'It is always a last resort': Winnipeg daycare staff go on strike
Staff at a Winnipeg daycare are officially on strike.
The members from Les Tournesols Daycare in St. Vital hit the picket line Monday after more than a year of bargaining with their employer.
The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents the staff at the daycare, said the employer is cutting back on sick time and vacations.
"Strikes are a last resort, it is always a last resort," Kyle Ross, president of the MGEU, told CTV News on the picket line Monday. "But it has been challenging and the employer has not moved on any positions and they recently have shown that they do have funds available that they could be supporting these workers and improving their lives and helping them out."
Ross said the employer has been difficult, leading to the strike. He says the daycare staff want the centre to apply for federal funding which could be used to increase their wages.
In a statement to CTV News, Manitoba's Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning Wayne Ewasko confirmed he was aware of the strike, and pointed to recent government announcements for the child-care sector – including up to $3 million for a one-time TFS deposit eligible for the regulated child-care sector, and a $2.9 million Retirement Enhancement Benefits package.
He said as well, under the Canada-Manitoba Canada-wide Early Learning and Childcare Agreement, $34.7 million will be allocated to the existing operating grants through an additional wage grid supplement.
"The operating grant increase provides facilities with an average increase of 37 percent across all space types in licensed centres, homes and nursery schools," Ewasko said in the statement. "This allows boards of directors to raise staff wage supporting retention and recruitment of trained early childhood educators."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.