SUDBURY—The Ontario Colleges strike by OPSEU support staff continues into its third week, with Cambrian College OPSEU Vice-President Yvan Roy describing the overall atmosphere as calm and supportive, despite frustrations about stalled negotiations. “Things have generally gone well,” Mr. Roy said in an interview with The Expositor. “There have been a few minor incidents at the various sites, but overall, people understand and there has been good support from the community.”
That support has been particularly visible in Espanola, where both students and clients of Employment Options have joined members on the picket lines. “There has been a lot of support from the community and from students. People have been bringing food and refreshments, and just generally showing their support,” Mr. Roy said. The camaraderie is perhaps not surprising given the town’s own recent struggles with major layoffs with the Domtar mill closure in 2023. Many of people in the community know all to well of how damaging layoffs can be for people’s livelihoods, and thus the community’s wellbeing in return.
In Little Current, Mr. Roy described the line as “absolutely beautiful.” To avoid disrupting local businesses, strikers have chosen to picket along the sidewalk across from the post office, or along the dock. “Just like in Espanola, the local community has really rallied around the workers showing their support. And just like in Espanola, there are people from the community walking with them. They haven’t had much in the way of issues and it’s been a pretty relaxed atmosphere there.” Mr. Roy continued “It might be interesting to see what happens if the postal workers also go on strike as both lines may be occupying the same locations.”
At Cambrian’s main Barrydowne campus, Mr. Roy said the situation has also been largely calm, though not without challenges. Some people who use the property as a throughway have grown frustrated at having to pass through the picket lines. “College security has been helping to prevent people from running the lines,” he explained. “They have started to lay infractions against students who are doing so, and they have also trespassed people who do not have business on campus if they are causing problems.”
Cambrian College management also stated this message of cooperation. John Hammill, manager of public safety and residence operations, told The Expositor that maintaining safety and respect for all involved has been a priority. “Things have been pretty good so far. We fully support the workers in what they are doing. We have a great working relationship with our employees and this is no different. We’re here with security to ensure that everyone gets the appropriate amount of respect and safety to be able to achieve their purpose,” Mr. Hammill said.
He acknowledged that while “a few incidents” have occurred, including students attempting to run the lines. The college has worked closely with picket captains to address the situation. “Some of these students have had warnings as well as had their academic standing come under scrutiny,” he said. Mr. Hammill added that he and other members of local management have been diligent in visiting the lines, checking in with workers, asking if they need anything, and offering to address any incidents. Often these visits are met with smiles and handshakes and the exchanges of chit chat and the day’s goings on. The members of the Union know that the issues do not lie within the walls of Cambrian, or with its administrative team, rather they are farther up the corporate ladder.
Despite this cooperation, tensions remain. A recent visit from Boreal OPSEU President Dan Brisson, himself a member of the bargaining unit, sparked frustrations among workers. What began as a show of support turned into pointed questions about the state of negotiations. “People are frustrated about the lack of bargaining,” Mr. Roy said. “They agree with the general OPSEU platform of ‘Save Our Colleges,’ but many don’t feel that should have been conflated with our negotiations.”
Much of the anger stems from two stipulations added just before talks broke down: a ban on layoffs during the life of the contract and a ban on campus amalgamations. These additions were never voted on by the membership, and management has called them “non-starters.” Many workers believe the stipulations are what caused management to walk away from the table. And even more believe that these additions at the 11th hour equate to bargaining in bad faith and understand that such demands would handcuff management’s ability to deal with fiscal challenges.
Behind these disagreements lies a larger financial crisis which has been looming for some time. In 2024, the Trudeau Liberal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), put a cap on the number of international students allowed in Ontario. The cap was a two-year measure to stabilize the growth of the International Student Program. Many Ontario colleges had become heavily dependent on international student tuition to make ends meet. With those numbers drastically reduced, institutions are now facing major shortfalls.
At the same time, Ontario has the lowest per-student funding of any province in Canada and is about half the national average. Premier Doug Ford’s government cut domestic tuition by 10 percent and froze it in 2019, a move that reduced student debt but was followed by more than half a billion dollars in cuts to OSAP. With domestic tuition capped, colleges leaned heavily on international students whose tuition remained unfrozen, and whose tuition in Ontario is now the highest in Canada along with those in British Columbia.
Despite the disappointments and politics, Cambrian’s local organized a college-wide rally which took place at the main campus’ Barrydowne entrance. Nearly 250 support staff workers reported to the main site where they mixed and mingled. There was a great energy in the crowd and many people shared in the camaraderie and food which had been provided by the union. As had been the case prior to this event, cars were slowed as they entered or exited the property, but no incidents had occurred. It did appear as though the long hot week of walking on the picket lines was temporarily forgotten and the atmosphere was one of celebration and collaboration.
As of now, moral remains high and it is suggested that talks are expected to resume later next week, with negotiations possibly beginning on Thursday or Friday if all goes according to plan. Management is anticipated to present an offer to the membership for a vote. Depending on the outcome, the strike could be resolved, negotiations could continue, or the provincial government could mandate workers back to their jobs and send the matter to mediation. But for now, OPSEU members remain on the picket lines.
