Labour and education in the news

Below are recent news stories on labour and education related issues. Click the headline to be taken to the article. Some may require a subscription. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for article text.

May 27, 2026

School science changes spark concerns
Winnipeg Free Press
Calls for more teacher training, consultation and updating Manitoba’s overhauled science curriculum are growing ahead of a mandatory rollout planned for the fall.

CAUT Journal
CAUT
The CAUT Journal is an online refereed publication of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. The journal is a vehicle for the dissemination of occasional articles, papers and presentations on topics of vital interest to academic staff in the post-secondary sector, including academic freedom, the rise of precarity, government policy, academic activism, and the role of post-secondary education in the support of a healthy democracy. The journal welcomes submissions on these and other related topics from national and international perspectives.

Inside a university anatomy lab where researchers study bodies Canadians have donated to science
Globe and Mail
Patrice Henry and her mother Dorothy Johnson moved through life as a bonded pair. Over decades and across continents, they lived together, travelled together, and had sleepovers every Friday, chatting sleepily in the dark. “I love no one else like this,” Ms. Henry says.

Kids are using AI for schoolwork. As parents, we need to teach them how to think for themselves
Globe and Mail
It wasn’t long ago that the sound of homework was the scratch of a pencil against paper, the gentle flick of a library page, or an irritated sigh coming from a student stuck on an essay paragraph. Today, it seems like the sound of homework is the click-clack of a keyboard as a kid types a prompt into ChatGPT, receiving an entire assignment in seconds.

Photos at the University of Saskatchewan could help corroborate residential school claims, Indigenous advocate says
Globe and Mail
When Tony Stevenson attended an event with First Nations and the University of Saskatchewan, he did not expect to come across a family member.

'We're in trouble': TDSB to see $6.4M drop in special ed funding next year
Toronto Today
Amid a projected decline in enrolment, the Toronto District School Board will receive about $6.4 million less in special education funding next year from the provincial government — funds that opposition party leaders and advocates say the board cannot afford to lose.

MUNFA Worried About Further Cuts at Memorial University
VOCM
The Memorial University Faculty Association says it has “serious concerns” about the potential for further cuts following the approval of the university’s 2026-2027 operating budget.

Education, training need rethinking amid changing job market dynamics: BoC
CTV
A senior Bank of Canada official says we need to rethink our approaches to education and training as young people face a difficult labour market marked by low turnover and high long-term unemployment.

Ministry of Education’s botched case against fired SD61 trustees prompts calls for accountability
CHEK News
A day after the province made a shocking reversal, dropping its court case and reinstating the previously fired Greater Victoria School (SD61) Board with backpay, calls are growing for accountability for what some are calling “collusion” between a senior Victoria Police officer and senior Ministry of Education and Child Care official.

We have given you a university — if you can keep it
The Independent
When Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, in 1787, a citizen is said to have asked what kind of government had been created. Legend has it Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

Yale Faculty Say Academic Freedom Has Decreased. Some Fear Dismissal or Arrest.
Inside Higher Ed
A majority of Yale University faculty members say their academic freedom has decreased in recent years, and half fear losing their jobs for teaching about controversial topics, according to a survey released today.

Manchester University to offer work placements to all undergraduates
The Guardian
A leading UK university is promising work placements to all undergraduates regardless of their degree, to better equip them for the challenges of the job market.

WCB workers sound alarm on rising workloads and delays in care for injured Canadians
CUPE
When Canadians are injured on the job, they depend on the expertise and dedication of workers at the Workers’ Compensation Boards (WCBs) across the country. But as workloads intensify and staffing pressures mount, those same workers are warning that delays in care are becoming unavoidable. That message was front and centre at a national conference of WCB unions held this week, bringing together delegates from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

Roughly 3,600 N.S. long-term care workers on strike as another home joins picket line
CTV News
A long-term care home in New Glasgow, N.S., is going on strike Wednesday, joining thousands of workers who have been on the picket line for improved wages since mid April.

Uber drivers in Victoria got a union contract. What does it mean for ride-hailing workers across Canada?
CBC
Amninder Singh has been driving an Uber in Victoria for two years and says it can be a stressful endeavour. He has faced racism from riders as well as false complaints.

They’re the backbone of California farms — and they’re living in fear (video)
CBC
A Trump administration crackdown has undocumented farm workers in California living in fear. For Radio-Canada, Catherine Mercier goes to Ventura County and finds a critical agricultural system dependent on pickers trapped in a precarious existence.

The biggest threat to organized labour is proving to be unions themselves
Globe and Mail
Union leaders have a big problem on their hands – and it is one of their own making.

Strike vote set after BC Transit talks hit impasse with Victoria workers union
CHEK News
Transit contract talks in Greater Victoria have reached an impasse, with unionized workers preparing for a strike vote later this week.

Federal workers could soon have to sign NDAs
WUSA9
Federal workers who have access to sensitive information may soon have to sign non-disclosure agreements, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Analysis-Samsung pay deal marks seismic change for South Korea, emboldening unions
Reuters
The deal Samsung Electronics struck with its union averts a massive strike and gives its memory chip workers eye-popping bonuses. It also opens a Pandora's box for companies in South Korea - a country known for militant wage-bargaining.

May 26, 2026

Governments of Canada and Manitoba Launch Building Up Manitoba Program
Province of Manitoba
The governments of Canada and Manitoba have launched the new Building Up Manitoba Program (BUMP), which will enhance support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their employees, federal Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu and Manitoba Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses announced today.

Parents seek clarity over school-day sunburns
Winnipeg Free Press
Fort Richmond neighbourhood families are calling for better school communication and sun protection practices after children suffered burns Friday during an emergency-prompted day of outdoor learning.

Parents want answers after kids get condoms, explicit material at Manitoba powwow
CBC
Parents are demanding answers after they say students at a school division powwow celebration in southwestern Manitoba received condoms and sexually explicit materials.

Thousands of community and social workers across Ontario strike
CBC
Thousands of community and social workers across Ontario have walked off the job Monday, calling on the province to boost funding for their services.

Ontario unis avoid fiscal abyss, still anticipate cuts
University Affairs
Ontario university budgets for 2026-27 have avoided tumbling over a previously predicted financial cliff in the wake of significant new provincial funding announced this winter, but some universities say they still need to make cuts to balance their books.

‘A lot of things are on hold’: Local unions face uncertain future as Conestoga College administrator settles in
CTV News
The future of Conestoga College remains in limbo as staff, students and local union leaders wait for direction from the newly-appointed administrator.

U.S.-based university opens first Canadian campus in York Region
Bradford Today
Markham has opened its doors to a new post-secondary institution, with Westcliff University launching its first Canadian campus in the city.

‘Massive’ child abuse scandal in France as school staff investigated for violence and sexual assault
The Guardian
France is facing a child abuse scandal as ‘monitors’ at dozens of state nursery and primary schools are investigated for violence, sexual assault and rape.

UK universities warn of cuts for impoverished students if dire funding issues continue
The Guardian
Vice-chancellors have said they may need to cut hardship support for impoverished students and reduce outreach activities aimed at disadvantaged groups if the dire funding struggles at universities continue.

Structural flaw in Canada’s tax code harms workers when employers drag out collective bargaining
Canadian Accountant
NEGOTIATING a collective agreement takes time, and unionized workers regularly end up signing collective agreements whose provisions apply retroactively. If a contract expires in 2025, for example, but the two sides can’t make a deal until 2027, those two years will generally be covered retroactively by the agreement, including salary provisions.

First they came for the unions: How governments learned to love union busting
CCPA
I work as a communications advisor for a major union in Quebec. I organize parents at my kids’ school. I sit on a school board. I’m a fairly militant person. And as a political science major, I spend a lot of time thinking about power: who has it, how it moves, and what happens when it gets taken away.

Tim Hortons commits to hiring 10,000 local employees, scaling back on temporary foreign workers
CBC
Tim Hortons is pledging to hire some 10,000 local employees, rolling back its reliance on the temporary foreign worker program.

Legal action filed over lockout of striking 15 Wing Moose Jaw workers: union
Regina Leader-Post
Union leadership says it is pursuing legal action after an “illegal lockout” was imposed against striking civilian employees at 15 Wing Moose Jaw earlier this month.

Market Outlook: Canada losing top talent as workers head to the U.S.
BNN Bloomberg
A new TD Economics report warns Canada is quietly losing highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs and STEM graduates to the United States through work visas, tech recruitment and stronger economic opportunities.

‘My head spins with the heat’: India’s gig workers battle exhaustion amid soaring temperatures
The Guardian
By the time Jalaj Jha begins getting ready for work each morning, he already feels drained. Awakening in a cramped room in Delhi, with no ventilation except a rattling fan pushing hot air around, the 24-year-old gig worker has ahead of him a 12-hour shift delivering groceries.

May 25, 2026

B.C. nurses union reaches agreement with province
MyCoastNow.com
The B.C. Nurses Union (BCNU) said it has reached a tentative agreement with the province after members overwhelmingly approved job action earlier this month.

Nova Scotia government confirms latest offer made to striking long-term care workers
CTV News
The union in Nova Scotia representing about 3,500 striking long-term care workers has rejected the provincial government’s claim that union negotiators refused to return to the bargaining table on the weekend.

Wave of rejection letters sent to Ontario gov’t workers who asked to work from home as unions seek accommodations during World Cup
CTV News
The Ontario government has started sending out rejection letters to the thousands of Ontario Public Service (OPS) workers who requested alternate work arrangements, even as their unions ask that employees be allowed to work from home during the FIFA World Cup.

Unions warn Carney government is considering sweeping changes to labour law — including the right to strike
CBC
As Canada embarks on a massive plan to expand its infrastructure and exports, unions worry the federal government may be trying to fundamentally alter labour rights.

Cost to address 'big mess' wage restraint legislation could top $300M, says Houston
CBC
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is preparing for a major bill to cover costs related to wage restraint legislation passed by a former Liberal government that a Supreme Court judge recently deemed unconstitutional.

Weather experts concerned about public safety as Environment Canada disbands radar research team
CBC
Prairie storm chaser and severe weather specialist Jenny Hagan relies on national weather data while out on the field.

Union for hundreds of Metro Vancouver workers announce overtime ban
Global News
A union representing hundreds of Metro Vancouver employees has announced an indefinite overtime ban as part of a dispute with the regional district.

PRESS RELEASE: Fight Back Now! Albertans take to the streets across the province May 29
Alberta Federation of Labour
Momentum is building rapidly for the May 29 Alberta-wide Day of Protest, with local organizers planning actions mobilizing in 13 communities across Alberta.

Tim Hortons to dial back use of Temporary Foreign Worker program, aims to hire 10,000 locally
Globe and Mail
Restaurant chain Tim Hortons is planning to dial back its use of Ottawa’s Temporary Foreign Worker program to staff restaurants and commit to hire up to 10,000 local workers as it embarks on a push to expand the number of Tims locations across the country this year.

Combat in the classroom
Winnipeg Free Press
Evidence of the nine-year-old’s latest meltdown was strewn all over the floor of the public school classroom.

Efforts underway in school divisions to address safety concerns
Winnipeg Free Press
School leaders say they’re staffing up, scaling training and prioritizing post-incident debriefs to address employees’ concerns about violence.

Majority of students failed to complete Ford government’s mandatory e-learning
TorontoToday
The very first graduating class subject to the Ford government’s e-learning mandate overwhelmingly rejected it, according to new data obtained by The Trillium through a freedom of information request.

Ohio State reels from multiple scandals amid wider crisis in higher education
The Guardian
When Rocky Ratliff transferred to Ohio State University in Columbus to study political science and wrestle for the college in the mid-1990s, he soon found himself being sexually abused by a prominent member of the university athletic department’s medical staff.

Iowa lawmakers move to mandate students take Center for Intellectual Freedom classes amid low enrollment
KCRG
University of Iowa students could soon be required to take classes at the Center for Intellectual Freedom — or they won’t be able to graduate.

UK universities face biggest crisis in decades as 30,000 jobs disappear and redundancies soar
GBN
British universities face their most severe financial crisis in decades, with compulsory redundancies surging across the sector.

Portugal: 25,000 teachers take to the streets to demand respect and good working conditions
Education International
Around 25,000 teachers marched in Lisbon on 16 May in a major national demonstration organised by Education International member organisation FENPROF. Education professionals from across the country came together to deliver a powerful message: “We are teachers. We shape the future. We demand recognition NOW!”

May 22, 2026

Ottawa's moves to streamline labour law threaten workers' rights, unions warn (video)
CBC
The federal government says its consultations on updating Canadian labour law are based on the 'economic urgency' Canada faces in a rapidly changing world, but union leaders say some of the possible changes threaten workers' rights — including to collective bargaining.

Intuit lays off 17% of its global workforce
CBC
Intuit has laid off 17 per cent of its full-time workforce — or about 3,000 roles worldwide — as it plans to streamline the business and focus on key areas, including AI.

Metro Vancouver workers' union issues 72-hour strike notice
CBC
The union representing over 600 outside workers at the Metro Vancouver Regional District issued a 72-hour strike notice Thursday, saying it has reached an impasse with the employer.

Employers press Ottawa to curb strike activity in key federally regulated sectors
Globe and Mail
Major employers are lobbying Ottawa to introduce legislation that would make it more difficult for workers in federally regulated industries to go on strike, arguing that recurring work stoppages in ports, airlines and railways are causing long-term damage to Canada’s credibility as a trading partner.

Canada Revenue Agency to require public servants in office 4 days a week: union
CTV News
Public servants at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will have to spend more time in the office starting this summer, according to the union.

More N.S. long-term care workers join nearly six-week long strike
CTV News
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says another facility is joining the long-term care workers strike in Nova Scotia.

Do the right thing! OPSEU/SEFPO calls on Ford to fund community and social services and avert a strike
Globe Newswire
Unless the Ford government immediately provides funding for services that vulnerable people rely on, workers at 27 community organizations and agencies across the province are poised to go on strike, some as early as Saturday.

No Place Like Home: BC Court of Appeal Finds Remote Work Arrangement an Enforceable Employment Term
McMillan LLP
In Cressey Construction Corporation v Parolin,[1] the British Columbia Court of Appeal considered when a remote work arrangement adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic — but never reduced to writing — becomes a contractual entitlement that an employer cannot unilaterally revoke. The Court upheld a finding of constructive dismissal against a Vancouver-based real estate development and construction company, but the decision rests on a distinctive constellation of facts that meaningfully constrains its application to other remote work arrangements.

As Employers Push to Adopt AI, Many Workers Push Back
The Tyee
Sporting a black T-shirt and slacks, artificial-intelligence startup worker Sigrid Jin walked onstage for a live interview last Monday in front of the few thousand tech workers, founders and investors gathered in Vancouver.

‘Restroom Lurking’ On The Rise As Workers Seek Refuge From Job Stress
Forbes
Job stress and workplace burnout have reached such heights that employees are seeking refuge in office restrooms to escape the emotional overload. The trend is so common, it has become a workplace buzzword: “restroom lurking.” The term refers to employees retreating to office restrooms—not just for bathroom use but to decompress, cry, scroll their phones, calm down or escape workplace pressure for a few minutes.

Local US newspaper workers allege Hearst is trying to ‘destroy unions’
The Guardian
Workers at local newspapers owned by Hearst allege the company is trying to “destroy unions” amid claims of widespread anti-union tactics, including violating union contracts and bad-faith bargaining.

'Al Capone' raids target trafficked foreign workers
Yahoo
A specialist police team says it is using "Al Capone" tactics to root out businesses that exploit victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Western professor alleges students used AI to cheat on final exam (video)
CTV News
A Western University professor is alleging most students in one of his classes used AI to cheat on their final exam. CTV London's Bryan Bicknell reports.

‘Hidden homelessness’ a problem for N.S. post-secondary students: researcher
Global News
Researchers are sounding the alarm about the number of post-secondary students experiencing homelessness.

Harvard faculty votes to make it more difficult for undergrads to earn A’s
CNN
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it would limit the number of A grades awarded to undergraduates, adopting one of the most ambitious efforts by a major university to curb grade inflation. The decision was made by faculty vote earlier this month.

PSU professor who went viral in ‘I am Hamas’ clip sues university, its president for $7 million
OregonLive
A Portland State University professor has filed a lawsuit against the school and its president, claiming that she was discriminated against and unfairly targeted after she was captured on a viral video clip self-identifying as a member of Hamas in June 2025.

Universities Australia warns against growing regulatory burden under Albanese reforms
The PIE
Speaking at the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association conference in Adelaide, Sheehy said universities in Australia were facing an unprecedented compliance burden, with some institutions now required to comply with as many as 300 separate legislative, regulatory and reporting obligations.