'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
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
Trucker's body found in trailer in Newfoundland after failed police search in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police are facing tough questions about their search for a missing Newfoundland trucker whose rig was found two weeks ago in Ontario, then sent back to Newfoundland, where his body was found Monday in the trailer.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.