Public Service Heroes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2023 TORONTO – Hundreds of OPSEU/SEFPO probation and parole staff have signed a petition demanding that the Ford government address the staffing crisis in community corrections. The petition was presented today by NDP MPP John Vanthof, Opposition Critic for the Solicitor General. OPSEU/SEFPO probation and parole officers have the highest...

1,500 OPSEU/SEFPO Court and Client Representatives (CCRs) in the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) have won a long-sought victory today! Not only have CCRs won an upgraded reclassification from 09OAD to 10OAD in recognition of the actual scope of their work, which has increased in complexity and responsibility over the years due to the...

Two OPSEU/SEFPO local presidents shared their thoughts with CBC News about the construction of the new Thunder Bay Correctional Complex that is underway. Bill Hayes is Local 737 President for the Thunder Bay Jail, and Shawn Bradshaw is Local 708 President for the Thunder Bay Correctional Centre. For many years, OPSEU/SEFPO’s Correctional Bargaining Unit has...

OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick was interviewed by CBC News last week after Conservation Officers brought their concerns about low pay and staff retention problems to Queen’s Park MPPs. Click here to read the CBC article. “It’s a highly-skilled and dangerous law enforcement job and it’s similar to police, but these conservation officers are treated as...

18 conservation officers represented by OPSEU/SEFPO visited Queen’s Park on October 27, 2022 with a message for MPPs: Conservation officers need fair pay now to address staff retention problems. Hosted by Michael Mantha, NDP MPP and opposition critic for Natural Resources, the conservation officers brought their concerns to Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Graydon...

Following an information picket and leafleting event at the Glenora Ferry on October 14, OPSEU/SEFPO Local 428 President Jody Pringle explained to 99.3 County FM (CJPE) how the reduction in ferry schedules is caused by low wages and understaffing. Click here to read the article and listen to the interview. Quotes from Local 428 President...

The Wolfe Island Ferry was shut down for several hours on Sunday, October 16 due to staff shortages – two days after ferry workers from Glenora and Wolfe Island ferries leafletted passengers at both Glenora Ferry docks about the staffing crisis. CTV News interviewed OPSEU/SEFPO Local 428 Vice President Lee MacLaren, who explained why there...

Wolfe Island and Glenora ferry workers from OPSEU/SEFPO Local 428 got lots of support from Kingston and Wolfe Island residents as they picketed and handed out leaflets about the ferry staffing crisis at the Wolfe Island ferry dock on Friday, Oct. 7. The information picket was covered by both The Kingston Whig Standard and The...

President Warren (Smokey) Thomas sent the following letter to Premier Doug Ford today, asking him to intervene and scrap plans to close Ontario Courts of Justice in Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke and move them to a mega courthouse downtown. These three community courthouses are anchors in their communities and keep justice accessible in the...

Conservation officers are front-line heroes who protect Ontario’s natural resources – and they are demanding fair compensation for the work they do. President Warren (Smokey) Thomas sent a letter to Hon. John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, calling on him to direct ministry managers to say yes to reclassification and compensation that is...

In one day, OPSEU/SEFPO members from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services processed more than 10,000 small business grant applications at “light speed” according to the Finance Minister. That was the first day the Ontario Small Business Support Grant went online, on January 15....

At OPSEU, we work hard every day to ensure Ontarians have access to a strong and dedicated public service, helping to create better lives and communities. This week, June 15-21, is National Public Service Week. Its original objective was to recognize the efforts of our colleagues in the federal public service. With the COVID-19 pandemic we...