Schools to reopen Monday after province, CUPE reach tentative agreement
CBC
Schools in New Brunswick will reopen on Monday after the provincial government reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees late Saturday.
"I know that the last couple of weeks have been challenging for students and parents," Premier Blaine Higgs said in a press conference Sunday. "There's no replacement for in-classroom learning."
More than 22,000 public sector workers are now expected to return to work after being on strike for more than two weeks.
Tentative agreements were reached Saturday night with seven of the union's locals, Higgs said.
Schools closed on Nov. 1 and moved to online learning after about 3,000 workers that included custodians, bus drivers, school library assistants and administrative support went on strike.
Community colleges, where CUPE workers are also employed, are expected to reopen to students on Tuesday.
"I'm optimistic," Higgs added. "I really believe people want to get back to work."
Higgs declined to comment on contract terms.
CUPE New Brunswick president Steve Drost said negotiations over the past few days have been painful and tedious, but he's excited to present it to workers after everything they went through.
"Both sides were able to make compromises in the best interest of the province," he said.
The new wage offer will allow workers to keep up with cost of living in the province, he said. The 10 locals involved in strike action will be voting this week, with votes expected to wrap up by Friday.
"I think that we've been able to achieve labour peace for New Brunswick. I'm very confident that we've made some historic gains here for workers," Drost said. "I couldn't be prouder of the workers."
Both parties have also reached an agreement regarding pension plans that were being offered to locals 2745 and 1253, Drost said.
Previously the premier had been demanding the locals convert their pension plans into the shared-risk system already in place for most other provincial employees, a major sticking point in the labour dispute.
Jennifer Curran was diagnosed with cervical cancer five years ago while she was pregnant with her daughter.
Winnipeg's 144-year-old Manwin Hotel is burning and emergency crews have shut down a stretch of Main Street to battle the flames in the vacant building.
A tiny pest and a fungus will win eventually.
Saskatchewan farmers are keeping a close eye on China as Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a trip to the country this week.
The City of Charlottetown is considering adding three apartment buildings along Mount Edward Road near the city’s bypass highway.
A new Alberta government pilot project is hoping to address a common challenge facing citizens accessing health care in a city that straddles two provinces.
The Victoria Police Department will have officers patrolling on foot for the first time since 2022, thanks to new funding from the city.
ArcelorMittal Dofasco has quietly extended its timeline by 22 years to phase out coal for "decarbonized" steelmaking, says a federal government document, aiming for 2050 instead of 2028.
In a week where President Donald Trump says the U.S. doesn’t need cars made in Canada, the Dodge Charger Sixpack — made in Windsor, Ont. — is in the running to win car of the year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this morning.
An Ontario man has reached a settlement agreement with Boeing almost seven years after six of his family members died in a plane crash.
Severe weather has lead to several highway closures across northern Ontario Wednesday morning.
Several Durham police officers diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) say they believe the service isolated them from the day they went on mental health leave and has not provided them any meaningful support.
The City of Toronto’s 2026 budget offers relief many homeowners were looking for in its property tax increase, but it also lays bare the massive amount of infrastructure work hanging over the city in the coming years which, in some cases, may be deferred.