'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Some 9,000 Canadian Border Service Agency workers are preparing for strike votes starting next week, even as Canada-U.S. border reopening talks get underway.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada union said Thursday that its 5,500 border services officers, 2,000 headquarters staff and other workers at Canada Post facilities and in inland enforcement jobs will begin strike votes on Wednesday, which will then continue throughout the month.
The workers, employed by the CBSA and Treasury Board, have been without a contract for nearly three years and say talks broke off between the two sides in December.
The union and the employers have been unable to agree on better protections for staff that the union argues would bring them in line with other law enforcement personnel across Canada and address a "toxic" workplace culture.
"CBSA employees have been on the front lines of the pandemic since day one; keeping our borders safe, screening travellers for COVID-19 and clearing vital vaccine shipments," said PSAC's national president, Chris Aylward, in a release.
"Our members have stepped up for Canadians, but now it's time for the government to step up for them."
The office of the president of the Treasury Board said in an email that it has the "greatest respect" for border officers and is disappointed the union rejected a "fair" offer that included wage adjustments.
"We remain committed to reaching agreements with all bargaining agents that are fair to employees, mindful of today's economic and fiscal context and reasonable for Canadians," the statement said.
"Out of respect for the collective bargaining process, we will not comment further on negotiations."
PSAC's strike talk comes as New York congressman Brian Higgins said Thursday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss plans to reopen the Canada-U.S. border at the G7 summit this week.
The border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began and officials scrambled to lock down their countries and stop the spread of the virus through travel.
As vaccination efforts have increased significantly since then, politicians including Higgins have been pushing for the border to reopen.
The latest border closure will remain in place until June 21.
As the deadline nears, PSAC and the alliance's Customs and Immigration Union have been urging the government to resolve the issues that could push their members to strike.
The unions said they met with Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, urging them to return to the table with a new mandate to avoid a labour dispute that could impact travellers at the border.
"We're ready and willing to return to the table to negotiate a fair contract that recognizes our commitment to Canadians," said CIU national president Jean-Pierre Fortin in a statement.
"But we're fed up with the disrespect our members have been shown by the employer."
When asked about the matter, Blair's office directed questions to the CBSA, which said it will respond quickly to any job action in order "to maintain the security of our border, ensure compliance with our laws, and keep the border open to legitimate travellers and goods."
"We expect that our officers will continue to fulfil their duties with the highest level of integrity and professionalism," it wrote in an email.
As the two parties try to resolve their issues, they are waiting to receive recommendations from a public interest commission they appeared before in May to present arguments around compensation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2021.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.