Labour and education in the news

Below are recent news stories on labour and education related issues. Click the headline to be taken to the article. Some may require a subscription. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for article text.

October 2, 2025

U of M students’ union holds rally at legislature to get answers on health-care coverage for international members
Winnipeg Free Press
International students are demanding to know when they can be assured an emergency hospital stay won’t bankrupt them.

First Nations University president fired key whistleblower behind scathing review of her conduct
CBC
A three-month investigation into more than two dozen allegations against the president of First Nations University of Canada, commissioned by the institution's board in 2023, concluded with a stark assessment of her conduct.

Ford government skills training funding ‘not fair, transparent or accountable’: auditor general
The Trillium
Ford government labour ministers have selected groups to receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for worker-training programs against the advice of civil servants who’d evaluated their funding applications, Ontario’s auditor general has found.

The Cult of diversity, inclusion, and equity destroys science
MSN
On Sept. 24, 2025, I offered my expert testimony to The House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Science and Research regarding The Impact of the Criteria for Awarding Federal Funding on Research Excellence in Canada. I begin with the written transcript of my five-minute opening remarks .

Global academic freedom group warns Trump is dismantling US higher education
The Guardian
A global academic freedom group has warned that the Trump administration’s assault on universities is turning the US into a “model for how to dismantle” academic freedom.

International students left in limbo by UCL after university exceeds visa allocations
The Guardian
Hundreds of international students accepted on courses by University College London have been left in limbo and facing thousands of pounds in costs, after the university admitted it had run out of places just days before many were due to start.

Striking medical students paid a high price. For what?
University World News
In February 2024, former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol announced new healthcare policies, including an expansion of medical school enrolment. This triggered the mass resignation of more than 12,000 resident doctors, and 13,000 students took a leave of absence in protest, severely disrupting service delivery and patient care.

Manitoba Legislative Session Resumes with Focus on Health Care, Affordability and Public Safety
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government is committed to ensuring Manitobans feel safe in their communities, government house leader Nahanni Fontaine announced today as the second session of the 43rd legislature continues.

Manitoba government employee sues province, Canada Life over denial of long-term disability
CBC
A Manitoba government employee who was diagnosed with long COVID and another ailment is suing the province and Canada Life after her request for long-term disability payments was denied by the insurance company.

No end in sight for STM labour dispute as parties remain at a standstill
CBC
Montreal's public transit authority, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), is now requesting that an additional third party get involved in ongoing negotiations with the union representing maintenance workers, as talks remain at an impasse.

Alberta Health Services forcing some non-union workers to take unpaid time off
Globe and Mail
Alberta’s health authority is forcing some employees to take unpaid time off to ease its financial crunch, according to a memo obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Ontario needs almost $2-billion to make $10-a-day child care a reality, A-G says
Globe and Mail
Ontario is facing a shortfall of nearly $2-billion to maintain the $10-a-day child-care program next year, and fees may have to go up without additional funding from the province or the federal government, according to a new report on the program from the provincial Auditor-General.

BCGEU plans to ramp up strike action after talks with province break down
AM1150
The head of the B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) says job action will escalate to more front-line services after the latest round of talks with the province broke down this week. 

Teen working at Tim Hortons allegedly offered $20K marriage proposal by manager for permanent residency
MSN
The Ontario Provincial Police is investigating a case in Picton, Ont., in which a female Tim Hortons manager is alleged to have offered $15,000 to $20,000 to a 17-year-old employee if she would help the manager’s brother attain permanent residency in Canada.

Only disabled women, ‘gender equity-seeking persons’ welcome to apply for Canadian AI research job
Yahoo
Dalhousie University had been on the hunt for an AI research chair, but it appears that finding that unicorn for the role has been tough given who is — and isn’t — welcome to apply.

Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated ‘actor,’ faces Hollywood, celebrity backlash
Global News
Hollywood is facing a new kind of star power with “AI actor” Tilly Norwood, who doesn’t exist outside of code — and she’s already negotiating with talent agencies.

‘Willingly Forgoing Paychecks’: Federal Workers Support Shutdown Fight
Labor Notes
A coalition of unions in the federal sector signed on to an extraordinary Federal Unionists Network letter September 29 urging the Democrats to fight Trump administration cuts, even at the price of a government shutdown. It was titled “No Bad Budget in Our Name,” and signers represent tens of thousands of federal workers.

Amazon Labor Union-IBT Local 1 Condemns Amazon’s $1 Billion PR Campaign: “Workers Deserve Power, Not Publicity Stunts”
Amazon Labor Union-IBT
The Amazon Labor Union–IBT Local 1 denounces Amazon’s misleading announcement of a $1 billion “investment” in fulfillment center and transportation employees. This move is a carefully crafted public relations campaign designed to distract from the company’s ongoing union-busting and its refusal to meet its legal obligation to bargain with its unionized employees.

Thousands march in Greece against labor law changes, disrupt services nationwide
ABC News
Thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Athens Wednesday as part of a general strike that left ferries tied up in port and disrupted services across the country to protest changes to the country's labor laws.

Eiffel Tower closed to public on new day of strikes against PM’s budget
France24
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is considering several options to reduce the tax burden on workers, a government source told AFP on Thursday, as unions launched a new day of nationwide protests aimed at influencing the upcoming budget.

October 1, 2025

Speakers need to become teachers
Winnipeg Free Press
‘Minawaanigoziwin” is the Ojibwe concept that comes to mind for Sherri Denysuik when the Winnipeg teacher is asked about her thoughts on a new law that raises the status of Indigenous languages in schools.

Manitoba schools scramble to create class space as all portable classrooms in use
CBC
There are not enough portable classrooms to fill the need in Manitoba communities waiting for new schools.

Survey on Research Activities and Commercialization of Intellectual Property in Higher Education, 2023
Statistics Canada
Research and development (R&D) partnerships or R&D contracts provide postsecondary institutions with avenues to apply their academic expertise. R&D partnerships are typically long-term arrangements that involve shared funding and jointly developed intellectual property, whereas R&D contracts are client-funded and may grant exclusive use of intellectual property to the client.

Ontario college strike to continue after talks break down
Ottawa Citizen
Talks between striking college support staff and the province’s bargaining agent have broken down.

Alberta teachers reject contract offer, setting up province-wide strike on Oct. 6
Global News
Alberta teachers have firmly rejected the province’s latest contract offer, setting the stage for a potential provincewide strike next week on Oct. 6.

Quebec to put an end to controversial education hiring freeze
CityNews
The Quebec government will put an end to its controversial education hiring freeze.

Shocking study exposes widespread math research fraud
Science Daily
A sweeping investigation has revealed widespread fraud in mathematics publishing, where commercial metrics and rankings have incentivized the mass production of meaningless or flawed papers. The study highlights shocking distortions—such as a university without a math department ranked as having the most top mathematicians—and the explosion of megajournals willing to publish anything for a fee.

Trump says Harvard deal is close, university will pay $500 million
CNBC
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration was close to a deal with Harvard University that would include a $500 million payment by the Ivy League institution, after months of negotiations over school policies.

Judge Dismisses Federal Price Fixing Lawsuit Against 40 Universities
Forbes
A lawsuit accusing 40 elite colleges and universities and the College Board of a price-fixing conspiracy has been dismissed. The suit had alleged that the institutions overcharged students for tuition as a result of counting the assets of noncustodial parents when making their financial aid determinations.

Manitoba Government Appoints Members to Workers Compensation Act Review Committee
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government has appointed four individuals to the Workers Compensation Act legislative review committee, which is mandated to conduct a comprehensive review of the legislation at least once every 10 years, Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino announced today.

More than two dozen scheduling clerks hired in effort to repair home-care system
Winnipeg Free Press
The Manitoba government is walking back some changes to Winnipeg’s home care after a bungled rollout of a centralized system in the spring.

Talks off before they began, BCGEU leader says of negotiations with B.C. government
CTV News
The head of the union representing British Columbia’s 34,000 public sector workers says a government request to get back to the bargaining table appears to have been a “cheap stunt” as it offered little change to end weeks of strike action.

5 Canadian provinces raise their minimum wage; Alberta now lowest in the country
CBC
Five provinces are increasing their minimum wage today to support workers amid affordability issues.

Facing no income for 6 months, these construction workers might have to abandon their Canadian dreams
CBC
A construction company in Dartmouth is desperate to find help for three employees from the Philippines who may have to leave Canada because of a mistake in their applications to renew work permits.

U.S. government shuts down as lawmakers hit impasse on funding deal
Globe and Mail
The U.S. government partially suspended operations Wednesday in a dispute over health care funding as opposition Democrats remained determined to obstruct President Donald Trump’s agenda and fight back against cuts to social spending.

September 29, 2025

Documentary about Orange Shirt Day founder provides pathway forward, filmmakers say
CBC
WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools. A documentary about the founder of Orange Shirt Day aims to provide education about the history of residential school survivors — while not re-traumatizing them in the process.

Voting on tentative deal ends for Alberta teachers a week before strike deadline
CTV News
Voting closes today for Alberta teachers on the latest contract offer from the province, one week before a provincewide strike deadline.

Acadia University has achieved an important milestone in labour relations
Acadia University
There’s collective agreement about the collective agreement!The Acadia University Faculty Association (AUFA) and the Acadia Board of Governors have now ratified the 17th Collective Agreement that is effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.

Are business schools priming students for a world that no longer exists?
The Conversation
Endless economic expansion isn’t sustainable. Scientists are telling us our planet is already beyond its limits, with the risks to communities and the economy made clear in the federal government’s recent climate risk assessment.

Give In or Fight Back? Colleges Are Torn on How to Respond to Trump.
New York Times
The Trump administration has attacked the University of California system’s research funding, launched a swarm of investigations and demanded that it pay more than $1 billion.

Northwestern students blocked from enrollment after refusing controversial antisemitism training
The Guardian
At least 300 students have been prohibited from registering for classes at Northwestern University because they refused to watch a controversial antisemitism training video that they said was biased in favor of Israel, contained factual inaccuracies and could inflame campus tension over Gaza.

Manitoba Government Releases Public Accounts for 2024-25 Fiscal Year and First Quarter Report for 2025-26
Province of Manitoba
The Manitoba government released its public accounts for the 2024-25 fiscal year and the first quarter report for 2025-26, noting an improvement in the deficit from the third quarter, Finance Minister Adrien Sala announced today.

As GM job cuts loom in Oshawa, one man is preparing to leave the Ontario city he loves
CBC
Oshawa native Todd Forbes doesn't want to leave his hometown.

As unemployment climbs, the promise of a grocery store job lures hundreds
CBC
Not long ago, Casey McLaughlin was executive director of the Yukon Transportation Museum in Whitehorse, but earlier this month she found herself lining up with hundreds of others at a job fair in Ottawa, vying for a coveted position at a new Food Basics grocery store.

Canada Post denies Ottawa's reforms give it leverage over striking union in negotiations
CBC
Canada Post is denying the Liberal government's directive to change the postal service's operational model gives it leverage over the striking union in negotiations, as the two sides continue their days-long showdown.

Doug Ford slams Mark Carney over request to review notwithstanding clause usage, calling it the ‘worst decision’ the PM has ever made
CTV News
His comments come after Carney‘s Liberal government last week filed a factum — a written statement of fact and law — asking the Supreme Court of Canada to set limits on how the notwithstanding clause can be invoked. The government argued that provincial overuse of the notwithstanding clause amounts to “indirectly amending the Constitution.”

English Montreal School Board, et al. v. Attorney General of Quebec, et al.
Supreme Court of Canada

B.C. government and public service union set to resume talks as strike stretches on
Globe and Mail
Negotiations will resume Monday between the union representing British Columbia’s public service workers and the province, but picket lines in front of government offices and liquor stores will remain up. 

Salary increases forecast to decrease for 2026, but not by much
Globe and Mail
Canadian employees should expect a slightly lower salary increase in 2026, but not the kind of pullback you might expect given the general doom and gloom in the economy.

Are Striking Workers Putting Enough Pressure on BC’s Government?
The Tyee
More than three weeks after the BC General Employees’ Union went on strike, the number of workers on picket lines continues to increase without a response from the government.

Federal Workers Brace for Mass Layoffs as Shutdown Looms
Time
Thousands of federal workers are bracing for layoffs after the White House threatened mass firings if an agreement isn’t reached to avoid a government shutdown.

Class-action suit claims Otter AI secretly records private work conversations
NPR
A federal lawsuit seeking class-action status accuses Otter.ai of "deceptively and surreptitiously" recording private conversations that the tech company uses to train its popular transcription service without permission from the people using it.

September 26, 2025

Controversial speaker on U of M campus prompts protest
CTV News
Security was on hand at the University of Manitoba campus as protesters tried to overwhelm a talk being given by a controversial speaker.

Concordia University campaign raises more than $365M for students, research
CTV News
As it marks its 50th anniversary, Concordia University is also celebrating the conclusion of what it describes as its most ambitious fundraising campaign.

Alberta advanced education minister to assess need for new protections for free speech, academic freedom
CBC
Protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression on Alberta's post-secondary campuses is one of the new priorities identified by Premier Danielle Smith in a mandate letter to the minister of advanced education this week. 

'Hard on all of us': Fanshawe strike, staff reductions putting pressure on students
CBC
With the fall semester not quite a month in, it's already shaping up as a September to remember at Fanshawe College.   

Quebec family doctors to suspend teaching students amid Bill 106 dispute
CBC
General practitioners in Quebec are stepping up pressure tactics in hopes of forcing the government to drop Health Minister Christian Dubé's Bill 106, which would tie part of physicians' compensation to performance benchmarks.

Unlocking the nation-building power of post-secondary education
Globe and Mail
Post-secondary education, considered a key pathway to success, is widely acknowledged for the potential to boost quality of life and career flexibility for individuals, improve outcomes at community and business levels – and enhance Canada’s prosperity and competitiveness overall.

Universities May Face Huge Costs From Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Forbes
As American colleges and universities continue to reel from the enormous costs of recent Trump administration cutbacks to federal funding for research and other educational programs, they now face a new financial threat — a huge hike in the cost of hiring foreign workers on H-1B visas.

Unionized postal workers on strike after plans to end most home delivery announced
Winnipeg Free Press
Unionized postal workers are on a nationwide strike this morning, after Canada Post announced it was planning to end door-to-door mail delivery for almost all households within the next decade.

Seniors, disabled, rural and business groups concerned about massive Canada Post overhaul
Winnipeg Free Press
Organizations representing seniors, people with disabilities and businesses are hoping for consultations with Canada Post before it stops door-to-door mail delivery and closes rural post offices.

Canada Post workers walk off the job after government demands reforms
CBC
The union representing Canada's postal workers has called for a cross-country strike in the wake of the federal government announcing major reforms to Canada Post.

Canada Post workers launch strike over Ottawa’s call to end home delivery
Globe and Mail
The union representing Canada Post workers said its members would immediately go on strike after the federal government announced a broad overhaul of the beleaguered Crown corporation, including an end to door-to-door delivery.

Wasagamack orders mandatory testing for public employees over concerns about illegal drugs in First Nation
CBC
Public employees in a northern Manitoba First Nation have been given mandatory drug tests, which the community's chief says is part of an effort to connect residents with addictions resources amid an escalation in illegal drug activity.

A hot-mic moment and concerns about workplace safety derail PC campaign event in Marystown
CBC
A Progressive Conservative campaign event in Marystown went sideways on Thursday as a resident accused party Leader Tony Wakeham of ignoring concerns about chemical exposure at the former Marystown shipyard — leading to a hot-mic moment involving an incumbent PC candidate.

Labour hearings over Amazon warehouse closures to begin in Quebec
Globe and Mail
A Quebec labour tribunal will begin hearing witnesses in a case against Amazon stemming from the e-commerce giant’s decision to close its seven warehouses in the province.

Section 107 is an unconstitutional attack on bargaining rights
CUPE
Ever since workers and their unions won legal recognition in Canada, governments have looked for ways to limit our right to strike. For decades, federal and provincial governments relied on back-to-work legislation to break strikes, but in recent months the federal government has embraced an even less democratic approach: Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.

We Closed JFK8 After a Sewage Pipe Burst, One of Many Victories for Amazon Teamsters This Year
Inequality.org
The first thing I noticed when I got to work at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island one day in August was the revolting smell. It was like something had died. It turned out a major sewage leak had started hours earlier, and human waste was everywhere, even bubbling up from the floor.

Labor groups warn of ‘gaping hole’ in First Amendment if court OKs Trump’s anti-union orders
Government Executive
Attorneys for the nation’s largest federal employee union warned this week that the August decision to allow President Trump’s executive orders stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights would leave a “gaping hole” in the First Amendment if left in place.

September 25, 2025

Situation near school sparks safety concerns
Winnipeg Free Press
Less than 100 metres away from an Elmwood elementary school’s front door, several bike wheels and frames lie around a front yard with garbage piled high in a shopping cart near the home’s fence.

College that regulates Manitoba physicians overwhelmed by investigations
Winnipeg Free Press
The regulatory body that’s responsible for protecting Manitoba patients, by holding doctors to account, has more than 225 open investigations — but only one investigator.

New documentary highlights absenteeism at Winnipeg schools
CTV News
A new documentary by a Winnipeg faith-based organization is calling on the provincial government to address high rates of absenteeism.

Toronto Metropolitan University students walk out over ‘unsettling’ arrest video
CTV News
Dozens of students and faculty members walked out of Toronto Metropolitan University this afternoon in protest of an incident that took place last week where a student was shoved to the ground by a campus security guard. A video of the incident was posted online and has sparked outrage among the community.

Teachers to vote on tentative agreement with Alberta government
CTV News
The Alberta government and the teachers’ union have reached a tentative agreement as next month’s strike deadline neared.

Lower test scores for Grade 6 middle schoolers revives debate about how schools are split
CBC
Sixth-graders in middle schools fare worse on Ontario's standardized literacy and numeracy testing than peers who haven't made that switch, according to a recent report, reviving debates on the merits of separating tweens into intermediate schools.

2 weeks into Conestoga College strike, employer says union demands are 'unreasonable'
CBC
Support workers at colleges across Ontario, including over 700 at Conestoga College, have been walking the picket line for two weeks now, but there may be an end in sight with the college employer confirming the two sides will meet with a mediator on Friday.

U of R students' union vote postponed after contentious meeting
CBC
The University of Regina Students' Union was facing a vote from students Wednesday on whether or not to dissolve amid accusations of financial mismanagement, but the vote didn't happen. 

Western University defends investigation into pro-Palestinian group chat that included antisemitic messages
Unpublished (via National Post)
Western University is defending its handling of an investigation into a private pro-Palestinian group chat that allegedly contained students and local activists sharing antisemitic messages.

Two Ontario colleges face deep cuts as foreign-student cap shrinks enrolment, reports show
Globe and Mail
Two Ontario colleges are facing significant financial hardship if they do not slash costs to cope with weaker foreign student enrolment, according to reports prepared for the Ontario government.

Opinion | Wilfrid Laurier University dropped the Canadian anthem. It’s back. They have some explaining to do
Waterloo Region Record
Wilfrid Laurier University has some explaining to do.

Layoffs decimate TRU's workforce as university works to deal with sharp drop in revenue
Castanet
Thompson Rivers University will have soon shed 10 per cent of its workforce in response to rapidly declining revenue, and its new president says there are more cuts on the horizon.

The Workforce Is Shrinking. Higher Education Must Step Up.
Forbes
The alarm bells have been ringing for some time. A new report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce made it clear: the United States is facing a profound shortfall of college-educated workers. By 2032, nearly 18 million experienced professionals with postsecondary credentials will have retired. Only about 14 million equally credentialed younger workers will take their place. That is a 5.25 million person gap.

Syracuse students accused of hate crime after pork was thrown into Jewish frat house
NBC News
Two Syracuse University students have been charged with burglary as a hate crime after one of them was alleged to have thrown a bag of pork into a Jewish fraternity house as people gathered to observe Rosh Hashanah, police said Wednesday.

Major Australian university found to have underpaid thousands of workers millions in wages and superannuation for a decade
SkyNews
The University of Wollongong has been found by the Fair Work Ombudsman to have underpaid 5,340 workers over $6 million in wages and superannuation, joining eight other tertiary institutions to sign an enforceable undertaking for committing such an offence.

Manitoba Hydro workers ratify new agreement with Crown corporation
CBC
Technical and clerical workers for Manitoba Hydro have ratified a new collective agreement.

Minimum wage to increase in 5 provinces in October
Global News
Minimum wage is increasing in five provinces at the start of October.

Uber ordered to pay lost wages in first-ever unfair deactivation case
ACTU
The ACTU has welcomed a landmark Fair Work Commission ruling ordering Uber to repay lost wages to a driver unfairly deactivated from the platform – a breakthrough for gig workers and union members who fought for these protections under the Albanese Government’s new workplace laws.