The Ontario PC Government is proposing creating a centralized Super agency

Super Agency bad for Patients

To find out how the PC Government’s radical plans to cut, close, restructure and privatize Ontario’s Health System clickHealth System

 

TORONTO, ON – Leaked documents revealing a plan by the Ford PC government to further privatize our health care system are a harbinger of chaos for public services that should disturb all Ontarians, says Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario.

“This is another huge piece of the Conservative plan to privatize our public services and an assault on our most cherished values as Canadians. Even people who voted Conservative should be deeply concerned.”

The Ford plan—already reported in the media as approved by cabinet—would privatize services such as health care inspections, laboratories, licensing, devices, and Ornge Air Ambulance. It would further create a ‘Super Agency’ to oversee a privatization drive through ‘MyCare’ groups empowered to contract out front-line health care to for-profit entities.

“Everyday Ontarians are frustrated over another announcement they didn’t vote for and weren’t consulted about. This scheme is the latest in a series of government moves—such as the proposal to remove class size caps, gut full day kindergarten, roll back gains for working families under Bill 148, scrap modern sex-ed, upload and sell-off key pieces of public transit, reorganize regional governments, make deep cuts to universities, interfere in the collective bargaining process, and more—that are throwing the public sector into disarray.”

“CUPE members are part of a growing movement in communities across the province working to defend and expand the public services we depend on and prevent the chaos of privatization, contracting-out, and cuts.”

We now have the opportunity to provide feedback on how we feel our overall healthcare systems needs improving to end ‘hallway medicine’. Hallway medicine is at the forefront of the drive for change. It’s been stated several times that the front line workers will have their turn to voice their opinions and this is your chance.

Email: hallwayhealthcare@ontario.ca

click link for proposed changes.

https://cupe.on.ca/omers-guaranteed-indexing/omers-proposed-changes/

On Monday, September 3 CUPE Ontario members will take part in Labour Day events across Ontario. The annual celebration has its roots in the labour movement’s fight for an eight-hour work day and celebrates the gains unions have struggled to achieve for all workers, such as better wages, health and safety regulations, pensions, parental leave, same-sex spousal benefits and pay equity. This year we will be putting our focus on mobilizing for justice and fighting back against the regressive policies of the Doug Ford government. Come out with your family and join fellow unionists at a Labour Day event near you.

 

A message from the Pride Committee

Now that PRIDE London is over, I would like to send an email to thank all of those involved in the parade.

 

The enthusiasm and positive energy that was brought this past Sunday by all brothers and sisters was appreciated and noticed by our London community.

 

I would personally like to thank the PRIDE committee for their ideas, and hard work. A personal thank you to Anna Marie Apau for going above and beyond, and being so well connected, as well as Kelly Ransom for once again being our trusted driver J

 

Next year is London PRIDES 25^th anniversary. We would like this to be our biggest turn out yet. We hope to see our fellow brothers and sisters next year.

 

In Solidarity,

	Ryan Campbell Caseworker Housing Social Services and Dearness Home City of

 

 

 

cupe ontario alert – immediate action required to protect your omers pension

Take Action

OMERS just had another high performing year.

* Investment returns of a net 11.5%, almost double required discount rate of 6.2% and well above the strategic rate.

* 2017 earnings of $9.9 billion were used to both lower next year’s discount rate and increase the plan fund.

* The plan holds more than $95 million in assets.

Yet some at the sponsors corporation want to get rid of key benefits like guaranteed indexing. We can’t let that happen.

Let OMERS know we must keep key benefits like guaranteed indexing so we can keep up with cost-of-living increases and live with dignity after we retire.

Send them a message:

Dear Sponsors Corporation CEO,

I am a member of the OMERS pension plan and am writing to express my concern that, yet again, the OMERS Sponsors Corporation (SC) is considering plans to modify the benefits in OMERS, including guaranteed indexing

After yet another high performing years OMERS is well ahead of schedule to be fully fu dead by 2025, keeping our plan in a strong position to maintain core benefits like guaranteed indexing.

2017’s investment returns of a net 11.5% are almost double the required discount rate of 6.2% and well above the strategic rate. With $9.9 billion in earnings this year, the plan was able to both lower the discount rate for 2018 and increase the plan’s funded status.

We are in a very strong position to stay the course, as a member of the plan, that is what I want OMERS to do as it goes through Comprehensive Plan Review.

Most OMERS pension members make modest salaries; but we defer a portion of our wages to the plan because we know it is critical for our retirement. We also know that our modest salaries turn into modest pensions. Maintaining OMERS benefits, like guaranteed indexing, is critical to us keeping up with the constant increases in the cost of living once we retire.

Guaranteed indexing, survivor benefits and early retirement are some of the key benefits of being an OMERS plan member. They are features of our pension plan that makes us proud to be members – features for which I have willingly contributed more to my pension to guarantee they will be there when I retire.

I know the current proposal is to do a comprehensive  Review, looking at all plan benefits based on “what if” versions of the future. I also know this comes less than a year after previous attempts to reduce OMERS ‘ current benefits puts my own retirement planning in jeopardy. That is not an unknown future “what if” – that is a fact.

I am asking all members of the OMERS SC to do the right thing and vote against any proposals that reduce OMERS benefits, and request that, as the CEO, you ensure this correspondence is shared at the next meeting of the OMERS SC Board.

Sincerely

your name

then send