Laura Wheeler runs a small business here in Renfrew, I don’t know which one.

Laura is one of a group of generous people with local businesses that open their doors to developmentally compromised adults in terms of “hiring” them to “work” at their place of business.  The work is mostly of the voluntary variety, but in the case of Laura’s operation, there was one day a week that was a “paid” day where the client actually earned legitimate wages for legitimate work.

Opportunities such as these are absolutely huge to both the client and the client’s family.  It gives the client some experience out of the home, allows them to learn routines and structures, gives them a feeling of belonging and gratification, and sometimes even presents a chance to make some cold hard cash of their own.  And just as important, it gets the client out of the house and into the community.  That’s something that benefits both the client and the family.

Sadly, Laura has had to step back from offering this opportunity.

Any work stoppage is going to be tough for the people directly involved, as well as those indirectly involved through family or professional relationships.  A strike lasting beyond thirteen weeks is only going to exacerbate the situation for participants.

I think that has to apply to the people on both sides of this or any other labour dispute.

It’s far easier to see things from the point of view of the workers because they’re obviously on strike, and that means visibility, signs and flags, songs and chants, here there, and seemingly everywhere.  They’re tough to miss.

It’s also somewhat easier to see things from the point of view of impacted clients and their families.  They’re not impacted financially in the same sense that strikers might be, although some may be footing additional expenses to keep their adult children supported during the strike period.  They also have a burden of anxiety and fear, adding to what has become an already difficult struggle for them over the years, and one that’s not going to get any easier.  You run into some of these people at events and they talk to you, and share with you.  Not the same visibility as the picketers, but still, they have their stories to tell.

I can’t say for sure, but I recently came across information that may turn out to have a silver lining attached to it, a silver lining that both sides of an ongoing local labour dispute may find encouraging.

In less than two weeks, school will be back in session and teachers and educational workers will once again be on the front lines of our education system.  But why would this have any affect on a labour dispute one way or another?

Because those teachers and other educational workers are returning to work without a contract.

And when you watch this beginning to develop, you see all the same signs and hear all the same words, as both sides position themselves for what may well become the inevitable:  a full-on strike featuring 160,000 teachers and an additional 55,000 support staff.

There’s a pronounced human story as to what happens when you and you’re employer are locked in a 12-week labour dispute that just doesn’t seem to have any end in sight.

Being on strike and walking a picket line are not generally things that most people want to do, and in truth, not something a lot of people have ever done or experienced in their lifetimes.

I personally have been on strike and walked picket lines twice, but never for any length of time even close to the multiple weeks spent on the line by members of OPSEU Local 472.  My greatest stretch was for perhaps three weeks, maybe two.  But even though it amounted to a couple of weeks each time, there were still a lot of things learned from the experience.  People things primarily, and I guess that makes sense when you have over 80 people involved in a very challenging strike action.

You see a lot of people.  People at their best but also people at their worst.  It’s unavoidable.  And if I could begin to see the storylines develop after only two weeks, I can imagine what things might be like after twelve.

Community Living Renfrew County South and OPSEU Local 472 have been locked in a labour stalemate for thirteen weeks, and honestly, at this rate, there’s no telling how many more weeks it might take to bring this thing to a close.

After accusations and counter-accusations around getting the other party to “come to the table,” we now seem to be entering a phase where the combatants are both making public statements — less so in the case of management — that indicate that they’re willing to talk with the other party.

Eureka!  At last!  Finally!  A light at the end of the tunnel!

Is the writing on the wall for the Doug Ford-led  provincial government in Ontario?

It’s hard to answer that definitively, but there’s no question that things are lining up against the premier being able to hang on to his job past 2028, which is generally viewed as the next chance for voters to go to the polls in a general election.  I mean, he could go to the polls early again, like he did two years ago, but I don’t know if that would work for him as well this time, that is if persistent polling showing him tanking is to be believed.

There’s a shelf life for all politicians, especially those that occupy the top post.  Ford isn’t stupid, and while he might not like it, I’m sure he’s aware of the history around political longevity of governments of any stripe.  I also don’t believe he’d be interested in being defeated at the polls, as that would be calamitous to his self-esteem and pride.  And so I look for him to resign before Ontario goes to the polls next to select a provincial government.

Two things happened to “save” the Toronto Maple Leafs from the precipice of disaster, and they happened at roughly the same time.  

The most obvious boost was winning the NHL Draft Lottery, while the second, and perhaps more contentious suggestion, was the hiring of John Chayka as the new general manager to replace the departing Brad Treliving.

I’m not a fan of the Leafs but have watched them my entire life.  I’m certainly no expert, but then again, neither is any Leaf fan.  None of the people tasked with running the franchise have produced a Stanley Cup winner in fifty-nine years, as any Leaf fan knows, these were the people who had all the information and decision-making capacity to make that happen, yet didn’t, or couldn’t.

I’m not here to suggest the hiring of John Chayka is a direct precursor to a parade down Yonge Street, but I will argue that his hiring was just the thing to keep this team together while it still had some sort of a semblance of a competition window to compete well into the playoffs.

 “CLRCS has never indicated that our community participation support (CPS) programs are closing.  In fact, we have communicated our intention to improve the availability of our CPS programs and expand offerings so that people can receive the support they need to take part in our community in the evenings and on weekends.”

Jennifer Lavallee

So, if that’s true, why then are these very same services suffering what appears to be the slow death of starvation?  Why does it appear that, ever since the dramatic societal shifts that came with the COVID 19 pandemic shuttering such programs, those programs never really re-established themselves to anywhere near where they were before 2020, both in the number of participants and in the quality of service and support?

I can tell you that the number of potential clients needing this service has not dwindled, because It never dwindles.  And with inadequate government funding, if anything, the waiting lists for acceptance just gets longer.

In October, the province’s financial accountability office predicted a $1.5 billion funding shortfall for the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services in 2025-26, a $2.4 billion gap in 2026-27 and a $3.1 billion deficit in 2027-28.

Yet that same ministry says it has made “historic investments in the development services sector,” including nearly $4 billion this year, as well $407 million over three years for agencies delivering ministry-funded services.  Our very own Community Living Renfrew County South falls under this umbrella.

So who do you believe?