OCEU Vice President April Leblanc to Join WSIB Strike Picket Line in Thunder Bay
Leblanc's visit comes as more than 3,600 frontline WSIB workers remain on strike across Ontario — now stretching beyond two months in the first labour disruption in the Board's 110-year history.
The Thunder Bay picket is part of a province-wide mobilization effort aimed at increasing public and political pressure on WSIB leadership to deliver a fair and respectful contract for staff who support injured workers every day.
Where:
605 Sibley Drive and Balmoral Street (near Tim Hortons), Thunder Bay
Time
9:00 a.m.
'We're proud to have April Leblanc stand with our members in Thunder Bay,' said Harry Goslin, President of the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU/CUPE 1750). 'Her presence underscores the strength and solidarity behind this strike — and the urgent need for the WSIB to come to the table with a fair deal. The delay lies entirely with senior leadership.'
Despite ongoing mediated talks and a union team ready to negotiate 24/7, WSIB has failed to present a final offer.
'We're calling on the WSIB to show leadership and get this resolved before Canada Day,' added Goslin. 'It's time to reach a fair deal and restore stability for injured workers across Ontario.'
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Politico
05-08-2025
- Politico
Trade in OT
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The Hill
04-08-2025
- The Hill
Canadian trade minister sees ‘great deal of common ground' with US
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Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Canada's trade minister confident that countries will come to a deal
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is projecting confidence about trade talks with Washington, even as stalled negotiations resulted in the White House placing a higher tariff levy on Ottawa last week. LeBlanc told CBS' Margaret Brennan on Sunday that he still believes the Trump administration is negotiating in good faith with Canada. He expects President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney to speak in the coming days. "We believe there's a great deal of common ground between the United States and Canada in terms of building two strong economies that work well together," LeBlanc said on "Face the Nation." "That's been the history of the 40-year Free Trade Agreement that goes back to President Reagan." Trump imposed heightened tariffs on Canada on Thursday. The levies only apply to goods not covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term, meaning much of Canada's economy is insulated. Still, Canada's steel and aluminum industries are feeling the heat, with the White House working to revitalize American production capacity. "We understand and respect totally the President's view in terms of the national security interest," LeBlanc said. "In fact, we share it, and what we've said to our American counterparts is, how can we structure the right agreement, where we can both continue to supply one another in a reliable, cost-effective way that preserves jobs essential to the American economy, but the same thing is true, obviously in Canada as well." Another wrinkle: Trump last week suggested on his social media platform that Carney's pledge to recognize Palestinian statehood could imperil talks, making it "very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.' But LeBlanc, who left Washington on Friday after spending much of the week in town meeting with senior White House officials, remains positive. He cites the connective tissue underpinning the two countries' economies as a key reason for hope. 'One description which I thought was very apt: we don't sell things to each other as much as we build things together," he told Brennan. "And that's why it's difficult in this relationship when so much is integrated, but we remain very optimistic.'
