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Already squeezed by budget cuts and rounds of previous layoffs, Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa workers took to the picket lines Monday “as a last resort” outside their headquarters off Blair Road Monday.
Chief among the key issues for workers, part of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, is the provincial government’s plan to cut an additional 20 employees from the current roster of 320.
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CASO once employed more than 400, according to Michele Thorn, a CAS adoption worker, president of the union local 454 and a member of the bargaining committee.
“We don’t want to be here,” said Thorn, hearing the occasional horn of support from drivers passing by the offices on Telesat Court.
“The biggest thing right now is protecting jobs. The (government) is saying they won’t fund them properly because they have big deficits. When the bargaining is over, they are planning to do layoffs. We can’t continue this. The workload is just impossible already. People are quitting. People are going on leave. People are crying everyday because they can’t get the work done.”
CASO works to protect children experiencing physical, sexual and emotional abuse and helps provide additional support and assistance to families in distress. The hope is to keep families together wherever possible.
The Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services issued a statement to Postmedia on Monday afternoon saying that “business continuity plans” remain in place to ensure that all mandated services continue to be provided to children and families.
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The Ministry provides funding to 50 child welfare groups in the province and each of those groups must provide a budget plan to work with the money it is allocated.
“This year we increased funding for child protection services by an additional $14 million — in addition to last year’s increase of $76.3 million,” the statement reads. “Through the 2024 Ontario Budget, we are also investing another $310 million over three years to address operational costs for community organizations that support vulnerable people across the province. For the child welfare sector, the increase will be $36.5 million this year. This additional funding is a base increase and will be ongoing.”
The sides began negotiations in November.
After talks broke down in March, 85 per cent of the union voted in favour of a strike.
Since then there have been conciliation and mediation talks with the ministry. Thorn acknowledges “we made some gains,” but layoff protection remains the chief stumbling block to a deal.
The mood on the picket line was upbeat in the sunshine Monday, with picketers carrying an array of signs — “Fund Children’s Futures”, “We Support Strong Children”, “Doug Ford Puts Children Last”, “No Worker Left Behind” — as they danced to music.
kwarren@postmedia.com
X: Citizenkwarren
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