The Town of Whitby said it remains committed to having meaningful discussions and reaching a fair and reasonable agreement with CUPE Local 53 Full-time to end the strike.
However, while the strike action continues, the town is working to expand its service delivery to meet the needs of the community through the continued redeployment of management and non-unionized staff, recall of part-time staff, and use of contracted services.
This includes the phased reopening of recreational facilities and yard waste collection and drop-off.
Yard Waste: Yard waste includes things like leaves, branches, pumpkins, etc. Next week, as part of the town’s plan to manage yard waste, a new waste drop-off location will open at 5015 Baldwin Street South. This site will replace the current temporary waste drop-off location at the McKinney Centre, which will close effective Sunday, November 12. Yard waste, garbage, and green bin organics will all be accepted at the new site. Due to its size, the Iroquois Park Sports Centre location will not accept yard waste, said a town statement.
It said while residents are encouraged to drop off yard waste at the new 5015 Baldwin Street South location, as additional support, contracted service providers will begin curbside yard waste collection this Wednesday, November 1 (see map of area where collection will begin). Curbside yard waste collection will be a gradual process that may take weeks to complete.
Recreational Facilities: The town is working on a plan to gradually reopen its recreational facilities and programs.
As a first step, all existing facility permits issued for November are being reviewed. November permit holders will be contacted by email by Friday, November 3 about their permit. If you haven’t heard from the town and have questions about your permit, e-mail facilityrentals@whitby.ca.
While ice permits continue to be cancelled at this time, the town is working on a phased plan to reopen arenas for minor sport organization programming in early-December. As a first step, Iroquois Park Sports Centre will host The International Silver Stick from November 23 to 26 and Tournament of Heroes from December 1 to 3. Together, these major tournaments bring approximately $6 million in economic impact to the community over two weekends, the town said.
In addition, the town is finalizing plans to reopen the 55+ Recreation Centre and the Civic Recreation Centre in late-November. More information will be shared in the coming days.
Special Events: Events like the Brooklin Merry Market (on November 4), Remembrance Day Parades (on November 11), and the BIA Christmas Market (on November 18) will continue. The town is also working to install Christmas lights in various locations throughout the community as part of its Whitby Lights the Night Christmas Festival. Visit whitby.ca/events for updates.
No new event permits are being issued while the CUPE strike continues. Permits already issued for events organized by other groups, like walks, runs, and cycles, remain valid as long as Town of Whitby staff support is not required.
Committee and Council Meetings: All regular council and committee meetings are cancelled up to and including Monday, November 6, with future dates to be reassessed. During this time, Special Council Meetings may still be scheduled as needed to deal with urgent matters.
Quick Facts
- Part-time workers are not replacement workers and are subject to a collective agreement between the Town of Whitby and CUPE Local 53.
- Since 2018, CUPE positions accounted for 52 per cent of all positions approved by council, while managers accounted for 9 per cent. All other positions are exempt from the union.
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