First Nations
police service
reaches
agreement
THUNDER BAY, Ont. — An
eleventh-hour contract settle-
ment was reached between the
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN)
and Public Service Alliance of
Canada.
"We are grateful to learn that
a tentative agreement has been
reached between the negotiators
for both parties that will avert a
labour action," said NAN Grand
Chief Alvin Fiddler.
Details of the agreement
reached were not released.
The service is the largest of
its kind in Canada, employing
more than 130 officers and 30 ci-
vilians. Nishnawbe-Aski Police
Service polices 35 communities
which encompasses nearly two-
thirds of Ontario.
Unifor ratifi es
Suncor deal
FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. —
Unifor Local 707A in Fort Mc-
Murray, Alta., ratified a collec-
tive agreement with Suncor after
months of bargaining.
"We consider this a good deal
for our members and are glad to
see it ratified," said Jerry Dias,
Unifor president.
The deal covers almost 3,400
workers.
In addition to the forest fires
in Fort McMurray, the oil and
gas industry has been enduring
tough times economically.
"A new deal allows us to move
forward with a sense of security
for the future and is in keeping
with the pattern we've set for this
group," said Dave Moffatt, assis-
tant to the president of Unifor.
Unifor is Canada's largest
union in the private sector, rep-
resenting more than 310,000
workers.
Layoff s at
Ottawa mental
health centre
OTTAWA — The Royal Ottawa
Mental Health Centre began
serving notice of layoffs to ad-
diction counsellors working in
the inpatient substance use and
concurrent disorders program,
according to the Ontario Public
Service Employees Union (OP-
SEU). The decision affects five
regular and two part-time mem-
bers of OPSEU with 100 years
of combined experience in ad-
diction treatment. Seven casual
employees are also losing their
jobs, said the union.
"We are deeply dismayed that
the Royal has decided to put the
livelihoods of these workers and
the treatment of their patients
in jeopardy by shutting down a
program that has been serving
the community for 30 years," said
Marlene Rivier, president of OP-
SEU Local 479 .
OPSEU had been in talks with
the hospital for months, but all of
the proposals were rejected.
The laid-off addiction coun-
sellors will be replaced by social
workers and psychologists, ac-
cording to the union.
"Given the scarcity of health
care dollars in this province,
hospitals are being forced to
find more cost-effective ways
to deliver their services without
compromising patient care," said
Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OP-
SEU president.
LABOUR BRIEFS
2
Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2016
FORMERLY CLV REPORTS
Serving labour relations professionals
since 1956
www.labour-reporter.com
Published weekly by omson Reuters
Canada Ltd.
Subscription rate: $595 per year
Customer Service
Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto)
(800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto)
Fax: (416) 298-5106
Email: carswell.customerrelations@
thomsonreuters.com
Website: www.carswell.com
Director, Carswell Media
Karen Lorimer
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Todd Humber
Editor/Supervisor
Sarah Dobson | (416) 649-7896
sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com
News Editor
John Dujay | (416) 298-5129
john.dujay@thomsonreuters.com
Contributing Editor
Jeff rey R. Smith
Marketing Co-ordinator
Keith Fulford | (416) 649-9585
keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com
© 2016 Carswell, a division of omson
Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the written permission of
the publisher.
e publisher is not engaged in rendering legal,
accounting or other professional advice. If legal
or other expert assistance is required, the
services of a competent professional should be
sought. e analysis contained herein
represents the opinion of the authors and
should in no way be construed as being either
offi cial or unoffi cial policy of any governmental
body.
ISSN 0045-5113
Publications Registration 2089
Canadian Labour Reporter is part of the
Canadian HR Reporter group of publications.
Visit www.hrreporter.com for more
information.
Labour Reporter
Canadian
www.labour-reporter.com
Photo:
Stephane
Mahe
(Reuters)
LABOUR LENS
Masked protesters light a are as they take part in a march Sept. 16 in Nantes, France, to demonstrate
against the new French labour law.
