News & Updates

Job Posting: Executive Assistant (One-Year Leave Replacement)

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is hiring a temporary full-time Executive Assistant to cover a one-year leave of absence. The initial appointment is for one year, with the possibility of renewal or continued employment depending on organizational needs and the applicable collective a...

Job Posting: Organizer

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is hiring a permanent full-time Organizer to expand our organizing capacity across Toronto and York Region. We bring unions together to build working-class power and advance economic, social, racial and climate justice. We are looking for an experience...

Olivia Chow - Mayor of Toronto

Olivia Chow has served the people of Toronto for over three decades. Born in Hong Kong, she immigrated to Toronto at age 13 and grew up in an apartment in the St. James Town neighbourhood, supported by her mother’s work as a hotel housekeeper. This upbringing has informed every step of her trailb...

Mike Layton – University Rosedale

A Trusted Community Leader. Mike Layton is a climate leader, city builder, and former city councillor with two decades of experience delivering results on sustainability, housing, transportation, and social justice. From 2010 to 2022 he represented Trinity-Spadina and University-Rosedale on Toro...

Sara Ehrhardt - Toronto Danforth

Sara Ehrhardt is running for City Council to continue leadership that stands up for Toronto-Danforth's values, fighting for a better life for everyone in our community. A local parent and policy professional with an engineering background, Sara got her local start as an activist, saving the Duke ...

Cindy Hackelberg - Markham

Cindy is an experienced IT executive, business owner, and community leader. Born and raised in York Region, she is a proud mother and Thornhill resident, where she lives with her husband and two children. Proudly educated in the York Region District School Board, Cindy graduated from the Universi...

Christopher Mammoliti - Don Valley North and Scarborough-Agincourt

Christopher Mammoliti is a TDSB Ward 9 resident, a husband, and a father of two young soon-to-be TDSB students. He is a former TDSB Trustee and Vice-Chair of the Board, a respected community health-care advocate, and has 10 years of experience in skilled manufacturing and distribution. Christophe...

Farzana Rajwani - Don Valley East and Don Valley West

Farzana Rajwani is a community leader and former Toronto District School Board Trustee committed to building communities. In 2022, Farzana was elected Trustee for Don Valley East, where she advocated for students, families, and public education. She is seeking to represent the new TDSB Ward 8, un...

Bill Radia – Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville

My name is Bill Radia. I am a recently retired, Ontario Certified Teacher with 26 years of elementary teaching experience in the York Region District School Board. I am a proud parent, a resident of York Region for over 40 years and have called Aurora home for almost 15 years. I am running in the...

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith - Beaches-East York

Nate Erskine-Smith is a lifelong resident of Beaches-East York, with more than a decade of experience representing his community in Parliament. He also served as the federal minister for housing and infrastructure. As an MP, Nate was known for his principled independence, work across party lines,...

Tim Ellis - Etobicoke Centre and Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Tim is an energetic and capable leader with a proven record of success. A resident of South Etobicoke since 2012, Tim is a passionate community builder who volunteers extensively, including the Grilled Cheese Challenge, the Mimico Residents Association, the Etobicoke Lakeshore Interfaith Festival...

Brandon Choi - York Centre and Willowdale

Ward 4 is where I grew up, went to school, and still call home. I’ve served Ward 4 through the local Councillor’s office, then all of Toronto through the Mayor’s office, working in constituency affairs and community engagement. Every day, my job was to truly listen to residents navigating broken...

Jennifer Volk - Spadina-Fort York and Toronto-Danforth

Jennifer Volk is a long-time advocate for public education and an active parent in school communities. She is running for school trustee because she cares about the future of public education. Jennifer became engaged in education advocacy when her oldest daughter (now starting university) starte...

Anu Sriskandarajah - Scarborough Guildwood & Scarborough Rouge Park

Anu Sriskandarajah is an educator, sociologist, and community advocate running to serve as Toronto District School Board Trustee for Scarborough-Guildwood-Rouge Park (Trustee Ward 12). As an Associate Professor of Sociology at York University and a proud YUFA (York University Faculty Association)...

Karen Emerson - Beaches East York & Scarborough South West

Karen Emerson is a lifelong advocate for children, youth, and strong public education. Karen has spent decades working with children, youth, parents, and communities. She workedfor longtime TDSB Trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher, helping families navigate the school system,reducing barriers to parent i...

Alexis Dawson - Parkdale-High Park and Davenport

Alexis Dawson is an antiracism educator, public education advocate, equity, diversity & inclusion consultant and elected Toronto District School Board Trustee. A longstanding supporter of organized labour, Alexis advocates for education workers and support staff and their critical role in str...

September 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our September Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, September 3, 2026. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ah...

Deborah Williams - Toronto-St Paul's, University Rosedale, and Toronto Centre

Deborah Williams is a parent, public school supporter, and community rooted school board trustee dedicated to fully funded high‑quality public education. First elected in 2022 in TDSB Ward 10 (University-Rosedale and Toronto Centre), she seeks re‑election in 2026 to continue the work in TDSB Ward...

Miles Krauter Named New Assistant to the President

Introducing Miles Krauter: Our New Assistant to the President We are pleased to announce that Miles Krauter will be joining the Toronto & York Region Labour Council as the new Assistant to the President. Miles brings more than a decade of experience in labour, community and political organizi...

Volunteer with Labour Council for the Municipal Election 2026

The Labour Council is building momentum toward Toronto’s 2026 Municipal Election and we need your help. Join us as a volunteer and help us talk to union members and support Labour Council-endorsed candidates in the upcoming 2026 Municipal Election in Toronto. Use the form below to sign up now.

Labour Day Parade 2026

The Labour Day Parade will be held this year on Monday, September 7, 2026 beginning at 9:30 am. Be sure to register your attendance with your union directly before adding your name to the form below. Your union will manage your registration for Labour Day 2026. Join us as we take the streets wi...

Matias de Dovitiis - Etobicoke North and Humber River-Black Creek

Matias has been a very active member of the Black Creek–Humber River Community for almost 20 years. He started community organizing even before that while at university, where he helped to start and was President of the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) at the University of Toronto w...

Alejandra Bravo - Davenport

Alejandra Bravo was elected City Councillor for Davenport in October 2022. She was appointed Chair of Toronto’s Economic and Community Development Committee and Commissioner on the TTC Board, as well as to the Toronto Board of Health and Mayor’s Executive Committee. Born in Chile, Alejandra moved...

Ala’a Adib - Etobicoke North

Ala’a Adib is an Etobicoke native, proud Toronto resident, and community advocate running for City Councillor in Ward 1, Etobicoke North. Rooted in the community that raised her, she is committed to building safer neighbourhoods, strengthening opportunities for working people and families, and cr...

Krissan Veerasingam - Scarborough Centre

Born and raised in Scarborough, Krissan is a long-time community advocate who co-founded and runs the Scarborough Environmental Association alongside his wife, Fizza and was the former Co-Chair of the board for TTC Riders, Toronto's largest transit advocacy organization. Through his initiatives h...

Kevin Rupasinghe - Scarborough Southwest

Kevin Rupasinghe is an engineer, city builder, community advocate, and a proud resident of Scarborough Southwest. He wants a Scarborough where everyone can find a home they can afford, people can easily move around the city to access opportunities, and every neighbourhood feels safe. Kevin has sp...

Neethan Shan - Scarborough Rouge Park

Neethan Shan is Scarborough’s champion and proudly serves as the City Councillor for Scarborough-Rouge Park. He has a long history of working with the labour movement and served as the Executive Director of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. In Scarborough, Neethan started as a youth worker in...

Anthony Perruzza - Humber River-Black Creek

Anthony Perruzza immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of nine. Raised in Humber River–Black Creek, he has called the community home ever since. His extensive involvement in the community includes having served as School Trustee, City of North York Councillor, Member of Provincial Par...

Debbie King - Parkdale–High Park

Debbie King is the elected Toronto District School Board Trustee for Parkdale—High Park, where she has lived and worked for 18 years, staying deeply connected to the people, businesses, and organizations that make the ward strong. Trustee Debbie King’s service includes membership on more than ...

Amber Morley - Etobicoke–Lakeshore

In 2022 Amber Morley was elected to Toronto City Council representing Ward 3, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Canada’s largest ward by population. Amber was later appointed Deputy Mayor of Etobicoke in 2023, becoming the first Black female Deputy Mayor in the City of Toronto’s history. At City Hall, Amber s...

August 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our August Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, August 6, 2026. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of the meeting.

Ausma Malik - Spadina-Fort York

Ausma Malik has spent her life building a better city and more caring, connected communities. As the local councillor for Spadina-Fort York since 2022, Ausma has worked with community members, City staff, and stakeholders to advance city-wide affordable housing, build vibrant public spaces, impr...

Shelley Carroll - Don Valley North

Shelley Carroll has spent her career helping build stronger communities. Before entering public life, Shelley owned and operated a small business while raising her family in North York. She was an active volunteer in her daughters' school community, helping lead breakfast and milk programs. Those...

PRESS RELEASE: Education Advocates Call on Paul Calandra to Repay Taxpayers After Stan Cho Reimbursement

(TORONTO, ON) – Education advocates are calling on Education Minister Paul Calandra to repay taxpayers for thousands of dollars in hotel, hospitality and travel expenses after fellow cabinet minister Stan Cho committed to reimbursing Ontarians for his own questionable expense claims. The call com...

Jamaal Myers - Scarborough North

Jamaal Myers is the Toronto City Councillor for Ward 23 – Scarborough North and a committed advocate for working people, strong public services, and equitable communities. Born and raised in Scarborough, Jamaal is a lawyer by profession who has championed investments in affordable housing, public...

TYRLC Statement: Using Unionized Labour and Community Benefits for FIFA and Future Major Events

July 2, 2026 As FIFA's final matches conclude in North America, with Toronto hosting six of the tournament's 104 games, it is time to reflect on what this event has meant for workers and communities across our city. The FIFA tournament has come at a staggering cost of approximately $380 million, ...

Curran Stikuts - Toronto Centre

Curran Stikuts is a progressive community leader running for City Council in Toronto Centre, where he lives and has worked for over 15 years. Curran has spent his career working on the issues that shape life in Toronto Centre, from housing and public health to community safety, public space, and ...

Dan Lovell - Scarborough Agincourt

Dan Lovell is a Scarborough-Agincourt resident and homeowner who cares deeply about the quality and affordability of life in our community. With 17 years of experience as a high school teacher, Dan has dedicated his career to supporting our youth and their families in the classroom and through ex...

Chiara Padovani - York South–Weston

Chiara Padovani is a strong champion for change in York South-Weston. In the 2022 municipal election, she came within 94 votes of defeating the long-time incumbent -- and since then, has continued serving the residents of York South-Weston through the community hub she opened in her former campai...

July 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our July Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, July 2, 2026. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of the...

TYRLC Statement: Pride and Indigenous Heritage Month Requires Real Solidarity

June 4th, 2026 Over the last number of decades, strong movements for the recognition and honouring of Indigenous rightsand the expansion of the rights of 2SLGBTQQIA+ community members have won crucial changes to laws and advanced our collective understanding within cultures. Trade unionists, incl...

June 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our June Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, June 4th, 2026. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of t...

Media Advisory: Ontario Unions Call for Minister of Education to Be Put Under Supervision

(TORONTO, ON) – Education unions in Ontario are calling for the Minister of Education Paul Calandra to be put under supervision given recent activities, revealed by the Trillium, showing the Minister spending lavishly on travel to an international conference. After putting numerous school boards ...

Time to Register: Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference 2026

The annual Indigenous Workers of Colour Conference – a joint project by the Labour Council’s staff team and Equity Committee – is just weeks away! This is an event a space to learn and connect. This year’s theme is Think Global; Act Local: Our Voices, Our Choices, Our Lives. Come join us for a da...

TYRLC Statement: Justice for Injured Workers Means Reforming WSIB

May 7, 2026 Each year, hundreds of thousands of workers are injured on the job or become sick with work-related illnesses right across the country. Yet when these same workers need to access vital supports, far too many are left without an income. Approximately one in four workers do not qualify ...

Job Posting: Organizer

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is seeking a permanent organizer to work as part of the leadership and staff team in a dynamic and fast-paced organization that is responding to a changing economy and new political realities in Canada’s largest urban centre. Reporting to the President...

Municipal Training Conference

Municipal elections matter. That is why we need to support candidates that will care about working people's values. Sign up for our 2026 Municipal Training conference and learn about the work involved in campaigns. Whether you are new to elections or you are already part of a team, our training...

May 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our May Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, May 7th, 2026. This meeting was originally in person, but due to scheduling conflict will now be held ONLINE beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ah...

Save The Date: Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference 2026

IWOC 2026 is around the corner! Save the date: WHEN: Saturday, June 13th 2026, 8:30AM (REGISTRATION); 9:30AM (CONFERENCE)WHERE: IBEW Hall, 1377 Lawrence Av E, Toronto, M3A 3P8 COST: $100 per registrant The 2026 IWOC Theme will be: THINK GLOBAL; ACT LOCAL: OUR VOICES, OUR CHOICES, OUR LIVES Regist...

Media Release: Ontario Trustee Reform Can't Hide Cuts to Kids' Education

As predicted, the Ford government backed down from abolishing school board trustees. Instead they’ve gutted trustee representation, limited decision-making and centralized power to the Province to be able to better sell off school board lands to developer friends. This is simply a sham to divert ...

April 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our April Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, April 2nd, 2026. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of...

Stephen Lewis 1937 - 2026

TYRLC mourns the passing of Stephen Lewis, a tireless advocate for social justice, human dignity, and global equity, and a former leader of the Ontario NDP. Lewis was a powerful and principled voice for the most vulnerable and was a champion of workers’ rights. As Ambassador to the United Nation...

IDERD 2026 - March 23 - From Scapegoating to Solidarity: Building Worker Power to Counter Hate

From Scapegoating to Solidarity: Countering Hate By Building Worker Power REGISTER HERE Join the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Community Solidarity Toronto, and allies from Toronto City Council and community in an important discussion to mark the ...

Day of Mourning - April 28, 2026

In memory of those who have lost their lives, been injured or made sick in their workplaces. Always in our hearts. We fight for justice for injured workers together.

Action Plan for the 2026 Municipal Election

Mar 5th, 2026 Each election cycle, Labour Council works to support the election of progressive candidates for city councils and school boards across Toronto and York Region. Toronto City Council races have had the highest profile. In previous municipal elections, Labour Council has been successfu...

Strategic Plan 2025-2028

Resolutions for the 2026 CLC Convention

Recommended by the TYRLC Executive Board January 29, 2026 for Consideration by TYRLC Delegates February 5, 2026 1-Municipal Powers and Funding (142 words) Submitted by: TYRLC, same as 2023 The CLC will convene a discussion among all interested Labour Councils about a new deal for cities, and what...

February 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our February Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, February 5th, 2026. This meeting will be ONLINE ONLY, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates will receive an email with the Zoom link. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ...

Job Posting: Director, Operations & Strategy

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is seeking a Director, Operations & Strategy, to lead its small and dynamic staff team. This is a new position within the organization. Interested candidates should apply by sending a resume and a short cover letter to smcmurray@labourcouncil.ca S...

TYRLC Statement: Raising the Luxury Homes Tax and Other Steps to Prevent Service Cuts in Toronto’s 2026 Annual Budget

Jan 8th, 2026 “Cut taxes for the wealthy and cut public services” has been the mantra for almost all governments in Canada for the past 40 years, with few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Toronto Mayor Oliva Chow - who late last year increased the Luxury Homes Tax to fund programs that make...

No To Hate Rally: Blame Billionaires Not Immigrants

The anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant group “Canada First” are bringing their hate to Nathan Phillips Square on January 10th. This far-right group, inspired by UK fascist Tommy Robinson, is part of a growing threat around the world. They blame immigrants for crises in housing, jobs and social servic...

Letter to Premier Ford: Repeal Your Attack on Tenants

January 7th, 2026 Premier Doug FordQueens ParkToronto, Ontario M7A 1A1 Dear Premier Ford, I am writing on behalf of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council to ask that your government repeal Bill 60, the “Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act”. There are many reasons for this call, which I wi...

January 2026 Delegates Meeting

Our January Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, January 8th, 2026. This meeting will be ONLINE ONLY, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates will receive an email with the Zoom link. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ah...

Media Advisory: CUPW Postal Workers Mark Anniversary of Attack on Bargaining Rights

Saturday, December 20th, 2025 WHAT: Workers from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will hold a rally in front of the Canadian Industrial Relations Board’s Ontario regional office to mark the one year anniversary of the Federal Government’s Section 107 & 108 attacks on CUPW. The rally will ...

Media Advisory: Ontario Continues Siphoning WSIB Billions from Injured Workers

For the third time in two years, WSIB is gifting big businesses billions of dollars while injured workers struggle to make ends meet. Since 2024, under Minister of Labour David Piccini’s watch, WSIB has claimed billions of dollars in surpluses. These surpluses are a lie - they have been generated...

December 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our December Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, Dec 4th, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead o...

Health & Safety Banquet - Nov 2025

(TYRLC Event Coordinator and Banquet Organizer Bria John poses with members of CUPE 4948, ATU 113, Sprinkle Fitters 873 and ONIWG) Congrats to all the winners at our Health and Safety Banquet this year! Alicia won the Injured Worker Activist Award - presented by Orlando Buonastella (Injured Worke...

Ontario Education Advocates Respond to the Passing of Bill 33

Fund Our Schools Walk-Ins Planned Across the GTA November 25–28, 2025 Toronto, ON — In the wake of the provincial government’s passing of Bill 33, education workers, parents, students, and community advocates across the Greater Toronto Area are mobilizing to demonstrate the urgent need for stable...

Labour's role in rebuilding Jamaica and the Caribbean

Join the Mission: Volunteer corps and material support In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, the people of Jamaica face a humanitarian crisis. Too many lives have been lost, thousands are displaced, and critical infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and homes lies in ruins. This represents $8.8 ...

Resisting Ford’s Attacks on Workers, Tenants, Students and Communities

An Omnibus Statement About Ford’s Omnibus Approach Nov 6th, 2025 Anyone who has seen the movie “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” should recognize the driving force that Ontarians are contending with: The Conservative government’s “omnibus” approach to governing Ontario is “to, for, by, with o...

HURRICANE MELISSA RELIEF

See further below for what you can do as an individual and what unions can do. Hurricane Melissa has ripped across the Caribbean and shattered communities across Jamaica leaving tens of thousands displaced and at least 75 dead. Canadian labour, community organizations and the Toronto Community Be...

November 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our November Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, Nov 6, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of ...

ACTION ALERT: CUPW Solidarity October 25th

Right now, the Liberal Government is engaged in an all out assault on good jobs, reliable service, and strong, independent Canadian infrastructure. Step one is gutting Canada Post. We need your help to stand with CUPW and fight against cuts to Canada Post. When: Sat. Oct. 25th at 11AM @ 47 Densle...

Rally: No To Hate; Everyone Belongs

On October 25th at 11:30 am, join a unity rally to say: IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME HERE, NO TO HATE AND SCAPEGOATING! “Canada First” are bringing their hate to Queen’s Park on October 25th. They seek to spread vicious hate, blaming immigrants for crises in housing, jobs and social services. This far-...

US, Mexico & Canada: How Do We Resist a War on Good Jobs?

Presented by Good Jobs for All - A Community-Labour Coalition RSVP at this link: https://www.labourcouncil.ca/us-mexico-canada-how-do-we-resist-a-war-on-good-jobs/ All around the world, workers & communities are under attack from Trump’s trade war. What have we got incommon? What can we learn...

Resolutions Coming Forward Directly to Delegates - Oct 2025

Submitted: October 15, 2025 1. Oppose Cuts to Language Education for Immigrants and Refugees Whereas: The federal government department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has announced that it will no longer fund language education above CLB level 4 after the current fiscal yea...

OPSEU/SEFPO College Workers – Solidarity & Strike Support Materials

OPSEU/SEFPO college workers are preparing for a province-wide strike beginning at 12:01 a.m.this Thursday, September 11, in a last-ditch effort to protect Ontario’s public colleges. Information and resources on the OPSEU/SEFPO labour action: Letter from OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick College Cr...

Support CUPW - Picket Line Locations

CUPW currently has hundreds of picket lines across the country, in all provinces and territories. You will find many of the major picket locations at the following link: https://act-cupwsttp.nationbuilder.com/picket_lines

Media Advisory: Oct 1st Rally to Save the Post Office

WHAT: Workers from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, labour activists and community members will be holding a rally to save the Post Office, as part of a coordinated national day of action with other CUPW members in Ottawa. Workers are trying to protect Canadian jobs and critical Canadian in...

Elect Neethan Shan In Scarborough-Rouge Park!

Volunteer Donate Get a Sign The Toronto & York Region Labour Council, a trade union federation representing over 200,000 workers from diverse sectors across the Toronto region, is proud to endorse Neethan Shan in the coming September 29th Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election! A long time friend...

October 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our October Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, Oct 2, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of t...

Thanks, Steve

Labour Education Centre staffer Steve Shallhorn retires this month after a long and impactful career in both the Labour movement and Climate Justice movement. Steve started at LEC in 2012 and has built an amazing legacy in terms of impacts and results. He helped creat the Tradelinx construction p...

Press Release: Minister Calandra Spending Thousands on Toronto Hotels and Pancakes

Download a PDF Download a Copy of Paul Calandra's Expense Report

End State Interference in Bargaining! Repeal Section 107 of the Labour Code!

Sept 4th, 2025 Over the last several years, we have witnessed a marked increase in restrictions placed on the rights of working people across Canada. Among the worst of these restrictions has been the escalating, anti-democratic attacks on the right to take the streets to fight for justice. These...

September 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our September Delegates’ Meeting is taking place on Thursday, Sept 5, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead o...

Media Advisory: Workers Address Trump & Carney Attacks on Labour Day

WHAT: This year’s Labour Day parade theme is A Canada for Workers: Made Here, Paid Here. As workers continue to fight for racial, social, economic and climate justice, they face twin attacks on both of the fronts of this year’s parade theme. Made Here: US President Trump continues to attack our...

Labour Council Condemns Unlawful Detention & Assault of Chris Smalls

Lift the Illegal Blockade! End the genocide in Gaza! Friday August 1st, 2025 The Toronto & York Region Labour Council condemns the Israeli military’s illegal detention and assault of Chris Smalls, a human rights activist and trade unionist who played a leading role in organizing the first Ama...

Liberal PM Mark Carney Needs to Advance Labour Rights

Along with Equity, Sustainability, and Community Resilience in a Framework of Indigenous Rights July 3, 2025 Many union members breathed a sigh of relief when Conservative Pierre Poilievre failed to win government in the federation election. Despite Poilievre’s appeal to some workers because he a...

TYRLC Statement on the Firing of a CUPE Member for Political Expression

These comments were not made on the job, but on a CUPE Facebook post. These views are not hate speech nor call for violence against any particular group. These are commonly held beliefs held by millions of Canadians and by many in the labour movement. Her comments specifically thanked the Toronto...

Press Release: School Board Takeover Continues Diversion From Education Cuts

These authoritarian takeovers continue the government diversion campaign against their dramatic underfunding of public education, threatening current and future Boards who refuse to cut further. The Province has cut public education in Ontario by $6.3 billion since 2018 when adjusted for inflati...

June 20: Federal Anti-Scab Legislation Now In Effect

As of June 20th, the federal government has banned the use of scabs (replacement workers) in federally regulated workplaces. After decades of work by the labour movement, the federal NDP was finally able to extract anti-scab legislation from the Liberals as part of the supply and confidence agree...

Memorial for Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada

Wreath Laying Ceremony Over 17,000 Chinese workers came to toil on Canada's Railway. Approximately 4,000 of these men did not return home. Come and pay homage to the sacrifices and contribution of Chinese railroad workers as an important piece of Canadian history. Date: Tuesday, July 1st 2025 (C...

Labour Day Parade 2025

The Labour Day Parade will be held this year on Monday Sept 1st, 2025 and this years theme is A Canada for Workers: Made Here, Paid Here. Join us as we take the streets with over 20,000 labour members to honour the past, present and future victories of the Labour Movement at this year’s annual La...

July 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our July Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, July 3, 2025. This meeting will be ONLINE ONLY, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates will receive an email with the Zoom link. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of t...

Ford Leads Charge Against Democracy

At the Service of His Corporate Friends, Not Workers! Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford has the highest popularity ratings of any premier in Canada, according to a recent survey. Taking aim at Trump’s tariffs soon after they were threatened, Ford convinced Ontario electors that he deserved another chan...

Press Release: School Sports Now At Risk For Cuts

School and community sports like football and soccer that rely on field maintenance are being put at risk due to cuts to education. Facility and capital reporting from school boards spell out how boards are behind on field repairs and out of money. This is on the back of concerns raised last mont...

June 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our June Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, June 5, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of the...

School-Property Greenbelt Scandal?

Buried in the Ontario Regulatory Registry last week, was a proposed regulation that would give sweeping power to the Ontario Education Minister to direct school board's to sell their property. Not only that, but the regulation would allow the Minister to also "identify to whom the property must b...

Special Economic Zones: TYRLC Submission on Bill 5

After continuing to ram Bill 5 - the Special Economic Zones Act - through the legislature, the Ontario Ford Government finished hearings this week. The TYRLC drafted a submission to ensure the impact on workers was known. Excerpt: Among the wide-ranging powers included in Bill 5, Schedule 9 would...

Press Release: Ford Gov Needs to Stop Running Education Into the Ground

Representatives from education unionsacross Toronto detailed the worsening conditions in Ontario schools, calling for an end to the diversion ofschool takeovers and immediate action to reverse the damage caused by years of cuts. “They’ve run the car into the ground and now they’re taking the whee...

Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference 2025

A New Era for the Working Class: Being BIPOC in these Damn Historic Times The annual Indigenous Workers of Colour Conference - a joint project by the Labour Council's staff team and Equity Committee - is just around the corner! This is an event a space to learn and connect. This year’s theme is A...

Where Does the Labour Movement Go From Here?

Early Reflections on the 2025 Federal and Ontario Elections We have just come through two back-to-back elections in Ontario, and there is a lot to do and think about. On April 28, we elected Mark Carney – a Liberal corporate banker – to oversee a minority government as Prime Minister of Canada. O...

May 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our May Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, May 1, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of the m...

Protect Our Charter Rights!

Tell City Council: No Restrictions on Free Speech in Toronto! Toronto City Council is considering implementing a by-law which would lead to massive restrictions to our charter rights to free speech and free assembly by restricting protests at a variety of sites across the city. If put in place, i...

Federal Election: Urgent Action Needed to Protect Workers from the Trade War

A snap federal election called in Canada will be held on April 28th and there has been one thing on the minds of Canadian workers: how will our elected representatives respond to the trade-war initiated by the United States? Many of the solutions they put forward by the major political parties re...

DAY OF MOURNING - APRIL 28, 2025

In memory of those who have lost their lives, been injured or made sick in their workplaces. Always in our hearts. We fight for justice for injured workers together.

April 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our April Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, April 3, 2025. This meeting will be in person at IBEW Local 353 (1377 Lawrence Ave East, Toronto), beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead of t...

Labour's Response to Trump Tariffs

Working people across Canada, and around the world grow increasingly restless and disturbed by news coming from the United States. Now in his second term, Donald Trump, and his billionaire-backers like Elon Musk, are engaged in a vicious attack on working people to further enrich billionaires and...

Join Us for the International Women's Day Rally on March 8

Join us at International Women’s Day to fight the Trump-led assault on workers around the world. Just across the border, a vicious attack is underway against women’s rights, undocumented workers, programs of equity and inclusion and the public sector. Trump and his imitators in Canada like Doug F...

March 2025 Delegates Meeting

Our March Delegates' Meeting is taking place on Thursday, March 6th, 2025. This meeting will be ONLINE ONLY, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Delegates will receive an email with the Zoom link. Delegates are encouraged to check their email inbox for additional details and documentation to be shared ahead ...

School Magazine: Should the Government Pay for Everything? A Response to Bob (and Every Teacher like Them)

Originally written for School Magazine by Nigel Barriffe. As Vice President of the largest teachers’ union in Canada, I have the privilege of speaking with educators every day. I visit their classrooms, walk through their schools, and hear first-hand about their struggles and frustrations. But I ...

FIGHT FOR A BETTER ONTARIO

Doug Ford, ever the opportunist, has used Trump’s tariff threat to justify an early election. Ford, styling himself as Ontario’s saviour, guarantees that he’s the leader to usher us through Trump’s ever-changing but always dangerous moods and threats. But it has always been clear Ford is not a sa...

School Magazine: Fighting Apathy in Ontario’s Election – Why This Vote Matters More Than Ever

Original written by Nigel Barriffe for School Magazine. In my role as an education advocate, I have had the opportunity to visit schools across Toronto, speaking with teachers, education workers, and administrators. Over and over again, I hear the same concerns—overwhelming workloads, burnout, an...

Job Posting: Organizer

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is seeking a permanent organizer to work as part of the leadership and staff team in a dynamic and fast-paced organization that is responding to a changing economy and new political realities in Canada’s largest urban centre. Apply by sending a resume ...

Job Posting: Communications & Data Coordinator

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council has an opening for a permanent position on its small and dynamic staff team. Reporting to the President, the successful candidate will lead and implement the Council’s communications programs and presence, contribute to strategic oversight and content ...

Fight for A Better Future!

In October of 2024, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council called for broad unity to fight the imminent threat posed to working people by the rise of far-right politics in Canada and across the world. We recognized that the growing strength and boldness of right wing and corporate forces co...

Health and Safety Banquet 2024 Recap

At the Health & Safety Activist Awards held on November 15th, 2024, the Labour Council alongside the Workers Health & Safety Centre, Central Ontario Building Trades Council, and Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic held a special evening to recognize the efforts of activists who have ma...

Sign the Petition - Protect CUPW’s Right to Free and Open Bargaining!

Canada Post is a national, public corporation that belongs to all Canadians. A fair deal for postal workers is a fair deal for each and every one of us. Let's call on the Liberal government to protect workers’ rights and defend our public postal service for everyone. Want to help spread the word ...

"Respect Workers' Rights!" — Babbington to Liberal Government

TORONTO, ON — Toronto & York Region Labour Council President Andria Babbington condemned the recent decision by federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to intervene in negotiations by port workers in British Columbia and Quebec on behalf of their employers. “Instead of letting a fair deal be...

Unite to Defeat the Right

The mounting threat of the far-right in Canada is reaching a level which can no longerbe ignored. Their politics seek to set working people against one another, fuelingracism and anti-immigrant sentiment, feeding on their anger so that the corporateforces in the country can continue to rob them b...

Breaking the Cycle: Demanding Action for Racialized Youth and Safer Communities

TORONTO, ON - As racialized trade unionists committed to justice, equality, and respect, we believe everyone deserves to live in safe and healthy communities. After years of continued advocacy where we have told our leaders at all levels of government to act on the root cause of violence in our c...

Toronto Star Op-Ed: It’s time for a different kind of common sense — one rooted in solidarity and common good

Andria Babbington is the president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, representing 220,000 unionized workers. In 2021, Babbington became the first woman of colour to lead the council. Workers in this country have been dealt a raw deal for decades, while the bosses rake in record prof...

Breaking the Cycle: Demanding Action for Racialized Youth and Safer

TORONTO, ON – As racialized trade unionists committed to justice, equality, andvrespect, we believe everyone deserves to live in safe and healthy communities. After years of continued advocacy where we have told our leaders at all levels of government to act on the root cause of violence in our c...

Labour Day Parade - Press Release 2024

Workers Shape Our Future – 2024 Labour Day Parade (See Labour Day Program Below) Toronto, ON—Over 20,000 workers across Toronto and York Region are taking to the streets this morning for the 153rd annual Labour Day Parade, as workers lead the charge in shaping a future that works for everyone. Th...

Congratulations to the 2024 Bromley Armstrong Award Winners!

On June 21st, Labour Community Services and the Labour Council celebrated the inspiring work being done in labour equity and human rights at the 19th Annual Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Awards Gala. Together we continue to celebrate Bromley Armstrong and his legacy, as well as honour those who follow ...

Register for the 2024 IWOC Conference

Mark your calendars for the upcoming 2024 Indigenous & Workers of Colour Conference (IWOC)! This year, we’re building on our collective victories by "Building BIWOC Wins: The Equity Action Plan for Now." The Labour Movement is mobilized and coming together again—ready to fight and take on the...

Injured Workers Bill of Rights

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council stands firmly in support of the Ontario Federation ofLabour’s Campaign for an Injured Workers’ Bill of Rights, and stands in support and solidaritywith all injured workers and the families of those who never came home from work. To ensurejustice for wo...

Protecting the Right to Protest and Picket

In Toronto and York Region, we are witnessing an alarming rise in anti-democratic, anti-worker motions being introduced by municipal Councillors. Using various pretexts, members of council in Toronto and York Region municipalities are moving motions which seek to limit the charter protected right...

End Arms Exports to Israel

WHEREAS solidarity with workers everywhere is a crucial part of trade unionism, and the workers’ struggle has no borders; and WHEREAS every day the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, its affiliates and our members are seeing the horrifying bombing and mass killing of working people in Gaza...

We're Hiring! Administrative Assistant Job Posting

Are you a progressive administrator looking for your next challenge? The Toronto & York Region Labour Council has a permanent opening on its small and dynamic staff team. Reporting to the President or designate, the successful candidate will oversee and undertake the Council’s administrative ...

Racial Justice Toronto – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Let's celebrate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination by making racial justice a priority for the City of Toronto!

Fund Our Schools Campaign Launch

There is an ongoing crisis in our publicly-funded schools in Toronto, and across the province. After more than six years in power, the Ford Conservative government has cut funding to our schools down to the bone. While the Conservatives like to tell the story that they have funded schools more th...

Enough is Enough: Applying the OFL’s Action Plan in Toronto and York Region

Last January, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council declared that 2023 would be the year of the union. Twelve months later, it could not be more clear: we were right. In 2023, workers set the new standard for what a fighting, militant labour movement can look like. In particular, strike ac...

Letter Opposing Bill 23 and Its Impact on the Greenbelt

November 17, 2022 Toronto & York Region Labour Council 15 Gervais Drive, Suite #407 North York, Ontario M3C 1Y8 Dear Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, We are writing to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the impact of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster...

Toronto and York Region Labour Council Joins the Call for an Immediate Ceasefire

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is speaking out to oppose the rapidly escalating violence in Israel-Palestine, and joining the call for an immediate ceasefire, aid to Gaza, and an end to the blockade. In its statement on October 9, 2023, the International Trade Union Confederation (I...

IWOC Resource List

This year’s Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference (IWOC), hosted by the Equity Committee of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council on October 14th was a huge success! Under the theme “Power Beyond the Checkbox: Taking Action as BIWOC,” this year’s conference invited us to go beyond t...

OFL Resolutions 2023

Below are a number of resolutions on the following issues: Municipal Funding and Democratic Authority Centering Indigenous Labour Members in the Climate Justice Struggle Hate Recycling Rules at Municipal Level Legislation Towards a Workers Bill of Rights Defend Publicly-Funded Education Housing F...

Resolutions Coming Forward Directly to Delegates

Submitted: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 Municipal Funding and Democratic Authority(148 words) WHEREAS many Ontarians live in cities, and workers want to continue doing so; WHEREAS municipalities are considered creatures of the provinces without constitutional protections; WHEREAS Ontario has trample...

All Out Against Hate

Join Community Solidarity Toronto and Toronto & York Region Labour Council in pushing back against hate! Let’s come together with the Counter Protests and show what worker power defending our community looks like! 🏳️ 🌈🏳️ ⚧️ WHEN: Wednesday, Sept 20th at 8:30AM WHERE: South end of Queen Park (...

IWOC 2023

This year’s IWOC is coming up on Oct 14th! Come listen to those who are rewriting the rules, challenging norms, and embracing our collective power. Let’s step up, take charge, and shape a labour movement that reflects our strength of unity!

Labour Day Parade 2023

Join us as we take the streets with over 20,000 labour members to honour the past, present and future victories of the Labour Movement at this year’s annual Labour Day Parade!

Together We Can Build A City for Everyone

Torontonians have spoken, and change has come to our city. After over a decade of right-wing rule in Toronto, working people across the city have chosen a new direction and elected Olivia Chow as our next mayor. We start by congratulating Mayor-Elect Olivia Chow on her victory. Olivia brings much...

Together We Can Build A City for Everyone

Torontonians have spoken, and change has come to our city. After over a decade of right wing rule in Toronto, working people across the city have chosen a new direction and elected Olivia Chow as our next mayor. I’d first like to start by congratulating Olivia on her victory. Olivia brings much-n...

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2023 Bromley Armstrong Awards

Labour Community Services and the Labour Council were thrilled to celebrate the amazing work being done in labour equity and human rights at the 18th Annual Bromley Lloyd Armstrong Awards Gala this month. During an energetic evening, we gathered together to celebrate the legacy of Bromley and hon...

Unite with Pride: One Injury, One Fight!

Brothers, Sisters, and all our Siblings in the Movement, We write to you today as members of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council (TYRLC) Equity Committee with a message of deep and urgent solidarity with 2SLGBTQI+ students, families, and workers within the York Catholic District School Boa...

Pledge to Support Schools as Community Hubs

Schools are the heartbeats of our neighbourhoods. They help define our geographies and are gathering spaces for all ages. We need schools to stay local. And, we need better access to social services, recreation programs, and more. The City and school boards can work together to build stronger loc...

Pledge to Build More Deeply Affordable Housing

The City stopped building housing for regular people decades ago. It's time to recognize that the market will not fill the demand for deeply affordable housing. Join us, Progress Toronto, and Toronto ACORN to get a commitment on building more affordable housing, including social, co-op, and "rent...

Pledge to Reverse TTC Service Cuts

Since the pandemic, TTC service has been cut drastically, with riders waiting longer between vehicles and adding significantly to commute times. Riders on more than 30 routes are facing longer commutes during off-peak and rush hours. Join us and TTC Riders in demanding a return to pre-pandemic TT...

Pledge to Support the Labour Day Parade

For 152 years, workers have taken to the streets to demonstrate our collective power and to fight for better working conditions for all. For most of our history, our right to march has been understood and supported by the City. With the Central Ontario Building Trades, we demand a commitment to p...

Pledge to Stand Up Against Hate

Toronto is proudly one of the most diverse cities in the world. We welcome people of all ethnic backgrounds, languages, religions, and sexualities. The mayor of Toronto has a responsibility to stand against hate in all its forms. Together with Urban Alliance on Race Relations, we ask all candidat...

RELEASE: Torontonians are ready for a progressive mayor who will stand up to Ford

TORONTO – The tides are turning in Toronto, and supporters of all candidates are ready for it. Earlier this month, Toronto & York Region Labour Council commissioned Environics Research to design and conduct an online poll of 1,001 eligible voters in the City of Toronto to identify key issues ...

RELEASE: Toronto’s Unions Condemn Mayoral Candidate’s Anti-Union Stance on City Tendering

TORONTO – Toronto & York Region Labour Council and the Central Ontario Building Trades condemn renewed attempts to undermine collective bargaining in City of Toronto business. In a release earlier this week, Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford promised to “open tendering” on City of Toron...

Stand Up for Retail Workers in Toronto

In just a few days, on May 10th, Toronto City Council will consider allowing some commercial shopping areas to open on statutory holidays. Tell City Council to vote “no” to holiday shopping exemptions! Many retail workers can only count on these nine days of rest with their families. SmartCentres...

Westray Law: If Workers Don’t Get Prevention, They Must Seek Justice

Over 1,000 workers a year are killed on the job across Canada and countless more are injured or made ill at work. At this time of year, we mark important milestones in the fight to protect workers health and safety and to hold accountable those employers who kill or injure workers. April 28th is ...

Health & Safety Activist Awards 2023 Recap

At the Health & Safety Activist Awards held on April 28, the Labour Council alongside the Workers Health & Safety Centre, Central Ontario Building Trades Council, and Injured Workers Consultants held a special evening to recognize the efforts of activists who have made a difference in the...

TYRLC Resolutions for CLC Convention 2023

Beginning on May 8, 2023, the Canadian Labour Congress will hold its 30th Constitutional Convention in Montreal. The theme for this year’s convention is “Canada’s Unions – Lifting Everyone Up”. To help build a better future for all, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council has made a number o...

Action Plan for the 2023 Toronto Mayoral By-Election

This mayoral by-election is an unprecedented opportunity for labour and Torontonians to make our mark on who and how Toronto is governed, through 2026 and beyond. For decades, Labour Council has taken an organized and coordinated approach to supporting the election of progressive candidates in ge...

Joint Statement on International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) 2023

March 21, 2023 is the 63rd anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, when police opened fire on unarmed Black South Africans peacefully demonstrating against racist “pass” laws, and killed and injured hundreds of people. In 1966, the United Nations General Assembly marked this day to recognize the...

Happy International Women's Day From Toronto & York Region Labour Council

Dear Comrades and Friends, On this International Women's Day, I extend my warmest greetings and salute the indomitable spirit of women who continue to fight and strive for a better world. I am filled with pride and hope as I see more and more women shattering glass ceilings and taking leadership ...

This is Our Chance - Statement on the Resignation of John Tory as Mayor

With the official resignation of John Tory and pending final approval of City Council later this month, Toronto will be headed to a mayoral by-election on June 26, 2023. This unexpected reality presents an opportunity to elect a mayor who understands working people and who will champion progressi...

Labour Action Magazine - Winter 2023 Issue Is Available Online Now

The latest issue of the magazine covers the outcome of the recent municipal election and the 2023 city budget, as well as ongoing issues such as the Eglinton Crosstown project and public-private partnerships. It features a new poll showing wealthy Torontonians support raising property taxes on ex...

This is Our Chance

With the official resignation of John Tory and pending final approval of City Council later this month, Toronto will be headed to a mayoral by-election on June 26, 2023. This unexpected reality presents an opportunity to elect a mayor who understands working people and who will champion progressi...

Statement on the Resignation of John Tory as Mayor

In light of last week’s revelations about John Tory’s affair, its workplace setting, and his subsequent resignation, the Toronto & York Region Labour Council is issuing the following statement: Toronto badly needs stable, democratic, and progressive leadership—right now. In the last four mont...

Solidarity With Transit Workers: Joint Statement

Our transit system is in crisis, and transit workers are suffering the consequences. Workers and the public are experiencing unparalleled violence that has gone unchecked by our federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government. As stated by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 whi...

Fighting for a City Budget that Reflects the Values of Working People

Just after the municipal election in October 2022, Doug Ford bestowed Toronto’s mayor with additional powers which diminish the democratic processes and powers of local councillors. The Toronto & York Region Labour Council has been closely monitoring and speaking out on this additional hit to...

Fighting for a City Budget that Reflects the Values of Working People

Just after the municipal election in October 2022, Doug Ford bestowed Toronto’s mayor with additional powers which diminish the democratic processes and powers of local councillors. The Toronto & York Region Labour Council has been closely monitoring and speaking out on this additional hit to...

Honoring and Empowering Black Voices: A Celebration of Black History Month 2023

As Black History Month unfolds before us, we are reminded of the immense contributions that Black Canadians have made and continue to make to our society. From the frontlines of the civil rights movement to the ongoing fight for justice and equality, Black Canadians have been and continue to be a...

2023 Toronto City Budget Information, Events and Actions

The budget choices our city government makes each year are not only a reflection of the context of our city; they actively shape our context for years to come. Unfortunately, the budget Mayor Tory presented is a “pay more, get less” budget: less services, less safety. Read our statement for our a...

Follow the Money: Who profits from Bill 23 and Bill 39?

Looking at recent controversial legislation from 2022 - Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act) and Bill 39 (Better Municipal Governance Act) - here is a list of winners and losers: Environmental Defense, the ONDP, and others are calling for the OPP to investigate whether developers were tipped off...

Follow the Money: Who profits from Bill 23 and Bill 39?

Looking at recent controversial legislation from 2022 - Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act) and Bill 39 (Better Municipal Governance Act) - here is a list of winners and losers: Winners Land speculators and developers who will make a super-profit from their recent purchase of previously-undevel...

Happy Holidays From Toronto & York Region Labour Council

Dear Friends, As 2022 draws to a close, our labour communities have much to be proud of. This year, we supported each other through pandemic lockdowns; stood up against hate and far-right propaganda, reunited for rallies, parades, and demonstrations in the streets and at Queen's Park; we've grown...

Bill 39 Submission by Toronto & York Region Labour Council

There are few supporters of Bill 39. Previous Toronto mayors, major newspapers, academics, many elected representatives, and many ordinary Ontarians have all spoken against it. The Toronto & York Region Labour Council, which represents more than 220,000 workers from 150 unions and locals who ...

Letter Opposing Bill 23 and Its Impact on the Greenbelt

Dear Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy, We are writing to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the impact of Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act. We are deeply concerned about the proposed changes that would fundamentally change the province’s natural heri...

Labour & United Way: Annual Presidents’ Breakfast

Our message during the 2022 Presidents’ Breakfast was loud and clear. We need each other. The work we do is not a "band-aid" solution. Being United means being there for our communities. It's not about "us" vs. "them". We are in this together. On November 15, 2022, more than 20 unions came togeth...

Legislation to Impose an Unfair Contract and theNotwithstanding Clause - They’re Coming For the Rest ofUs

Any worker - not just education workers - in Ontario right now should be deeply alarmed at the recent war that the Ford Conservatives has waged on democracy and on education workers. Instead of fairly negotiating with CUPE, which represents 55 000 Early Childhood Education (ECE) workers, custodia...

The Crisis in our Health Care “System”

For the first couple of years of COVID, the pandemic shone a light on the huge gaps in our health care system and, in turn, on the sacrifices health care workers made to try and keep it together. Now, instead of responding to those gaps, we are entering what looks like a new period of austerity w...

Legislation to Impose an Unfair Contract and the Notwithstanding Clause - They’re Coming For the Rest of Us

Any worker - not just education workers - in Ontario right now should be deeply alarmed at the recent war that the Ford Conservatives has waged on democracy and on education workers. Instead of fairly negotiating with CUPE, which represents 55 000 Early Childhood Education (ECE) workers, custodi...

Thank You for Taking Action for OPSEU Local 546 - Striking safety inspectors have first collective agreement

UPDATE: OPSEU Local 546 has ratified their first collective agreement and appreciates the solidarity shown by the labour movement across Ontario. In Ontario, people are supposed to be able to join a union and work with respect and a fair contract. But Premier Ford nearly made that impossible for...

RELEASE: Torontonians of all income levels want a more livable city now

TORONTO - Even the wealthiest Torontonians agree: Toronto should raise property taxes on the wealthiest homes to invest now in public services. A recent poll found the vast majority of voters—from across the whole city and across all demographics—support making investments now in public and commu...

What Torontonians Want from City Council

Great news: Torontonians are united in their support for progressive change. Today, Labour Council released the results of a poll we commissioned to learn more about Torontonians’ support for progressive policies, city-wide. The poll was designed in consultation with Earnscliffe Strategies and wi...

Education Fights this Fall – Defend Quality, Publicly-Funded Education and the Workers who make this happen

This fall, there will be a big fight to win fair collective agreements for all of our education workers. We knew that with the election of a provincial Conservative majority in June that we would need to spend the next four years defending our public institutions such as education and healthcare...

Education Fights This Fall – Defend Quality Publicly-Funded Education and the Workers Who Make It Happen

This fall, there will be a big fight to win fair collective agreements for all of our education workers. We knew that with the election of a provincial Conservative majority in June that we would need to spend the next four years defending our public institutions such as education and healthcare....

Why Every Vote Counts

Monday, October 24th is municipal election day across Ontario! In Toronto this year, with no big mayoral challenger for John Tory, there is a real risk that people will stay home on election day. That would be a mistake, because workers must elect progressive Toronto city councillors and school b...

Our Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

This week, for the first time, we recognize September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation The Labour Council observes September 30, Orange Shirt Day, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Among the actions our organization is taking toward reconciliation, we participat...

For 150 years, Toronto workers have marched for each other ⁠— and for you

For the first time in three years, working people from across Toronto and the GTA will be marching in celebration of Labour Day, marking the 150-year anniversary of this historic event. The city streets we return to this September, however, look quite different from when we left them in 2019. Aft...

Electing to Build A Liveable City – Together

This October, voters across Toronto and York Region will go to the polls to elect mayors, members of council, and trustees. Let’s ensure that we elect the best possible candidates to become the champions, caretakers, and activists we need for our communities. It can be easy to overlook municipal ...

Our Moment, Our Movement: Call to Support Ending Racism

Dear friends and leaders of the Labour movement, We all know, too well, the possibilities of our movement when we come together – this, to the very core is what gives us hope and inspires us to think with ambition. Our goal is to end racism in our lifetime, and we need your help. The Yes, It Matt...

Thank You for Taking Action for OPSEU Local 546 - Striking safety inspectors have first collective agreement

UPDATE: OPSEU Local 546 has ratified their first collective agreement and appreciates the solidarity shown by the labour movement across Ontario. In Ontario, people are supposed to be able to join a union and work with respect and a fair contract. But Premier Ford nearly made that impossible for...

Recent Mass Shootings in the USA – Where Hate and Gun Violence Converge

The deaths of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, was shockingly the 27th school shooting in the United States in 2022. While those of us who are parents can feel the sorrow and grief of those mothers who will never see their children again, we are reminded that...

Response to the 2022 Ontario Election

At the end of election night – June 2nd, 2022 – the counting was over and the Conservatives will form a majority government, with the NDP as official opposition for the second time. The Toronto & York Region Labour Council congratulates the nine Toronto NDP MPPs who were re-elected and newly...

Recent Mass Shootings in the USA – Where Hate and Gun Violence Converge

The deaths of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, was shockingly the 27th school shooting in the United States in 2022. While those of us who are parents can feel the sorrow and grief of those mothers who will never see their children again, we are reminded that...

Response to the 2022 Election

At the end of election night – June 2nd, 2022 – the counting was over and the Conservatives will form a majority government, with the NDP as official opposition for the second time. The Toronto & York Region Labour Council congratulates the nine Toronto NDP MPPs who were re-elected and newly-...

Statement on White Supremacy in Buffalo Shooting

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is horrified and dismayed by another devastating and senseless racially-motivated act of hate. We are deeply enraged that an eighteen-year-old white supremacist drove into a Black neighbourhood to target Blacks, killing 10 people and injuring 3 others...

Labour Council's Statement on White Supremacy in Buffalo Shooting

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council is horrified and dismayed by another devastating and senseless racially-motivated act of hate. We are deeply enraged that an eighteen-year-old white supremacist drove into a Black neighbourhood to target Blacks, killing 10 people and injuring 3 others....

Canada’s Labour Unions Condemn the Raiding of UNITE HERE!Local 75 Royal York Hotel Union

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), and the Toronto & York Region Labour Council (TYRLC) wholeheartedly condemn raiding and call on the labour movement to stand together for the benefit of all working people. “At a time when workers rights are under att...

The Real Cost of Doug Ford's "Open For Business" Ontario

To see why the Conservatives deserve to be decisively voted out of office on June 2nd, take a look at what Labour Council Delegates have said about this government during its four years in power. Each statement accurately predicted the results of Ford’s decisions – the real costs. July 2018 – Our...

Mr. Ford Gets It Wrong Again: Workers Vote for Good Jobs and Public Services, Not Free Licensing Stickers

In March 2022, the Ford government quietly scrapped equity hiring targets in arrangements for the $28.5 billion subway program (consisting of the Ontario Line, Yonge North Subway Extension, Scarborough Subway Extension, and Eglinton West LRT), undoing years of progress to bring women, people of c...

We Can't Afford to Shut Up About White Supremacy

By: Andria Babbington, Faduma Mohamed, and Neethan Shan On the first weekend of the Ottawa Convoy occupation, many Canadians were shocked to see swastikas, Confederate flags, and other racial hate symbols flying freely in public spaces—unchallenged by either police or fellow protesters. But for t...

Moving Ahead Together – Community Solidarity TO: A Response to the Rise of the Alt-Right in Canada

It has been two years since Canada declared a pandemic on March 11th, 2020. Twenty-four months of social distancing requirements, restrictions on travel and entertainment. And, twenty-four months of frontline worker exhaustion, fear, illness and loss. COVID-19 fatigue is real, and it is impacting...

Action Plan for the 2022 Municipal Election

Each election cycle, Labour Council works to support the election of progressive candidates for city councils and school boards across Toronto and York Region. Toronto City Council races have had the highest profile. In previous municipal elections, Labour Council has been successful in growing s...

TransformTO: Toronto's Heavy Lifting for the Planet

When the world’s leaders arrived at Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Conference (COP26), they were greeted with a poignant image. The official COP26 banner hung from the giant 175-ton Finnieston Crane at the edge of the River Clyde, a symbol of the city’s industrial heritage. The message wa...

The Ford Government Just Doesn't Work for Workers

Doug Ford is trying to pull the wool over workers’ eyes. He wants to look like he’s helping workers and COVID-struck employers. But he’s actually helping workers as little as possible while rewarding bosses who injure their workers or deny their status as employees, in a desperate bid for re-elec...

Climate Justice is Union Business

Climate action is heating up. Here in Canada the labour movement continues to push for climate justice, while COP 26 participants gather in Glasgow, Scotland with a key goal of “securing global net zero by 2050 and keeping 1.5 degrees of warming within reach.” Climate change is the single greates...

Make Gig Work Decent Work

On most days, Doug Ford’s Conservative government does not respond well to problems, or it actively makes things worse. If an election had been called a year-and-a-half ago, Ford would have lost. However, when COVID hit, although Ford nearly brought Ontario to its knees. Nevertheless, he managed ...

Violent Camp Evictions and the Affordable Housing Crisis – Two Sides of the Same Coin

Since the summer of 2021, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Police Services have violently removed encampment residents from city park spaces. The result of those militarized evictions has left many of those encampment residents, and their supporters, jailed, injured, and traumatized – and has ...

Andria Babbington Profiled in Our Times Magazine

President Andria Babbington is spotlighted in an interview by CBTU brother and Labour Council friend Mark Brown in the Summer/edition of Our Times Magazine Not yet an Our Times subscriber? Be sure to sign up here.

The Election That Never Should Have Happened

Monday's federal election was an unnecessary and damaging interruption to the business of governing this country through the pandemic. The results showed that Canadians are not satisfied with the Trudeau government’s handling of our pandemic recovery, and want to see a progressive party holding t...

Voting for A Just Recovery

Two years after the last federal election, Prime Minister Trudeau has yet again dropped the writ and called for a snap federal election. Instead of enjoying the last bit of sunshine in the second summer of a global pandemic, electioneers are now canvassing voters across the country. There seems t...

Déjà Vu – #SafeSeptember 2021

Normalizing the next school year with enhanced safety measures is not a priority for the Ford government It has been a rough year for Ontario students, parents, teachers, and education workers. In the past 15 months, Ontario students have only been in school for approximately five months. Despite...

3 Ways to Join the Fight Against Hybrid Learning

Join hundreds of teachers, education workers, parents, and students in the fight against Hybrid Learning in Ontario's public schools. The Labour Council, along with York Communities for Public Education and Ontario Families for Public Education, is calling on you to help push back against the hyb...

IWOC 2021 Recap

Last Saturday saw a great turnout for the Labour Council’s 2021 Indigenous/Workers of Colour Conference. Rising Above the Storm: Creating the Future We Want featured a moving reflection on the experience of Indigenous peoples on this land, including residential schools, presented by Steelworker M...

Labour Council Statement on Hate Attack in London, Ontario

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council and its affiliates are still in shock and outrage over the most recent hate-motivated attack in London, Ontario this past Sunday, June 6th. We grieve deeply with the Muslim community over the loss of these four lives, leaving behind a nine-year old boy...

Watch the Inauguration of Andria Babbington

Andria Babbington made history when she became the next president of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. Click here to watch her inauguration on YouTube. Andria was sworn in as president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council at a special virtual event on Thursday, June 3, 2021. ...

Justice for Migrant Sex Workers

On March 16th, 2021 eight people in Atlanta, Georgia lost their lives as part of a mass shooting targeting spa and massage parlours. Out of the eight people killed six were Asian-American women. This brutal act of workplace violence was a hate crime driven by racism and misogyny at a time when an...

Rise Up for A Just Recovery

In the last year, we have often heard how “the COVID pandemic has laid bare the economic and racial inequalities of our society”. We know that to be true – as the conditions of work in long-term care, warehouses, factories, supermarkets and many other places have come to light in a way that was s...

Democracy is the Essence of Our Movement

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council has long played a role in the broader labour movement. From convening the first national union gathering, to organizing on key issues to CLC conventions, we have a strong tradition that values the role of local activism informing and powering national ...

Making Good Trouble: Dismantling Systemic Racism

March 21, 2021 was the 61st anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre, when police opened fire on unarmed Black South Africans demonstrating against racist “pass” laws, killing and injuring hundreds of people. March 21st is now commemorated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Dis...

Dismantle Anti-Asian Racism

Since the Toronto Joint Labour Committee for Human Rights was formed, this Labour Council has fought racism and systemic discrimination in our workplaces, in our society and within our local unions. The shooting deaths of six Asian women in Atlanta, Ga. on March 16, 2021 and the increasingly atta...

The Race to the Bottom

The Toronto Transit Commission is the latest example of a public sector organization incomprehensibly contracting out vital public services as an austerity measure. When Toronto Police under the leadership of Chief Julian Fantino, with Rob Ford at the City helm, sought approval to contract out cl...

One Year of Covid

March 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of COVID19 lockdowns in Canada, when governments declared a sudden shutdown of schools, businesses and workplaces, and we all suddenly faced this reality of essential work, social distancing and virtual meetings. It is important to acknowledge and learn f...

Urgent - Legislate Paid Sick Time!

Paid sick leaves save lives. The evidence for this is so clear during the pandemic, resulting in unity among unlikely allies including public health experts and advocates, mayors, progressive business groups and the labour movement. They call for the Ontario government to implement paid sick days...

Take Profit Out of Long-Term Care

Every day we see the shocking loss of life and neglect in long-term care in Ontario. Last spring, Doug Ford called for an “iron ring” to protect LTC residents and workers but did nothing. The reality is Ford has failed - our elderly are neglected, suffering and dying; families are ignored; and wo...

Ontario Disgraced

Doug Ford’s Conservative government has shown its true colours with the awarding of the Order of Ontario to disgraced former Premier Mike Harris. Reaction has been swift and widespread across civil society as people recall the callous behavior of the Harris regime. His 1995 “Common Sense Revoluti...

150 Years Working for Justice

This year – 2021 – marks the 150th anniversary of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. For a century and a half working people have organized collectively here around a vision of economic and social justice. That epic journey will be celebrated over the coming year as we share the storie...

After Paris: COP21 Climate Change

In December 2015 three dozen delegates from Canada’s labour movement attended the United Nations summit on climate change (COP21) in Paris. Unions came from across the globe to push for ambitious climate targets, Just Transition programs, and adaptation and mitigation funding for poorer nations. ...

2018 Municipal Election Outcomes

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council welcomes the election of progressive voices across Toronto and York Region Councils and School Boards on October 22nd. Despite the unprecedented interference in the Toronto elections by the Ford government, voters chose to elect many candidates who are...

A Roof Over Our Head

We were already in a housing crisis when COVID exposed and increased the vulnerability of those without access to affordable housing, the dangers of under-housing, and the cruelty of homelessness. Disgracefully, it is people on the margins and intersections of society who are most negatively affe...

A Just Recovery in Ontario

Canadians are reeling from the news of COVID’s second wave spreading across communities and generations. As schools re-open in this province without adequate staffing, physical distancing or protective measures, parents are scrambling to place their children in a safe environment – or keep their ...

#SafeSeptember

Ontarians are united in our anxiety about the return to school in a year like no other. Despite hopes for a safe September, many parents and education workers expect a second COVID-19 wave this fall, particularly because provincial plans for return to school are so haphazard and inadequate. Recal...

Zero Tolerance for Racism at Work

Toronto was shocked by a racist hate crime at a construction site at Michael Garron Hospital on June 10th. Two nooses were hung at the workplace, as a sick reminder of the lynching of thousands of Black men in the United States. Local unions and the general contractor EllisDon immediately called ...

Racism on the Front Page

The world was shocked and outraged to see the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman carried out while onlookers pleaded for his life. The words “I can’t breathe” - which marked the dying breaths of Eric Garner in New York in 2014 - were repeated by George Floyd as the policeman’s knee...

Two Years of Turmoil

Nobody was surprised that Doug Ford and his MPPs promoted an aggressive pro-business agenda after they were elected in June 2018. We knew the Conservatives – and Ford and his allies on Toronto City Council – had a bad track record. But we were shocked by the severity of their attacks: rolling bac...

Unfinished Business: Community Safety and Racism in Policing

Introduction Canadians and citizens around the world have taken to the streets to demand anti-Black racism be addressed after the brutal murder of George Floyd, and the deaths of far too many others. Society is putting “the fierce urgency of now” clearly on the agenda of governments at every leve...

Cities Need Help

The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have been overwhelming. Governments across the world have dedicated billions of dollars to stabilize the economy, while municipalities and their public health units have stepped up like never before to manage the pandemic. Our front line workers, partic...

Immorality and Corporate Greed

These are just some of the names that stand out in the profiles of corporate greed brought to stark relief by the impact of COVID19. Cargill and JBS are meat-packing operations in Alberta and the epicentre of COVID infections within Canada’s workforce. For American-owned Cargill and Brazilian own...

Responses to COVID-19 and Beyond

Uncertain times are never easy. Our history as a labour movement and as Canadians shows time and again how together we can meet adversity. We have shared with neighbours and with complete strangers, protected the vulnerable, and sheltered those without a home. During the present COVID19 health cr...

Labour Council Stands in Solidarity with Wet'suwet'en Nation

In the last few weeks, the Wet’suwet’en Nation and land defenders have forced Canadians to grapple with the legacy of injustice and discrimination that has been central to this country’s development. Our governments have shamefully ignored Supreme Court rulings, the United Nations Declaration on ...

Keep Fighting for Workers' Rights

Foodsters United and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers won a major victory at the OntariovLabour Relations Board on February 25th: Foodora couriers are now legally recognized as dependent contractors, which means they can unionize under Ontario’s Labour Relations Act. Until the Foodsters took ...

Stand with Teachers and Education Workers

There are times in life when you have to stand up for what you believe in. Across Ontario, teachers and education workers are doing just that – standing up to the bullies at Queen’s Park who want to undermine the quality of education in this province. The Conservatives are imposing increased clas...

Defend Good Jobs

Canadians are devastated to hear General Motors announce it will close the Oshawa assembly plant. There are over 2,500 union jobs at stake, which impacts all the surrounding communities. Closing the Oshawa plant will hit many others - for each direct job, it’s estimated that there are up to seven...

Strategic Plan 2020-2022

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Collective Bargaining, Political Bargaining

The labour movement in Canada has always recognized that it needs to bargain with both employers and with governments in many different ways. In 1872, the first mass labour rally in Toronto brought 10,000 people to the streets to demand the release of union printers jailed for the ‘crime’ of stri...

Defend Public Education 2019-2020

The labour movement has a deep commitment to ensuring that publicly funded education provides students the best possible education experience so they can succeed in life and participate in building a more just and equitable society. The cuts by the provincial government are short-sighted and irre...

The Climate Emergency

The global climate crisis is real. Canada’s Parliament has declared that we are in a national climate emergency – Canada is warming at twice the global rate. Forests and towns are burning, heatwaves claim more and more lives, and great cities now face once-in-a-century floods every few years. Acr...

Let's Win Pharmacare for Call

Canada’s unions have led a long struggle for a national universal pharmacare program that will fundamentally improve the lives of all Canadians. Canada remains the only developed country with a national medicare program that doesn’t provide national coverage for pharmacare. We believe that everyo...

Labour's Commitment to Reproductive Justice

On May 15 the state of Alabama brought into law the Human Life Protection Act, which bans abortion in all cases except where the mother’s health is at risk. This law may be the most restrictive abortion law in the United States, but given that other states including Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, Ke...

Lessons of Year One – Organize, Educate, Resist!

June 7th is the first anniversary of the Conservative victory in Ontario. It has been a troubling year, and there are three more to follow. It is twenty-four years since the Harris Conservatives were elected on June 8th, 1995. Unlike Mike Harris, Doug Ford and his advisors have learned to slash-a...

Taking on Big Fights in 2019

The Stewards Assembly on March 25th showed a hunger for action by leaders and activists across our movement. As the Ford Conservatives roll out their agenda of cuts to education, restructuring healthcare and distorting public policies, unions are gearing up for tough fights. With a majority gover...

Open Letter on Bill 66

As one of the final acts of 2018, your Conservative government introduced legislation that would rip up all construction union agreements with cities, school boards, universities and hospitals. This is nothing short of a full-scale attack on workers’ rights in this province – and something none o...

Priorities for the 2019 Ontario Budget

Toronto & York Region Labour Council has been working for social and economic justice since 1871. The Council represents 200,000 working women and men from all sectors of the economy. Workers are the backbone of our economy. It is working people who provide Ontario’s services and make Ontario...

Work for Justice

Unions were first formed to uphold the dignity of workers and to counter the abuse of power in the workplace. Since the earliest days, unions have also fought for social justice and for democracy – the ability of working people to affect the decisions that shape our lives. Through collective barg...

The 1% Agenda

“The only thing certain is the certainty of change”. There will be an avalanche of change in Ontario in coming months, and little of it will benefit working people. The real power brokers in this province have a political agenda, both at Queen’s Park and the municipal level in greater Toronto. Wh...

Playing From The Handbook

Naomi Klein’s well-known book The Shock Doctrine exposes “disaster capitalism,” a pattern of corporate-friendly governments achieving change by imposing economic shock therapy. A striking example was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where residents discovered that their public housing and ...

The Abuse of Power Begins

Premier Ford’s bombshell announcement that he will hijack the Toronto election and unilaterally slash Council representation is a deeply disturbing indication of how Ontario will be run over the next four years. With no notice and no consultation, Doug Ford has decided to cut the Council to 25 se...

Moving to A State of Readiness

Days after the election of a Conservative majority to Queen’s Park, Labour Council Delegates adopted a statement that projected a four year plan of action for the labour movement in greater Toronto. The plan contains six elements: reaching out, communicating, building coalitions, defending worker...

The Next Four Years in Ontario

It was the wildest election in living memory. The Liberal Party collapsed, the NDP elected the most MPP’s in a generation, and Doug Ford is the new Premier. His message of tax cuts, lower gas prices, and challenging the privilege of elites hit home, including with many working families. The Ford ...

Toronto Tragedy and Our Shared Humanity

Torontonians are joined by people from across Canada shocked at the horrific events on Yonge Street on Monday April 23rd. The senseless deaths of ten people on Toronto’s main street strikes at the core of our shared belief that we live in a safe and diverse city. Words cannot describe how painful...

21st Century Learning

The Ontario government funds its public education system to the tune of approximately $24 billion annually. Despite rising inflation and practices requiring greater accountability between school boards and the provincial government, allotted funding has remained substantially unchanged for two de...

Tim Hortons, $14 and Respect

The decision by millionaire Tim Horton’s franchise owner Ron Joyce Jr. to strip benefits and paid rest breaks from his workers has created a firestorm of indignation across Ontario. It took virtually no effort for unions and the $15+Fairness movement to organize rallies at fifteen Tim Hortons loc...

After #MeToo: Labour’s Role in Addressing Gender-based Violence

Action on Violence Against Women on December 6th finds us amidst an outpouring of revelations from survivors who have experienced harassment, sexual assault and abuse inside and outside of the workplace. #MeToo is a response to the statement that if all the women who have been sexually harassed o...

Holiday Shopping

What it also meant to workers was a day when they did not have to offer their labour and could put their lives and families first. These holidays were the result of struggle by workers and their unions. Many corporations, including big malls, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers have b...

Action Plan for the 2018 Municipal Election

Each election cycle, Labour Council works to support the election of progressive candidates for city councils and school boards across Toronto and York Region. Toronto City Hall races have had the highest profile. Since 2010 over half the Council seats have turned over. In 2014 of the44 Councillo...

TYRLC Submission on Divisional Strategy for Economic Development & Culture

The City of Toronto serves as the economic heartbeat of Canada, with a wide variety of sectors contributing to the financial health of our country, our province, our city and people who live, work and play here. In recent years, changes in technology, trade, the climate and precarious employment ...

Floods, Fires, and 2 Degrees of Climate Chage

Naomi Klein, known for documenting corporate manipulation of the economy that squeezes the last drop of profit from almost everything, wrote at the end of this past summer: “…with major cities submerged in water and others licked by flames — we are living through Exhibit A of the extreme warming ...

Tax Fairness Matters

In July 2017, Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau introduced proposals for tax changes that aim to control tax evasion by wealthy individuals and corporations. Three loopholes will be tightened so high- income Canadians do not create small businesses simply to pay less tax. The backlash by Corp...

Charlottesville and Hate

History has a way of repeating itself too often. It is the responsibility of those with long memories, like our labour movement, to recognize peril at the door and raise the alarm. The Charlottesville Virginia rally was a dangerous moment which necessitates a very strong rejection. When one sees ...

Challenging Racism and Discrimination

Charter of Inclusive Workplaces & Communities Discrimination in all its forms threatens our country’s rich social fabric, including the workplaces of union members and the communities in which we live. Dividing people because of race, religion, ancestry or any other difference that undermines...

Keep Up the Fight for Fairness

The labour movement used to be proud of saying, “Unions brought you the weekend.” It was a vivid way to explain our success in raising standards for Canadians, which might otherwise be taken for granted. But today employers and their political cronies have succeeded in driving down the living sta...

The Long Saga of TCHC

At the end of April, the City of Toronto announced plans to shutter dozens of apartment units in a Toronto Community Housing Firgrove complex in the city’s northwest. Ironically, two years previously Mayor Tory used the same site to announce a bold program to win new housing dollars from senior l...

Step Up and Speak Out

Earlier this year, we all mourned the hate-motivated deaths of six Canadian men in Quebec City. Labour Council pledged to respond to this tragedy by building powerful movements to challenge Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination. Recognizing the immense challenge ahead, we worked with the U...

We Own It – Let's Keep It

Strong public services are the foundation of a decent society. Public services are, by their very definition, open to all members of the public and therefore of benefit to all members of the public. In the 150 years since Canadian Confederation, working people have struggled to establish programs...

Our Shared Humanity

Canadians mourn the tragic loss of life of six of our neighbours gunned down because of their religion in a mosque Sainte-Foy Quebec. The murder by a white supremacist fuelled by the Islamophobia of Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump stands as a shocking notice of what is at stake in 2017 and beyond....

End Violence Against Sex Workers

First observed in 2003, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was created to call attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers and highlight the need to remove the stigma that surrounds sex work. This stigma is why we accept laws that prevent these workers from being...

Protect Good Jobs for All

Workers across the country are finding it more and more difficult to access good jobs with decent pay, pensions, and benefits. Today’s Canadian youth are the first generation to have a lower standard of living than their parents. The youth unemployment rate is 13% which is double the national ave...

City of Toronto Finances

After years of pretending that Canada’s largest city can deliver services, maintain aging infrastructure and tackle the effects of climate change without raising money, a new consensus is emerging on the need for new sources of city revenue. It’s no secret that after the provincial government dow...

Special Education "Realignment"

Although the Ministry of Education announces that the investment in Ontario’s publicly-funded education system continues to increase, this has not necessarily been the case in the Catholic and Public School Boards in Toronto and York Region. Our Boards have seen cuts and insufficient funding to s...

Those Who Care for Our Children

It was hardly a surprise when the top recommendation in the Ontario government’s Final Report and Recommendations of the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee stated that “the government should immediately commit to developing an early child care system within a defined time frame.” Childca...

A Safe School Environment for All

Every student has a right to an education as stated in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, The Education Act, and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Every student has a right to attend a school which ensures a safe environment free from violence. Every employee has a right to work in a...

Toronto & York Region Labour Council Submission to the Hearings on an Anti-Racism Directorate

The Toronto & York Region Labour Council was founded in 1871. During the 145 years of struggle for justice for working people, the issues of racism and discrimination have been a constant reality in our world. The Labour Council is committed to working with our affiliates and community allies...

Death of Abdirahman Abdi

The Toronto and York Region Labour Council’s Equity Committee sends its condolences to the family of Abdirahman Abdi. The 37-year old Mr. Abdi is the latest addition to the list of names of unarmed disproportionately Black males and females who have had fatal interactions with police. Adding to t...

War and Consequences

Thirteen long years after the ill-fated invasion of Iraq, the people of Britain finally learned the facts about the web of deceit that surrounded Tony Blair’s decision to join George Bush’s campaign of “shock and awe”. It took only days to overwhelm the Iraqi armed forces, but that action unleash...

Make Every Vote Count

In a democracy, every vote should count equally. But that’s not how it works - in the 2015 federal election, it took just 38,000 votes to elect each Liberal MP compared to 57,000 for each Conservative, 79,000 for each New Democrat MP, 82,000 for each member of the Bloc Québécois and 603,000 votes...

Toronto 2016 and Beyond

In 2014 Torontonians were made to believe that in John Tory’s election we were making a compromise, a reasonable middle of the road politician who respected good governance and progressive values. It is no longer clear that is the direction Toronto is headed. Less government interference in corpo...

Closing Gender Wage Gap

Currently a number of working women in Ontario make approximately 31% less than men for work of equal value. Known as the gender pay gap, this difference widens for women of colour, Aboriginal women, LGBTQ women and women with disabilities among others. Despite the numerous gains made by working ...

145 Years of Working Together for Justice

One hundred and forty five years ago a small group of workmen came together to give life to an idea – the creation of a collective voice for working people in Toronto. On April 12th, 1871 the Toronto Trades and Labour Assembly was founded by representatives of the emerging economy – barrel-makers...

Ontario Budget 2016

Labour Council’s submission to the Ontario Finance Committee listed five priorities that should be addressed by the 2016 budget. The Finance Minister has now unveiled a budget which made some improvements, but fundamentally continues the direction of the Liberal government in program austerity an...

Keep Toronto Hydro Public

Public assets are under relentless attack around the world. In Ontario, both the provincial hydro utility Hydro One and municipal utilities such as Toronto Hydro have been under threat of privatization for years. Although public opposition is consistently high, a convergence of interests is makin...

Canada With A Liberal Majority

The 2015 federal election made history in many ways. The resurrection of the Liberal Party from its disastrous showing of 2011 resulted in a sweep of every Atlantic seat and every Toronto seat. The Conservative Party maintained its core vote in most of Canada, while the NDP lost the million votes...

Democracy and Elections

Labour Council has been a consistent advocate for reforming the electoral system in Canada. For many years, we have formally supported moving to proportional representation at the federal and provincial level, and to allow landed immigrants to vote at the municipal/school board level. Recently, t...

Jobs, Justice, Climate

Climate change threatens the future of all humankind. Extreme weather conditions, storms, flooding, landslides, droughts and ice melting are reported ever more regularly from many parts of the world. Millions of people are losing their livelihood, their homes, their jobs – and many also their liv...

Model of Good Governance for Toronto District School Board Submission

The Toronto District School Board is the largest school board in Canada. It is a complex organization whose role is to meet the educational needs of a broad and diverse student population. The Toronto District School Board must do this within the context of education in Ontario, serving a broader...

Stop Hydro Privatization

Ontario’s public power utilities are now in greater peril than at any time since they were first established over 100 years ago. Premier Kathleen Wynne’s announcement that she plans to privatize a majority interest in Hydro One came as a shock to many people. The Liberal legislation, Bill 91, wou...

Crown and Corporate Greed in Canada

The strike at Crown Holdings’ plant in Weston illustrates a major assault on Canadian workers by an American multinational corporation. Greed, callousness and income inequality mark this struggle. More importantly, what happens in the strike will have implications for all of Canada if permanently...

Fix Labour Law and Employment Standards

It’s time to turn things around for Ontario workers. For many years, unions raised the standards for almost all Canadians. We bargained better wages, good benefits, and pensions so workers could retire with dignity. Following the tough strikes immediately after WWII, corporate Canada agreed to a ...

We Are All Canadian

The killing of media workers at France's Charlie Hebdo magazine has sparked a world- wide debate on extremist violence and the impact of discrimination in society. The tragic murder of two soldiers in Canada has added a sense of vulnerability inside our own country. In response Stephen Harper has...

Defend Democracy and Community Schools

The recent Review of the Toronto District School Board by Margaret Wilson and the consequent 13 directions from Education Minister Liz Sandals are troubling to say the least. There is no doubt that the intervention by the Ontario Government into the affairs of the TDSB is as much about closing sc...

Two Years After Danzig

Two years after Torontonians were shaken by the tragic shootings on Scarborough's Danzig Street, the death of TDSB teacher and community activist Abshir Hassan reminds us all that gun violence is an on- going reality in our city. Abshir became an unintended victim in a hail of bullets that rained...

After the 2014 Ontario Election

The 2014 provincial election delivered a crushing defeat to the Ontario Conservatives, a surprising majority to the Wynne Liberals, and left a deep sense of unease among New Democrat activists in Toronto. But first and foremost, it showed that labour’s efforts to stop Tim Hudak’s agenda were succ...

Ontario Election 2014

Eighteen months ago Labour Council starting preparing for the provincial election. The passage of so‐called “Right to Work” legislation in Michigan sparked a realization that Conservative leader Tim Hudak’s plans to enact the same laws in Ontario was not just idle talk. We quickly assembled at te...

Make 2014 A Year of Justice

The year 2014 brings with it the opportunity for reflection and resolve. The crippling ice storm forces us all to realize how much we rely on an aging infrastructure that desperately needs new investment. Thanks to all the hydro workers and others who worked day and night repairing the damage ‐ y...

Five Years After the Ground Shook

As the crisis deepened in the fall of 2008, no one could predict how bad things might get. Some of the world’s biggest banks collapsed and major manufacturers faced bankruptcy. Wealthy owners lined up for government bailouts. The dogma of “unleashing market forces” crashed in a spectacular failur...

Police Conduct and Accountability

Torontonians were saddened and concerned by the police shooting death of 18‐year‐old Sammy Yatim on a streetcar in downtown Toronto. Were it not for several smartphone videos shot by “citizen journalists” at the scene, the public would not even be aware of the disproportionately brutal response f...

Together Fairness Works

The Canadian Labour Congress is launching a major effort to highlight the values of the union movement under the banner “Together Fairness Works”. Labour Day celebrations will take place in cities and towns across the country, some of which have not had a Labour Day event in many years. In the fa...

EI + FTWP = Bad Policy

The Conservative government of Stephen Harper is pursuing a deliberate policy of creating a low‐wage economy in Canada. The cuts to Employment Insurance, massive escalation of the Temporary Foreign Worker program, and the ongoing attacks on unionized workers combine to drive down wages while incr...

Community Benefits Agreement

In many jurisdictions around the world, working people have endeavoured to ensure that major development projects bring benefits to their communities. In Toronto, there is a long practice of negotiating local improvements under Section 37 of the planning act in exchange for greater height or dens...

Labour Rights and Civil Rights

The Putting Students First Act, 2012 is an undemocratic attempt to impose the collective agreements on education workers across the province. The legislation contains provisions specifically designed to ensure that the only outcome possible is a collective agreement with the same terms that were ...

Good Jobs, Strong Services, and Respect: Recommendations for Violence Prevention

The recent spate of gun violence in Toronto requires a response that fully addresses the issues of youth violence and community safety. At the core of that response are three elements: good jobs, strong services, and respect. The facts are clear. There is increasing poverty and racialization of p...

Anti-Worker Government

The speculation about how a Harper majority government would act is over. One yearo its mandate, it is proving to be the most viciously anti-worker Federal government in living memory. When Stephen Harper urged the G20 leaders to impose austerity instead of fixing the global financial system, he ...

Transit for the Public Good

The ongoing labour dispute with the private contractors charged with delivering transit service to residents of York Region continues. It is clear that the private operators have no incentive to settle the strike, and that York Region Council is satisfied to see thousands of residents denied tran...

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Job Posting: Executive Assistant (One-Year Leave Replacement)

Job Posting: Organizer

Olivia Chow - Mayor of Toronto

Mike Layton – University Rosedale

Sara Ehrhardt - Toronto Danforth

Cindy Hackelberg - Markham

Christopher Mammoliti - Don Valley North and Scarborough-Agincourt

Farzana Rajwani - Don Valley East and Don Valley West

Bill Radia – Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith - Beaches-East York

Tim Ellis - Etobicoke Centre and Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Brandon Choi - York Centre and Willowdale

Jennifer Volk - Spadina-Fort York and Toronto-Danforth

Anu Sriskandarajah - Scarborough Guildwood & Scarborough Rouge Park

Karen Emerson - Beaches East York & Scarborough South West

Alexis Dawson - Parkdale-High Park and Davenport

September 2026 Delegates Meeting

Deborah Williams - Toronto-St Paul's, University Rosedale, and Toronto Centre

Miles Krauter Named New Assistant to the President

Volunteer with Labour Council for the Municipal Election 2026

Labour Day Parade 2026

Matias de Dovitiis - Etobicoke North and Humber River-Black Creek

Alejandra Bravo - Davenport

Ala’a Adib - Etobicoke North

Krissan Veerasingam - Scarborough Centre

Kevin Rupasinghe - Scarborough Southwest

Neethan Shan - Scarborough Rouge Park

Anthony Perruzza - Humber River-Black Creek

Debbie King - Parkdale–High Park

Amber Morley - Etobicoke–Lakeshore

August 2026 Delegates Meeting

Ausma Malik - Spadina-Fort York

Shelley Carroll - Don Valley North

PRESS RELEASE: Education Advocates Call on Paul Calandra to Repay Taxpayers After Stan Cho Reimbursement

Jamaal Myers - Scarborough North

TYRLC Statement: Using Unionized Labour and Community Benefits for FIFA and Future Major Events

Curran Stikuts - Toronto Centre

Dan Lovell - Scarborough Agincourt

Chiara Padovani - York South–Weston

July 2026 Delegates Meeting

TYRLC Statement: Pride and Indigenous Heritage Month Requires Real Solidarity

June 2026 Delegates Meeting

Media Advisory: Ontario Unions Call for Minister of Education to Be Put Under Supervision

Time to Register: Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference 2026

TYRLC Statement: Justice for Injured Workers Means Reforming WSIB

Job Posting: Organizer

Municipal Training Conference

May 2026 Delegates Meeting

Save The Date: Indigenous and Workers of Colour Conference 2026

Media Release: Ontario Trustee Reform Can't Hide Cuts to Kids' Education

April 2026 Delegates Meeting

Stephen Lewis 1937 - 2026

IDERD 2026 - March 23 - From Scapegoating to Solidarity: Building Worker Power to Counter Hate

Day of Mourning - April 28, 2026

Action Plan for the 2026 Municipal Election

Strategic Plan 2025-2028

Resolutions for the 2026 CLC Convention

February 2026 Delegates Meeting

Job Posting: Director, Operations & Strategy

TYRLC Statement: Raising the Luxury Homes Tax and Other Steps to Prevent Service Cuts in Toronto’s 2026 Annual Budget

No To Hate Rally: Blame Billionaires Not Immigrants

Letter to Premier Ford: Repeal Your Attack on Tenants

January 2026 Delegates Meeting

Media Advisory: CUPW Postal Workers Mark Anniversary of Attack on Bargaining Rights

Media Advisory: Ontario Continues Siphoning WSIB Billions from Injured Workers

December 2025 Delegates Meeting

Health & Safety Banquet - Nov 2025

Ontario Education Advocates Respond to the Passing of Bill 33

Labour's role in rebuilding Jamaica and the Caribbean

Resisting Ford’s Attacks on Workers, Tenants, Students and Communities

HURRICANE MELISSA RELIEF

November 2025 Delegates Meeting

ACTION ALERT: CUPW Solidarity October 25th

Rally: No To Hate; Everyone Belongs

US, Mexico & Canada: How Do We Resist a War on Good Jobs?

Resolutions Coming Forward Directly to Delegates - Oct 2025

OPSEU/SEFPO College Workers – Solidarity & Strike Support Materials

Support CUPW - Picket Line Locations