Living South Muskoka, are now on strike or locked out.
According to officials, the workers are fighting chronic underfunding, which has resulted in people falling through the cracks and families struggling to access support.
“These workers are taking a brave and historic stand that is fueled by the love they have for their communities and the people they support,” said JP Hornick, President of OPSEU. “It is on all of us – including their employers – to support them, just like they support our most vulnerable every day.”
“It is time for this government to stop taking advantage of the dedication and commitment these workers have to their communities,” added Hornick. “When you stole from these workers, you were also cheating the communities who depend on the care they provide.”
Worker demands include retroactive pay for wages lost due to Bill 124, which came into effect in 2019 and capped wage increases for more than one million broader public sector workers at one per cent per year for three years.
The Bill was deemed unconstitutional in 2022, and while many public sector workers have since received retroactive pay, Community Living employees say they have not.
“A lot of other workers in different fields got the 6.5 per cent reimbursements of what was lost wages, and then they also looked at different sectors and started increasing the different supports and everything,” said local support worker Keifen McQueen. “Our sector hasn’t seen any supports when it comes to that.”
He said they continue to see budget cuts affecting the people they support and a failure to increase wages, which he said is limiting the ability to attract more employees and generate greater interest.
McQueen and other Community Living South Muskoka staff took to the streets on May 25 and picketed in front of Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith’s Bracebridge constituency office. They were joined by representatives from the Canadian Mental Health Association, Children’s Aid Society, women’s shelters, and several other groups from the sector, all of which have been impacted by wage freezes and a lack of continued funding in the field.
“We’re also looking to get more money put into our sector, whether it be wages for people that are coming in, people that are new to it and haven’t been around for that time,” he said.
He said they are also seeking increased funding for the people they support so they can continue to improve their quality of life, strengthen services, and enhance the supports provided.
According to OPSEU officials, funding for community and social services continues to fall, with the Financial Accountability Office highlighting a $1.5 billion budget shortfall for the Ministry of Community and Social Services in 2025/2026.
