Impasse at strikebound B.C. ports not broken by Saturday's round of negotiations
Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Jul, 2023 09:34 AM
Hundreds of supporters showed up to a rally in Vancouver backing striking B-C port workers.
Speakers from as far away as Australia and New Zealand offered support for the thousands of workers who have been off the job since Canada Day.
The workers continue to push for improved wages as the cost of living climbs, as well as protection from what they see as an overuse of contractors for maintenance work.
Vice president Pat Bolen told the crowd issues around maintenance work are the union's "line in the sand."
The Opposition BC Liberals have been calling on the government to introduce tougher public safety measures, citing numerous violent crimes allegedly connected to people who were arrested and released, only to be involved in other violence shortly afterwards.
The federal government made the day a statutory holiday for its workers and federally regulated workplaces in 2021. The decision to do so is in response to one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action.
Police say it happened just before 9:30 Tuesday night. Investigators say the victim and his attacker had some sort of altercation while on the bus, not far from the King George SkyTrain station.
Those in B.C. were most likely to say crime and violence are worse since the pandemic hit, at 72 per cent, while people in Quebec were least likely to say so, at 54 per cent. Quebecers were most likely to say things have not changed.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada can now launch a strike anytime in the next 60 days — with national president Chris Aylward saying workers were prepared to strike as soon as Wednesday. Aylward said at a press conference Wednesday morning that bargaining for fair wages is top of mind, and members are prepared to strike for as long as it takes.
Canadian Pharmacists Association vice-president of public affairs Joelle Walker said Americans buying cheaper Canadian drugs is nothing new. One of the main challenges, Walker said, is that there isn't a strong sense of the prevalence of mass U.S. buying of Canadian prescription drugs because the data isn't available.
