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Ontario Northland transfer good sign for travellers in Northern Ontario

November 12, 2019 – 12:00 AM

TORONTO– Steps toward a transfer of ministerial oversight of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission to the Ministry of Transportation is a positive change for residents in Northern Ontario, but the key component of Northlander rail line service remains missing.

“All residents of Ontario deserve access to a safe and reliable transportation network, that must include the North,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Unifor members in the transportation sector have called not only for this transfer, but also for the return of the Northlander rail service.”

Following the cancellation of the Northlander rail service between Toronto and Cochrane six years ago, Unifor members have advocated for its return, to keep Ontario Northland in public hands, and for today’s transfer in order to increase collaboration with Metrolinx (Go Transit) and to connect more communities.

The union collected thousands of names and signatures from people demanding these changes, and a return of affordable passenger rail service to their communities.

Today’s announcement, to explore transferring the Crown corporation, comes just one day after Ontario Northland reported the cancellation of bus service linking Manitoulin Island and Sudbury, remained silent on the return of the Northlander rail service.

“A timely transfer of Ontario Northland will be step one for Doug Ford, but he’s still short of fulfilling his campaign promise to Northerners. The Premier ran on a pledge to bring back the Northlander train and increase service, and we’re still waiting to see it coming down the tracks,” continued Dias

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Unifor members proudly help restart the Nordic Kraft pulp mill in Lebel-sur-Quévillon

November 14, 2019 – 11:15 AM

Our members are proud to participate in the reopening of the Nordic Kraft pulp mill in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, officially announced on November 8.

“What is happening in Quévillon is no small feat,” explained Unifor Quebec Director Renaud Gagné. “Imagine restarting a mill that’s been shuttered since 2005. Even though it wasn’t dismantled for its metal, it’s easy to understand that time and the elements have affected the facility,” he added.

“I’d like to highlight the fact that we devoted a great deal of time and energy over the past few years to various projects aimed at getting this mill back up and running. Today, we are extremely proud and pleased that this project is finally moving forward,” said brother Gagné.

In April, the members ratified a new collective agreement with wage conditions comparable to those negotiated in other pulp mills such as the Saint-Félicien facility owned by Resolute Forest Products.

“We weren’t able to talk publicly about the reopening before the official announcement because there were still some loose ends to tie up,” said the Quebec Director.

Unifor has long advocated for the need to develop new niche markets for the use of forestry products – a renewable resource – in order to ensure the future not only of jobs in the industry, but also of entire regional communities that depend on it for their livelihood. In that sense, the Nordic Kraft projects corresponds exactly to what the union has been demanding for so long.

The mill is scheduled to start producing pulp in 2020. Ultimately, it is expected to provide jobs for hundreds of Unifor members. Local 1212 currently represents about 100 members who are working on recommissioning the mill’s production equipment.

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Telecom companies moving to block spoofed calls

Canada’s telecom companies are rolling out new call-blocking technologies they say could reduce the number of phone calls Canadians get from scam artists.

The move comes in response to a directive from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which gave them until December 19 to take action to reduce the number of nuisance calls getting through to Canadians.

Bell Canada and Rogers have been working on the problem and say they expect to meet the deadline set by the CRTC.

“We’re testing the new universal network-level call blocking technology on our network and will be ready for full implementation by the CRTC’s deadline,” said Nathan Gibson, spokesman for Bell Canada. “We’ve also applied to the CRTC to conduct a 90-day trial of new call blocking technologies we’re developing to further protect customers from fraudulent and scam calls.”…….

Read the Article here…..

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Unifor to sponsor Special Olympics 2020 Canada Winter Games

November 5, 2019 – 12:00 PM

Unifor, Canada’s largest union in the private sector, will be platinum sponsors of the Special Olympic 2020 Canada Winter Games, in support of the incredible contribution the athletes bring to their communities and their sports.

“Unifor is honoured to support the Special Olympic 2020 Canada Winter Games,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Our union believes in championing inclusivity, removing barriers to participation, and in the transformative power of sport to bring people together. Our sponsorship will help celebrate the achievements of Special Olympians and the work being done by Special Olympics Canada.”

The National Games are held every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter. This year, the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games will be held in Thunder Bay from February 25 to 29, 2020. The games will welcome more than 1,200 athletes, coaches and mission staff from across Canada.

“It is exciting to be involved with the Special Olympic Canada Winter Games,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National Secretary-Treasurer. “Unifor supports the values that guide Special Olympics Canada and that bring each athlete to these games and to the world stage: empowerment, excellence, respect, diversity and inclusion.”

Unifor is encouraging locals and members to support the Draft an Athlete program. The program allows supporters of the movement to fund a Special Olympics athlete’s journey to a regional, provincial, national or world competition.

The cost of sending athletes to competitions is high. Through the Draft an Athlete program, more athletes are able to attend a competition through direct support.

Athletes qualify for National Games based on their results from Provincial Games. These National Games are the qualifying event for athletes to become members of Team Canada attending the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

The Games will include competition in eight official Special Olympics sports: alpine skiing, five-pin bowling, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, speed skating and snowshoeing.

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Unifor growing in hospitality sector

November 5, 2019 – 12:30 PM

 

Unifor continues to grow in the hospitality sector, with more than 150 workers at two hotels in the Toronto area voting to join the union in just two days.

“These workers have stood up and said they want a voice in their workplace, and that they believe Unifor is the best way to get that voice,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said. “The momentum is clearly with Unifor in the hospitality sector.”

The 111 workers at the Broadview Hotel, a boutique hotel in east Toronto, voted to join Unifor on October 30. The new members include servers, bartenders, kitchen staff, front desk and housekeeping staff.

The next day, 40 workers at the Hilton Garden hotel in Mississauga, including kitchen, maintenance, laundry, banquet, server, bartender and housekeeping staff, also voted to join Unifor.

“Hospitality workers are joining Unifor because they know we have the depth in the industry to address their top concerns, including job security and compensation,” said a Unifor Organizing Director Kellie Scanlan.

Unifor represents more than 10,000 workers in hospitality and gaming across Canada.