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Hundreds of Thunder Bay long-term care workers strike for better wages

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More than 400 long-term care workers in Thunder Bay are on strike as they push for improved wages and better working conditions.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) says approximately 97% of members voted in favour of strike action, with all eligible workers signing up for strike duty.

Union representatives argue that long-term care staff are being left behind when it comes to compensation, despite the essential role they play in caring for residents.

OPSEU President J.P. Hornick says workers are deeply committed to their jobs, but many are struggling to make ends meet.

“They love the work they do,” Hornick said. “But if they can’t pay their bills, they simply can’t afford to stay.”

The union says it will remain on the picket line until a fair deal is reached.

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Staff, families share personal stories as long-term care crisis drags on amid strike

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Long-term care workers and families across Nova Scotia are now sharing personal stories from inside nursing homes as the strike continues, offering a closer look at the pressures they say are becoming too much to bear.

For weeks, staff have been advocating for themselves, standing in solidarity with CUPE locals from Yarmouth to Cape Breton for fair wages. Members say the exhaustion is becoming too much, and many feel left out to dry by government officials.

Many are sharing their own experiences on CUPE’s website, featuring stories about the long-term care crisis. Highlights include the meaning of their work as nurses, the mental toll it takes, and the daily struggles they face trying to pay bills on low wages while being chronically understaffed.

One story posted by Wilma F. from Inverness begins, “I have worked in LTC for 51 years and I have witnessed firsthand the lack of decent wages, respect, and fairness given to those workers.”

There are now more than 7,500 posts from members, families, and community members have been submitted to the site, according to CUPE.

CUPE says a recent public poll found that 91% of respondents agree that long-term care workers deserve a living wage, and 71% support the workers in the strike. They add only 22% believe the government’s offer is fair and Nova Scotia cannot afford to pay more than what was offered.

They say the growing number of stories highlights the urgent need for action to guarantee safe staffing levels and what they call a “true” living wage for all workers.

With more than 10,000 signatures on their petition and 8,500 emails sent to government officials, the union says there is still no word on when—or if—members will see a new offer.

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‘I don’t want her to die alone’: Family fears grow as Norovirus outbreak closes care home

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Janet Flemming had planned to visit her 92-year-old mom at Ocean View Care Home on Mother’s Day, but instead, she received a call that left her feeling worried and disappointed.

“As of Wednesday, they’ve closed Ocean View completely,” says Flemming.

She explains that an outbreak of norovirus prompted the closure and that families were notified they were no longer allowed inside.

Since long-term care workers have been on strike, families across Nova Scotia have been concerned about whether their loved ones in care homes are receiving proper support. Now, with an outbreak like norovirus, Flemming says she worries that already strained staff won’t have the capacity to care for sick residents.

Flemming says she received notification on Friday that four additional units were being closed off as the virus spread.

“One of those units is where my mom is,” she says. “I got a call yesterday saying that at noon she started showing symptoms and that we’re unable to go check on her. And with their short staff, you know, that’s more work for them with everybody ill.”

Flemming says that since the CUPE long-term care strike began on April 13, she has seen staff take on roles outside their usual duties, often working extra to ensure residents are cared for. That’s because more than 3,000 workers across 30 facilities are now splitting their time between residents and picket lines.

“One of the ladies was saying she’s very tired because she’s only used to an eight-hour shift and just working in the kitchen, not serving. So, they’re not all doing their specific jobs,” she explains.

However, Flemming had hoped they would have the virus under control by now and worries the situation may be worsening.

“If my mom just got sick yesterday, there’s still people getting sick. They said the symptoms usually last for three days, so I don’t think they’re opening anytime soon.”

Flemming’s mom, Freda McCormick, has dementia, and given her age and now a virus, Flemming says she’s especially worried about not being able to visit—particularly on Mother’s Day weekend.

“It’s disappointing and it does concern me. If she gets worse, I don’t want her to die alone. [I’m afraid] we’ll just get a call. I don’t want that to happen, we would want to be there with her.”

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UPDATE: Talks stall less than 24 hours after long-term care workers return to table

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8:30 a.m. UPDATE: CUPE members and government officials agreed to resume negotiations late Thursday afternoon, but by early Friday morning, the union announced that no deal was reached.

CUPE Long Term Care Coordinator Kim Cail says, “The new offer, which expires in 2028, was better than the last, but would still leave support classifications at just over $23 by the end. That’s not a living wage now and it certainly won’t be in 2028.”

The strike will continue with CUPE 3454 Shoreham Village joining the picket lines today
and 2 more set to join next week.

The provincial government has agreed to return to the bargaining table with CUPE, marking a key shift after four weeks of strike action by long-term care workers.

CUPE members announced the development yesterday afternoon following a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition, who criticized the government’s handling of the dispute and said care workers deserve greater investment.

Workers say the move brings some relief, though many remain exhausted after weeks without a living wage and the ongoing strain of balancing care work with pressures at home and on their finances.

“We’re happy to hear that the government is willing to get back to the table,” said Long-Term and Community Care Committee Chair Christa Sweeney. “We look forward to negotiating in good faith and reaching a deal that everyone can support.”

MAY 7

Update: LTC workers and province will return to bargaining table as strike approaches one month

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UPDATE: After this story was first published, CUPE and the provincial government agreed to return to the bargaining table on Thursday afternoon. The comments in this story were made prior to that agreement being reached. The union says it’s hopeful renewed negotiations will lead to progress toward a deal.

Long-term care workers across Nova Scotia say they’re exhausted, cold, and soaked after nearly four weeks on rainy picket lines, with no clear end to the strike in sight.

Ty Loppie, CUPE Nova Scotia’s vice-president for the long-term care committee, says workers feel the seniors minister is not taking them seriously.

She says, “It’s very obvious that she doesn’t care about the workers, she doesn’t care about the seniors that are in long-term care, and she’s just been spreading a lot of misinformation.”

According to Loppie, Minister Barb Adams has been telling the public that workers don’t understand what’s in the deal being offered, but Loppie assures that everyone understood before taking action.

“They voted to go on strike because they didn’t like the deal. She [Adams] has gone out of her way to post the deal package in the workplaces and she’s still saying that the members don’t know what was in the package,” she explains, frustrated. “It’s so baffling, the disrespect that we’re experiencing. You would think as the minister of seniors and long-term care would care, but she’s ignoring us.”

‘What’s being offered is simply offensive and insulting’

Krista Sweeney, chair of the long-term care committee, says the strike isn’t about money, but about the toll chronic understaffing and low pay are taking on workers’ lives.

Sweeney says workers “spend their days caring for families and then go home worrying about how to care for their own. Starving and exhausted people cannot provide top-notch care, no matter how much they want to. That’s the heart of this issue.”

In a statement to our newsroom on Wednesday, Minister Adams made it clear she does not plan to return to the bargaining table any time soon.

‘We are here because this government refuses to sit down and make an agreement with long-term care workers’, says NDP

Meanwhile, Official Opposition Leader Claudia Chender hosted CUPE representatives at Province House Thursday morning where she criticized the provincial government’s handling of the dispute and its broader approach to long-term care.

Chender states, “Tim Houston has spent billions of dollars on Healthcare infrastructure, but he and Barb Adams don’t seem to think that the people providing that care are worth the investment.”

She added that many Nova Scotian’s initially trusted the government’s promise to fix health care, but that conditions have only continued to deteriorate.

“They’ve given the Houston government the benefit of the doubt and trusted that their promise to fix healthcare was moving forward, but five years in and long-term care workers face constant staffing shortages that impact the care.”

As of now, there is still no timeline from the province on when the strike could come to an end, leaving thousands of workers on the picket lines and long-term care facilities operating under continued strain.

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Long-Term Care workers enter week 3 of strike for fair wages

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Hundreds of CUPE members, joined by several other unions gathered outside Province House early Monday morning to protest the Houston government’s handling of long-term care worker’s strike for fair wages.

Unions who showed support for CUPE include NS-GEU, NS Nurses Union, and NS Federation of Labour. Now, more than 3,000 long-term care (LTC) workers across Nova Scotia are entering their third week on strike, with picket lines continuing in communities across the province, and they’re saying workers are struggling to make ends meet.

CUPE strike outside Province House downtown Halifax April 27, 2026. PHOTO: NATALIE CHIASSON/ACADIA BROADCASTING

Representatives from the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour accused Premier Tim Houston and Seniors Minister Barbara Adams of failing to support frontline staff, arguing that while government leaders have “padded their own salaries to the tune of $1000s,” workers are being left behind.

CUPE strike outside Province House downtown Halifax April 27, 2026. PHOTO: NATALIE CHIASSON/ACADIA BROADCASTING

MLA Rod Wilson also criticized the province’s approach, suggesting the government is prolonging the standoff and pressuring workers to hold their ground.

“I know you can get a better paying job tomorrow, but you are doing what you do because you care about your residents. You show up every single day,” Wilson said during speeches outside the House.

He encouraged those on strike to remain firm as negotiations continue.

“Don’t let Tim Houston think he’s winning because he’s not. Barbara Adams is nowhere to be seen. You are everywhere to be seen, and we will stand with you until you get what you deserve.”

Minister Barb Adams maintains the deal is fair and that no further talks will take place. With no resolution in sight, workers who have been on strike since April 13 remain on picket lines as action continues across Nova Scotia.

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LTC strike grows in N.S. as frustration boils over wage standoff

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Thousands of long-term care (LTC) workers in Nova Scotia are growing frustrated after months of failed talks with the provincial government over fair wages, standing their ground for day four on the picket lines.

Minister for Seniors Barb Adams has made it clear that she believes the deal her government offered is fair, considering other unions across the province have already accepted it. However, CUPE representatives tell us that there wasn’t much of a discussion.

President of CUPE 1245, Rowena Graham, says, “They’re refusing to meet us halfway, they’ve shut down all talks. We met with them five times, and five times there was no discussion, so this is why we’re here. We don’t like the deal that’s on the table presently.”

CUPE 1245 outside the Legion in Eastern Passage. PHOTO: NATALIE CHIASSON/ACADIA BROADCASTING

Graham points out that other unions signed their agreements with a “me too clause”, meaning that if CUPE gets a better deal, they also get one. She says it’s not fair that while they fight, rain or shine, others can coattail their efforts.

“Which is very discouraging for people that work hard. We do this job because we love the residents, they’re like our second family,” Graham explains. “But we are all getting burnt out.”

Graham tells us about one housekeeper who has been at the Ocean View Continuing Care Centre, represented by CUPE 1245, for 15 years and is currently still making $18.77/hr. She says, “Her son just got hired at Costco last week and is making $2 more an hour than she makes.”

Continuing Care Assistants in Cape Breton say ‘we work short staffed all the time’

In Port Hawkesbury, CCA’s say the current deal is the same one that was offered to them three years ago.

CCA Chandra Timmons says, “We didn’t agree to it then. We also just want fair wages. New Brunswick and P.E.I got their $5 raise, so why can’t we have a fair raise? We deserve it, we do the same amount of care.”

CUPE members gathered in Port Hawkesbury. PHOTO: JESSICA LAING/ACADIA BROADCASTING

President of CUPE 3630, Laurie MacNeil, stresses that if working conditions do not improve, less people will want to enter the field.

“We need people to help look after our elders. Right now, we’re constantly short. We don’t get our vacations,” MacNeil explains. “So, in order to get people to come into the field, we have to have a livable wage.”

The strike kicked off on Monday, April 13, when workers at 24 nursing homes walked out, and support keeps growing, with one more home joining the picket lines in New Glasgow today and more planning to join in the coming days.

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Province asks union to let members vote on offer as strike approaches

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The province is pleading with CUPE to let members vote on the deal before they strike on Monday.

More than 2,200 workers from 22 long-term care homes are planning walk off the job.

Barb Adams, the Minister of Seniors, wrote an op-ed on Sunday, pleading for union leaders to let members vote on the offer.

She says other long-term care unions accepted the same deal.

But on Friday, some rallying union members told our newsroom they just want to be paid fairly.

There is an essential service plan in place for when the strike begins, and workers are still set to walk off the job at 7 a.m. on Monday.

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Union calls on province to release overdue ECE back pay

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The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says many childcare centres across Nova Scotia are struggling to recruit staff because of low wages and a lack of recognition.

Now, the union is urging the province’s education minister to act, as some Early Childhood Educators (ECE) say they’ve been waiting months for back pay. This stems from Nova Scotia’s ECE wage grid under the $10-a-day childcare plan, where operators await provincial funding to distribute back pay.

In a news release, CUPE 4745 President and Early Childhood Educator Tabitha Warren says, “This delay sends a message that the province doesn’t value the people who make childcare possible. It’s unacceptable, and it needs to be fixed now.”

Union representatives say centres cannot issue the payments without authorization from the department.

CUPE Nova Scotia President Alan Linkletter says “everyone deserves to be paid on time, and our ECEs are no exception. The Minister has the ability and the responsibility to unlock this funding immediately. Delaying back pay only deepens the staffing challenges that already affect the entire childcare sector.”

The union says it is urging officials to release the outstanding funds immediately.

Meantime, Education Minister Brendan Maguire says the money is coming it is just taking time.

He tells reporters it’s not about holding the funds back.

“It really is about going through every single hour for the last few years that people have worked in this province,” says Maguire.

He says it’s very labour intensive and that crews are working around the clock to get it done.

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NSCAD strikes, union says wages have not increased since 1984

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Staff at NSCAD University are on the picket lines this week, striking for fair wages and job security. The move comes nearly two years after employees became certified with CUPE Local 3912 and began bargaining for their first contract.

CUPE and NSCAD staff strike. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting

Union representative Lachlan Sheldrick said NSCAD built its strong reputation in the Maritimes during the 1980s and 1990s, when staff were well compensated. But that reputation hasn’t kept up with time.

“And that pay has not gone up for our members, for our teaching assistants, and research assistants. That pay has not gone up since 1984. So people here today are making the same money that their parents might have been making had they been here 40 years ago,” Sheldrick explained.

CUPE and NSCAD staff strike. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting

Staff began striking outside NSCAD’s downtown Halifax campus on Duke Street on Wednesday and continued picketing today despite the cold.

Union president Lauren McKenzie smiled as she told our reporter that she’s proud to stand with the workers.

“I’m not willing to stand aside and let these folks sort of wither in these poor work conditions that NSCAD has set for them, because we see how valuable they are,” McKenzie glowed.

CUPE President Lauren McKenzie talking with passerby about the strike on Duke Street. PHOTO BY NATALIE CHIASSON /Acadia Broadcasting

This is the third time within recent months that CUPE members at post-secondary institutions took job action in Halifax.

Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent, and Saint Mary’s all accepted agreements with part-time staff in the fall of 2025.

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