COPE Ontario

COPE Ontario Office Closure

As ordered by the Ontario government, all COPE offices will be closed effective March 25th. All staff will continue to work remotely during this time and can be accessed via email or phone.

In the event of a workplace emergency or you have questions about your rights and responsibilities during the provincial response to COVID-19, please email info@copeontario.ca. A staff member of COPE Ontario will ensure that you receive a response promptly.

Stay safe, practice proactive isolation and remember to wash your hands. Connect with us online, Facebook or Twitter for updates.

The COPE Ontario Team

Educational Workers Central Agreement Ratified

COPE members working in the education sector have ratified the Central bargaining issues along with other Ontario Council of Educational Workers. This was a difficult round of negotiations due to the implementation by the Ford government of Bill 124 which placed a cap of 1% on compensation for members working in the public sector. Bill 124 is currently the subject of many court challenges under the Charter. Many COPE Education Locals are now heading into local bargaining.

Click to read Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW) press release.

Canadian Emergency Response Benefit CERB

What is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit

If you have stopped working because of COVID-19, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) may provide you with temporary income support. The CERB provides $500 a week for up to 16 weeks.

Who is eligible

The benefit will be available to workers:

Residing in Canada, who are at least 15 years old;
Who have stopped working because of COVID-19 and have not voluntarily quit their job or are eligible for EI regular or sickness benefits;
Who had income of at least $5,000 in 2019 or in the 12 months prior to the date of their application; and
Who are or expect to be without employment or self-employment income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period. For subsequent benefit periods, they expect to have no employment or self-employment income.

How to apply

To deliver payments to Canadians in a fast and easy way, the CERB is being jointly delivered by Service Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency.

Click to start your application process.

HAMILTON-WENTWORTH UNIONS UNITED AGAINST VIOLENCE

During Anti-Bullying Week, union leaders representing education workers in both the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board came together to share and discuss mutual concerns regarding the impact, and increase, of violence and violent incidents within our classrooms and community. Click to read press release.

COPE Ontario Joins Bill124 Charter Challenge

COPE Ontario joined nine other unions, together representing more than 250,000 thousand affected broader public sector employees, and announced their intention to launch a coordinated Charter challenge against Bill 124. As well, the Ontario Labour movement, with the Power of Many, will be initiating an aggressive campaign to repeal Bill 124, legislation introduced by the Ford government that allows the government to impose compensation caps, including for pension and health care improvements, on a variety of unionized and non-unionized public sector workplaces. Click to read the press release - Bill124 charter challenge.

Coronavirus Information for COPE Ontario members