This program is designed to enable skill development for COPE Ontario members that will prove useful in the various sectors that COPE Ontario represents. Participants will gain knowledge and experience to ensure they grow and learn how best to strengthen our union while serving its members. Successful applicants chosen for the Mentorship Program will be trained in various positions including but not limited to becoming: a Labour Relations Specialist to cover all sectors, or a specialist in Healthcare or Education; Benefits Representative; or Organizer. Opportunities will also be available to become Instructors/Facilitators specializing in a variety of topics and areas of labour priorities. Locals of COPE Ontario will be responsible for ensuring all necessary arrangements are made for their member’s lost time. It is expected that the cost of lost time will be shared by all three parties: the Local Union, COPE Ontario, and the participating member.
Celebrating Black History Month
Celebrating Black History Month
As we embark on the month of February, COPE Ontario proudly joins the nation in celebrating Black History Month—a time to recognize, honor, and amplify the extraordinary contributions of Black individuals throughout history. This year, we are especially focused on highlighting the invaluable impact Black leaders have made within the labour movement, shaping a more just and equitable society for all.
COPE 527 at Queens Park
AMPLIFY INDIGENOUS VOICES
AMPLIFY INDIGENOUS VOICES: Must Read & Must Watch Indigenous Created Art.
Lets help support Indigenous creators and artists during this National Truth & Reconciliation week. Check out this amazing list of book, shows and movies to check out and support Indigenous creators!
No Space For Hate
Statement from COPE Ontario in Support of the LGBTQ+ Community and Against #1MillionMarch4Children
COPE Ontario stands firmly in support of the LGBTQ+ community and their rights, and we unequivocally condemn any form of hate or discrimination. It has come to our attention that the #1MillionMarch4Children event has been associated with anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, which runs counter to our principles of inclusion, diversity, and equality.
COPE 527 and HWDSB announce local agreement!
Hamilton, Ontario – September 12, 2023: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) is pleased to jointly announce a local agreement with the Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union (COPE Local 527). COPE Local 527 represents over 1100 HWDSB Educational Assistants, Child and Youth Care Practitioners, Communication Disorders Assistants, Deaf and Blind Intervenors and Language Acquisition Support Staff.
HWDSB’s Board of Trustees approved the local agreement at a Board meeting on September 11, 2023. COPE Local 527 members ratified the agreement on September 11, 2023.
One of a kind Language!
One of a kind Language!
For many of us, when we think of taking bereavement leave for a loved one, we think of parents, grand-parents, siblings or immediate relatives. But what about some of the other cherished loved ones in our lives? For folks who require a service animal, that animal can be an extension of who they consider their family, a beloved part of their everyday life.
COPE Ontario Statement on the Stabbing at University of Waterloo
COPE Ontario Statement on the Stabbing at University of Waterloo
On Wednesday, a Professor in the Gender Studies and Social Justice department at the University of Waterloo, along with two young students, was attacked and stabbed by a 24-year-old former student. The attacker hid in plain sight among the other students.
The Ford Government's Ongoing Plan to Further Privatize Hospital Services
On January 16, 2023, the Ford government revealed their plan on how they planned to deal with the current crisis in health care.
Premier Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced that their plan to deal with the unacceptable backlog of surgical and diagnostic procedures was to move them out of public hospitals to private for profit surgical and diagnostic clinics starting with cataract surgery, then expanding to MRIs and CT scans and finally to performing hip and knee replacements. The Premier has also said that this is a permanent change that will continue even after the backlog of surgical cases has eased.
Neither Premier Ford nor Health Minster Jones would comment on the “upselling” of services which is the practice of offering better products to patients than those covered by OHIP.
COPE Ontario and its members are asking the Ford government to cease and desist from further privatizing vital services now provided by the public hospital system. Such a plan if implemented will lead to more professional and allied health care workers leaving the public health care system and moving to private clinics that will not be affected by Bill 124, which caps wages for all public sector workers at one per cent (1%) total wages for a period of three (3) years. Despite Premiers Ford’s recent statement that Bill 124 has lapsed, which is incorrect and misleading, as many health care and public sector workers are still affected by Bill 124, which in some cases will extend into 2024 and 2025.
The people of Ontario should be genuinely concerned about the Ford government’s plan to further privatize public health care services which will lead to the health care system in Ontario being based on one’s ability to pay for health care rather than based on a person’s needs, as stated in the Canada Health Act.
COPE Ontario is asking its members and all Ontarians to personally contact and e-mail Premier Ford’s office and their local MPP office to express their opposition to the Ford government’s proposed plan for the further privatization of the public hospital system.
COPE Ontario Health Report January 2023 - Privatization of Health Care in Ontario – Part 3
