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.

June 16, 2026

Division undertakes close to $1M in security upgrades after sex offender gets into two schools
Winnipeg Free Press
Selfies are now standard protocol for all visitors to public schools in St. Vital.

Union warns Algoma U layoffs could leave some services 'non-existent'
SooToday.ca
The president of Algoma University’s support staff union is worried some departments will have a hard time fulfilling their roles moving forward.

Terminated Faculty Committee at Laurentian University wants a public inquiry
CTV News
The terminated Laurentian University faculty committee says after five and half-years, the post secondary institution has taken no accountability for its actions.

Quebec allocates $20M to ‘strengthen French’ at English universities
CTV News
Quebec is allocating $20 million per year to English-language universities so they can “strengthen French” among their student body.

New report proposes solutions for B.C. post-secondary sector in throes of financial crisis
Castanet
B.C.’s colleges and universities need a major public-funding reset after years of relying on international tuition to cover operating costs, according to a new report.

University of Cambridge accused of tolerating misogyny and bullying in tribunal
The Guardian
The University of Cambridge’s prestigious Institute of Astronomy has been accused of tolerating misogyny and a “cycle of bullying” in an employment tribunal.

Juneteenth reminds us of Black Americans’ long struggle for education following end of slavery
The Conversation
The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his views on education’s relationship to slavery. Douglass himself was born into slavery in Maryland in 1818.

What happens to students if their university closes – and why protections are ‘inadequate’
The Tab
UK universities are cutting staff, closing courses and facing deficits in growing numbers. The Office for Students has confirmed that 24 institutions are at risk of insolvency within the next 12 months, and MPs have warned the government has no clear plan to protect students if one collapses.

Union hopes new services lead to faster counselling supports
Winnipeg Free Press
The head of the union representing wildfire fighters said he hopes that a Manitoba government request for proposals for counselling and crisis-response services leads to more “nimble” supports for them when they need it.

Bell Canada parent company slashing nearly 700 jobs as part of ongoing reorganization
CBC
Bell Canada's parent company, BCE, has confirmed it is cutting another 690 jobs as part of a reorganization effort that began late last year.

Ontario families struggling as community and social service workers strike enters fourth week
CTV News
For the last three weeks, Toronto resident Owen Rees has filled notebooks with pleas to return home to his roomful of records, his friends down the hall, and a dance party every Friday.

End of B.C. rural healthcare bonus could worsen staffing challenges, Union says
The News
A program designed to attract and retain rural healthcare workers is coming to an end this year.

Metro Vancouver union agrees to mediated talks as full-scale strike called off
Nanaimo News Now
The union representing more than 700 Metro Vancouver outside workers says it has agreed to resume talks with the employer with mediation from the B.C. Labour Relations Board.

OPSEU workers enter fourth week of strike as union seeks retroactive Bill 124 funding
KawarthaNow.com
Thousands of community, health, and social services workers represented by OPSEU/SEFPO are entering the fourth week of their province-wide strike, as the union continues to demand retroactive funding from the Ontario government for community and social service agencies.

About 11,000 people will gather on Thursday in Madrid in a large union euro-mobilization for decent work
Democrata
Around 11,000 attendees will participate next Thursday, June 18, in a major union event that will take place at the Vistalegre Palace in Madrid, convened by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), CCOO, and UGT under the slogan "Europe in democracy. Decent work, social justice, and peace."

June 15, 2026

WSD to continue accepting financial donations after parting ways with the Schroeder Foundation
Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba’s largest school board will continue to accept financial donations — just not from the charity that’s gifted $9 million for its inner-city programs over the last decade.

University of Lethbridge #13: We have a tentative agreement!
AUPE
Your negotiating team is pleased to announce we have a tentative agreement! Your team endorses this agreement and encourages members to vote YES!

Universities need new ways to assess learning in the age of AI
Policy Options
With more than 25 years as a university professor, I can’t recall a time with more upheaval in how teaching, learning and assessment takes place on Canadian campuses.

Alberta picks University of Calgary to explore economic impacts of separation ahead of fall referendum
Globe and Mail
Alberta’s government said Friday it has picked the University of Calgary to study potential costs of the province leaving Canada.

Private school enrolment keeps climbing, as parents looking to give their kids an edge dig deep to pay the steep costs
Globe and Mail
Scott Gilmour went to public school and always assumed his kids would, too. But last year Mr. Gilmour and his wife enrolled their son in junior kindergarten at a private school and plan to do the same for their daughter next year.

University isn’t worth it
The Spectator
In September 2018, I started my undergraduate degree in English and Philosophy — a useful vocation, I know. My mother and I drove from London to Bristol in her green Mazda2, walked through the rain to my student digs, blu-tacked my Johnny Cash poster over the fist-shaped hole in the wall, embraced and then said goodbye.

Jeffrey Epstein, the Russian Mob, & the Hidden Assets of the Maxwells (w/ Moe Tkacik)
The Chris Hedges Report
According to published research by investigative journalist Maureen Tkacik, here interviewed by analyst Chris Hedges, Harvard University President Larry Summers’ suppression of the humanities at Harvard played a support role in the larger, coordinated strategy of expropriating post-Soviet Russian wealth to fund the Epstein intelligence and governance community.

China's universities cut 12,000 'obsolete' degrees amid race to embrace AI era
Bangkok Post
China's universities are undertaking a massive reshuffling of their academic offerings as part of a drive to better align higher education with the nation's development goals - culling thousands of so-called obsolete degrees in favour of new, tech-focused programmes.

Nurses’ vote makes Seven Oaks General Hospital fourth Manitoba facility on safety-focused grey list
Winnipeg Free Press
Nurses at Seven Oaks General Hospital have voted in favour of grey-listing, adding to the list of Manitoba health facilities where union members are urging colleagues not to accept work due to safety concerns.

Unions worry health inspectors won't be kept whole after transfer from AHS to government
CBC
Two Alberta unions are raising alarm about public health inspectors and the terms of their transition as employees of Alberta Health Services to the provincial government.

Metro Vancouver outside workers set for full strike Monday
CBC
The union representing workers for the Metro Vancouver Regional District says all non-essential outside staff will walk off the job on Monday in a full-scale strike.

Ontario long-term care nurses head to arbitration after another bargaining breakdown
CBC
Union officials representing some 4,400 Ontario long-term care nurses begin arbitration on Monday after negotiations broke down this spring and amidst simmering frustration over the process.

Union claims CPKC violating federal law by using contractors during signal workers' strike
CBC
Approximately 300 signals and communications employees with Calgary-based CPKC have now been on strike for two weeks.

Air Canada and its unionized workers have struck a tentative deal
CTV News
A tentative deal has been struck between Air Canada and roughly 11,000 of its unionized workers.

Nova Scotia recruits 33 U.S. doctors as physician hiring reaches record levels
CTV News
As Nova Scotia continues to manage a physician shortage, the province has announced it hired 278 new doctors in the calendar year ending on March 31.

Tell the Senate: Hands off workers’ rights
Canadian Labour Congress
Canada’s Senate has released a report pushing for new government powers to ban strikes and impose contracts on workers. Tell senators this attack on workers’ rights is unacceptable.

Unions condemn Senate report urging binding arbitration in rail, marine disputes
HRD
Canada's largest unions have condemned a Senate committee report that recommends Ottawa be empowered to halt strikes and impose contracts through binding arbitration in the rail and marine sectors.

Reform pledges new tax on hiring foreign workers
BBC
Reform UK says it would tax companies hiring foreigners, in order to reduce the National Insurance (NI) paid by employers on their British staff, if it won the next general election.

New Italian union fighting for public service workers
EPSU
EPSU affiliates UIL FPL (Local Authorities) and UIL PA (Public Administration) have merged to form a new trade union: UIL FP (Public Function). The first General Secretary is Rita Longobardi who continues the story of the battle of the unions.

Vote against the "ICE-like" Return Regulation
EPSU
Today, the ETUC and its European union federations, EPSU, EFFAT, IndustriAll, ETF, EFBWW and UNI Europa have sent a joint letter to all Members of the European Parliament, urging them to vote against the regulation, which would undermine the right to asylum in Europe and introduce coercive migration governance incompatible with EU and International fundamental rights.

June 12, 2026

Postsecondary students in Canada, by Indigenous identity and racialized group, 2014 to 2023
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is releasing data on students from Canadian colleges and universities (cohorts of 2014 to 2023) by Indigenous identity and racialized group. This release includes information on the number of Canadian new students, enrolled students and graduates by Indigenous identity and racialized group, educational qualification, field of study, age group and gender. Data are available at the national, provincial and territorial levels.

Canada’s AI strategy and universities: Beyond literacy, students need to be fluent with AI
The Conversation
The Canadian government’s new artificial intelligence strategy positions AI as a major driver of job creation, economic growth and national competitiveness. It has also drawn some criticism for not providing enough detail on safety and governance.

Launching the president’s task force: AI-enabled university
The Quad - University of Alberta
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how people learn, discover, create, and work across virtually every sector of society. For universities, AI presents an opportunity not only to enhance learning and accelerate discovery but also to redefine how knowledge is created, shared, and applied. At the University of Alberta—home to one of the world's leading AI research communities—we are helping shape the future of artificial intelligence while preparing our students, researchers, and staff to thrive in an AI-enabled world. We embrace this opportunity with both ambition and responsibility, recognizing that realizing AI's benefits requires thoughtful leadership, strong governance, and a clear commitment to ethical and human-centred innovation.

Opinion: Atlantic Canada’s universities can future-proof workforces
The Chronicle Herald
Earlier this spring, David Campbell wrote a compelling review of Atlantic Canada’s labour market outlook. Entitled Help Wanted, Campbell’s analysis points to a very challenging future for this region if there is no intervention.

AAUP Investigating Academic Freedom, Shared Governance Across Texas Colleges
Inside Higher Ed
An American Association of University Professors committee is investigating academic freedom and shared governance violations across Texas, where public university leaders have restricted what faculty can teach, and where Republican lawmakers have put faculty governing bodies under university presidents’ control.

Manitoba physicians raise retention questions after highly specialized HSC doctor resigns
CBC
Doctors are questioning Manitoba's ability to keep medical talent in the province after a highly specialized physician at Health Sciences Centre handed in her notice.

Unions need to let the sunshine in
Globe and Mail
One of Canada’s largest construction unions, the Carpenters’ Regional Council, secretly bought a $4-million house in Nobleton, Ont., using a numbered company in 2022. The union’s then-leader, Jason Rowe, and his wife, Stacey Rowe, who was also a senior official with the organization, lived at the property for two years.

Canada Post announces 485,000 more addresses to lose home delivery
CBC
Canada Post has announced nearly half a million addresses that will lose home delivery next year.

Summer work in short supply for students amid weakened job market
CBC
The Heaven Inn Devon Café in Fredericton is a bustling spot these days. The large, Victorian-era house brings in coffee lovers throughout the year, but on a sticky-hot summer evening, it’s the colourful patio and blush-pink ice cream truck that draws a crowd.

Province Appoints Committee for Five-Year Review of Workers’ Compensation
VOCM
The provincial government will conduct a statutory review of the workers’ compensation system in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Senators say changes to labour law could make Canada a more reliable trading partner
CTV News
A group of senators is arguing Canada needs to overhaul its labour laws to avoid work stoppages in critical sectors if it wants to be seen as a reliable trading partner on the global stage.

Metro Vancouver workers closer to ‘full-scale strike’ with no contract progress
CFJC Today
Metro Vancouver’s unionized outside workers are threatening a full-scale strike after no progress toward an agreement during weeks of rotating pickets.

Migrant farm workers will soon get less information about pesticides. Their union says Health Canada has failed them
Toronto Star
Health Canada has quietly approved changes making it optional for pesticide companies to provide safety data sheets to farm workers, a move the union representing agricultural workers says puts workers’ health — particularly that of migrant farmworkers — at unnecessary risk.

Statement From CLC President Bea Bruske On Senate Report: Keep Canada Moving
CLC
Workers are the backbone of Canada’s supply chains. They are the people who keep them moving every day. And we know that a strong economy depends on strong collective bargaining and strong workers’ rights.

American Axle Strikers Set to Win $30 by ’30
Labor Notes
For years their pay topped out at $22 an hour, max. Now $22 becomes a new hire’s starting pay, under the tentative agreement workers at American Axle reached on Wednesday, after 10 days on strike.

At Minnesota Capitol, pushback from unions, industry halted new regulations on massive data centers
MPR News
A crowd of people gathered in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda in February, calling on lawmakers to slow the state’s building boom of hyperscale data centers, which are huge warehouses filled with computer servers that power cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Mamdani City Hall Sits On Pay Gap Secrets, Furious Union Says
Hoodline
City Hall is catching heat from one of its own unions, which on Wednesday demanded that Mayor Zohran Mamdani finally release an overdue pay-disparity report. Union leaders say the missing dataset leaves thousands of municipal workers, many of them women of color, in the dark about who earns what while rent, housing and grocery costs keep climbing. CWA Local 1180 argues the update would spotlight where pay lags across agencies and could reorder bargaining priorities ahead of contract talks, and they say the delay undercuts transparency and leaves members scrambling to make ends meet.

UN labour organisation sets first international employment standards for gig workers
Reuters
The International ​Labour Organization on Friday agreed to adopt the first binding employment standards for gig workers in ‌services such as ride-hailing, food delivery and e-commerce, potentially giving them rights on pay, safety and social benefits.

Iranian seasonal workers in Turkey allegedly beaten after demanding unpaid wages
Stockholm Center for Freedom
Thirty Iranian seasonal workers, including women, were allegedly beaten in Turkey’s northeastern Rize province after demanding unpaid wages, the Birgün daily reported, citing the ANKA news agency.

Stop union busting at TaiDoc, Taiwan R.O.C.
IndustriALL
After years of discriminatory treatment, including alleged restrictions on their freedom of movement and the dismissal of a pregnant worker, women workers at the medical electronics company formed the Taidoc Technology Labor Union (TTLU) in August 2025. They won reinstatement, they won four labour cases and the Taiwan Ministry of Labour fined TaiDoc NTD 200,000 (US$6,371) for violating gender equality and labour dispute laws.

BHP accused of ‘American-style’ strikebreaker tactics
Michael West Media
BHP has been accused of using strikebreaking tactics similar to US tech behemoth Amazon by hiring alternative workers to avoid a major planned strike.

June 11, 2026

School divisions cancel classes, field trips thanks to water damage, power outages
Winnipeg Free Press
Classes were cancelled for more than 2,500 students in Winnipeg on Wednesday while many of their peers attended schools that opened without power.

Educators strike in Australian capital as public education crisis deepens
World Socialist Web Site
Educators in Canberra, the Australian national capital, will take part in a 24-hour strike this Thursday over a real-wage slashing pay offer from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Labor government and deteriorating conditions.

World-leading UK science facilities at risk amid £162m funding crisis
The Guardian
Britain’s scientific capabilities face “serious damage” with some national facilities at risk of closure under spending cuts that are being considered to meet spiralling costs at the government’s infrastructure funding agency.

Video game giant Ubisoft closes Winnipeg office
Winnpeg Free Press
Video game developer Ubisoft has closed its Winnipeg office, affecting about 65 employees.

Canada's unions take concerns over AI and labour rights to global stage
Globe and Mail
Speaking today at the International Labour Conference, Canadian Labour Congress Secretary-Treasurer Lily Chang called on governments around the globe to ensure workers have a meaningful role in shaping their economic future, including artificial intelligence, while warning against efforts to weaken collective bargaining and the right to strike.

KEEP CANADA’S AIRPORTS PUBLIC! NATIONAL PETITION LAUNCHED
IAM
A national petition has been launched by the IAM Union calling on the Government of Canada to reject any proposal to privatize, sell, or transfer ownership or control of Canadian airports.

Historic first Walmart union contract in North America ratified in Mississauga
Insauga
Warehouse workers at a major Walmart distribution centre in Mississauga have ratified what their union says is the first collective agreement ever reached with Walmart workers anywhere in North America, marking a historic milestone in the company’s labour relations.

Ottawa Is Plotting New Ways To Contain Worker Power
The Maple
The federal government says it wants to “modernize” Canada’s labour relations system. But for many unions, Ottawa’s latest consultation on changes to the Canada Labour Code looks less like a good-faith effort to strengthen workers’ rights and more like an attempt to contain worker power at the behest of employers.

Canada’s Gender Wage Gap Is Even Bigger for White-Collar Freelancers
The Tyee
Canada’s gender wage gap — the difference in average earnings between men and women — is well documented. But that gap is even bigger for white-collar freelancers, a new report suggests.

Help wanted: The oilpatch will need 72,000 workers over the next decade
CBC
Canada’s oil and gas sector is facing a major hiring challenge.

GFL Environmental Services fined $130,000 for 4 workers’ injuries
Canadian Occupational Safety
GFL Environmental Services Inc. has been fined $130,000 after four workers were injured in a flash fire at a Pickering, Ont., worksite.

Two Alberta construction firms fined $250,000 after worker injured by falling cage
Canadian Occupational Safety
Two Alberta residential construction companies have been fined a combined $250,000 after a worker was seriously injured on a Calgary site.

'Incredible incompetence:' Why Metro Vancouver workers are on strike and how it could get worse
Daily Hive
Over the past couple of weeks, Metro Vancouver Regional District’s unionized outside workers have been slowly escalating job action, pulling workers off various sites from wastewater treatment plants to regional parks.

Honda Mexico Worker Wins Reinstatement After 15-Year Fight
Labor Notes
The leader of Mexico's Honda workers’ union won reinstatement last week, in an important win for workers seeking to build real unions in the country's massive auto sector. But it took 15 years for José Luis Solorio Alcalá, of the Union of United Honda Workers of Mexico (Sindicato de Trabajadores Unidos de Honda de México, STUHM), to get one step closer to justice.

Congolese doctors to go on strike amid Ebola outbreak
Africa News
In the midst of the Ebola epidemic, doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo said they will go on strike from 11 June.

Italy implements the Pay Transparency Directive
Squire Patton Boggs
Italy has become one of the first EU member states to implement the Pay Transparency Directive. Legislative Decree 96/2026 came into force on 7June 2026, in accordance with the EU’s timetable. The Decree applies to both public and private sector employers, with some obligations differing depending on the size of the business.

June 10, 2026

Manitoba Government Announces $4.3 Million for New Manitoba Youth Job Strategy
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government is rolling out the first two programs of its new youth employment strategy, NextMB Jobs for Youth and Dreambuilders, which will provide a combined total of $4.3 million in funding to support youth entering the job market and retaining employment, Premier Wab Kinew announced today.

Parks Canada begins ‘first period’ of job cuts
CTV News
Parks Canada is entering the “first period of workforce adjustments,” as part of the federal government’s plan to reduce the size of the public service over the next three years.

Families in Canada must work nearly half the year to pay taxes
Fraser Institute
While the cost of living is a huge concern in Canada, most Canadians likely don’t know that taxes remain the single largest expense for the average family.

138 million children in child labour: ILO calls for urgent action
International Labour Organization
Nearly 138 million children are still in child labour, including 54 million in hazardous work. In this message, Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), calls for urgent action to change this reality.

Manitoba Government Opens Applications for 2026-27 Student Advisory Council
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government is inviting grade 9 to 12 students to apply to join the Student Advisory Council to represent Manitoba students and advise on issues affecting the education system across the province, Education and Early Childhood Learning Minister Tracy Schmidt announced today.

Education a key to getting young people ‘on the right path,’ Gillingham says at inner-city scholarship fundraiser
Winnipeg Free Press
Mayor Scott Gillingham talked inner-city education funding and its role as a tool to combat poverty and homelessness in Winnipeg at a fundraising event Tuesday.

Post-Secondary Is in Crisis. A New Report Proposes a Fix
The Tyee
Four years after the province announced a review of the public post-secondary funding formula, the Vancouver Community College Faculty Association got tired of waiting.

TRU Board of Governors and TRU Faculty Association ratify new collective agreement
Castanet
The Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Board of Governors and the Thompson Rivers University Faculty Association (TRUFA) have ratified a new collective agreement that supports a strong and sustainable future for faculty, staff and students.

Five years after CCAA layoffs, terminated Laurentian employees finally receive payouts
Sudbury.com
More than five years after he was terminated by Laurentian University during its insolvency restructuring in April 2021, Eduardo Galiano-Riveros received a cheque for his severance pay last week.

Parents call for remedial literacy plan as more Nova Scotia students fall behind
Global News
Parents, advocates and the Opposition NDP are sounding the alarm over the province’s education system, saying too many students are falling behind in their literacy skills.

‘Unmitigated disaster for students’: Protesters slam education cuts outside TDSB headquarters
TorontoToday.com
Outcry over education cuts echoed outside Toronto District School Board headquarters Tuesday evening, where dozens gathered to protest a slew of cuts to staff, programs and services coming this fall.

Canadian Teachers’ Federation Calls for Stronger K-12 Protections in National AI Strategy
CTF
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE) – representing over 370,000 educators through 18 Member and Associate Organizations – welcomed several commitments in the federal government’s national AI strategy. Until now, policy has not kept up with the rapid pace of AI adoption in K-12 public schools. The strategy begins to address governance gaps that will help protect the rights and well-being of students and teachers.

Training graduate students in research means investing in the future
University Affairs
Our society is facing unprecedented challenges. Environmental crises, rapid digital transformations, and global economic and geopolitical uncertainty are forcing us to rethink how we live, produce and collaborate.

The race to reimagine higher education
University Affairs
Universities are among the most durable institutions human beings have ever created. While a scholar from the Middle Ages might have found parts of the modern campus bewildering, they would still recognize the basic form: experts at the front of rooms, students organized into courses, knowledge divided into disciplines, credentials awarded after examinations. For all the technological change around them, universities have remained remarkably stable because their core product has always depended on something difficult to capture and mechanise: expert tacit knowledge. For that same reason, they are now about to be transformed.

The NYU Strike Showed How to Reverse the Downward Spiral in Higher Ed
In These Times
While teaching and conducting research can be wonderful experiences, working conditions in higher education have become increasingly horrible. In the United States, massive state disinvestment coinciding with 50 years of neoliberalism has resulted in both soaring tuition costs for students and large-scale budget cuts to universities. As a result, faculty teaching loads have increased while wages have stagnated. Meanwhile, university administrators across the country have replaced full-time and permanent faculty with insecure, part-time positions, and rarely replaced faculty who retired or moved. Whereas in the 1970s, more than half of U.S. faculty were tenured or on the tenure-track, today that figure stands at just over one quarter.