OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE Ontario workers picket Conservative MPP offices demanding a 'piece of the pie' in Ontario's budget
TORONTO, May 21, 2025 /CNW/ - As Members of Provincial Parliament return home for constituency week, Conservative MPPs are being met by daily protests and pickets. Frustrated by years of underfunding that was exacerbated by Doug Ford's wage supressing Bill 124, a coalition of OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE workers are demanding a piece of the provincial pie in the form of more funding to provide a critical lifeline for the frontline community services they provide and justice for stolen wages.
Together, OPSEU/SEFPO and CUPE represent over 50,000 workers who serve their communities every day as developmental service workers, child protection workers, mental health and addictions workers, and in myriad other critical roles. While they have watched workers across other public sectors receive backpay from the provincial government since Bill 124 was struck down, they have been ignored and their services have been slashed.
Since Ford was first elected in 2018, per capita spending for children, community and social services and postsecondary education has shrunk each year. The Financial Accountability Office estimates that the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services programs were underfunded by $3.7 billion in 2024. This underfunding has devastating real world impacts, translating to more than 50,000 adults waiting for developmental services, more than 70,000 children with autism waiting for core therapy, and hundreds of children in the care of child protection agencies left sleeping in motels, hotels, and offices for want of proper facilities. It also means that community support workers remain among the lowest paid workers in the public service as rates of burnout skyrocket.
Highly organized and motivated, workers are now demanding redress directly from the funder of the agencies they work at – the provincial government. That is the message being delivered at pickets across Ontario this week and at the bargaining table as more than 70 OPSEU/SEFO and CUPE locals are negotiating new collective agreements with identical demands.
OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick and CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn will be on-site at the picket outside Minister of Community, Children and Social Services Michael Parsa's constituency office on May 23 from 12 pm – 1 pm. Media spokespersons will be available at all picket locations.
Pickets will take place at the following locations:
Wednesday, May 21
BELLEVILLE
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Tyler Allsopp's office – Unit 8, 5503 Hwy 62 S., Belleville
BRACEBRIDGE
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Graydon Smith's office – 230 Manitoba St., Bracebridge
LINDSAY
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Laurie Scott's office – 14 Lindsay St. N, Lindsay
NORTH BAY
Date: May 20-23, 2025 (daily)
Time: 9am - 2pm (CUPE 2073 picket line)
Location: MPP Victor Fedeli's office – 219 Main Street East, North Bay
OWEN SOUND
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 5pm – 6pm
Location: MPP Paul Vicker's office – 345 8th St. E., Owen Sound
PETERBOROUGH
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Dave Smith's office – Unit E, 864 Chemong Rd., Peterborough
ST. THOMAS
Date: May 21, 2025
Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Location: MPP Rob Flack's office – Suite 201, 750 Talbot St., St. Thomas
Thursday, May 22
NORTH BAY
Date: May 20-23, 2025 (daily)
Time: 9am - 2pm (CUPE 2073 picket line)
Location: MPP Victor Fedeli's office – 219 Main Street East, North Bay
OAKVILLE
Date: May 22, 2025
Time: 3pm-5pm
Location: MPP Stephen Crawford's office – 53 Bond St., Oakville
Friday, May 23
FERGUS
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Joseph Racinsky's office – 181 St. Andrew St. E, Fergus
HAMILTON
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Donna Skelly's office – 2000 Garth St., Hamilton
KENORA
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 11am – 2pm
Location: MPP Greg Rickford's office – 610 Lakeview Dr Suite B., Kenora
KINGSTON
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 9am - 2pm (CUPE 2073 picket line)
Location: Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services – 11 Beechgrove Ln, Kingston
NORTH BAY
Date: May 20-23, 2025 (daily)
Time: 9am - 2pm (CUPE 2073 picket line)
Location: MPP Victor Fedeli's office – 219 Main Street East, North Bay
OTTAWA
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12 – 1:15 pm
Location: MPP Lucille Collard's office, 237 Montreal Rd., Ottawa
RICHMOND HILL
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Michael Parsa's office – Suite 201, 13085 Yonge St., Richmond Hill
SARNIA
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Location: MPP Robert Bailey's office – Suite 102, 805 Christina St. N., Point Edward
TORONTO (North)
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Location: MPP Michelle Cooper's office – 2882 Dufferin St., Toronto
THUNDER BAY
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 11:30am – 1pm
Location: MPP Kevin Holland's office – 774 James St. N, Thunder Bay
WALLACEBURG
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 10am-11am & 4pm-5pm
Location: MPP Steve Pinsonneault's office – 81 Front St. W., Strathroy
WOODSTOCK
Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 pm
Location: MPP Ernie Hardeman's office, 12 Perry St., Woodstock
SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)
For more information, please contact: Kelsea Mahabir, OPSEU/SEFPO, [email protected], 416-458-9477; Jesse Mintz, CUPE Ontario, [email protected], 416-704-9642
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