Tag: Fighting Privatization
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Statement from President Warren (Smokey) Thomas on the bill to terminate the agreement with the Beer Store
It is deeply disappointing that the Ford government is proceeding with this reckless plan to pave the way to further privatize alcohol sales. It is both socially and fiscally irresponsible. We urge the government to not proceed with the recommendations of their privatization advisor, Ken Hughes. Breaking the contract with the Beer Store will cost Ontario…
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OPSEU President to Premier: ‘Show some common sense’
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says Ontarians should be concerned about a media report that the Ford government is proceeding with privatizing alcohol distribution. Thomas says the current distribution network under the LCBO and the beer store is the most efficient retail network around. “The Ford way seems to be: ‘if it ain’t…
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President’s letter to the Toronto Sun
The following letter from OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas was published in the Toronto Sun on May 12, 2019. I was fascinated by word that Ontario Infrastructure Minister Monte McNaughton believes that Public Private Partnerships are a helpful tool (“We can do it better,” May 2). To start with, after reading Monte’s article, I think…
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Bethlenfalvy dead wrong on privatization
The following letter from President Warren (Smokey) Thomas was published in the May 11 edition of the Toronto Star in response to an Opinion-Editorial on privatization from Treasury Board Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. I was disappointed but not surprised to see that Peter Bethlenfalvy has become the latest member of the Ford fiction writers’ club. His hysterical sky is falling…
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‘Conservative cannabis cockup’ shows Ford Nation is utterly incompetent: OPSEU’s Thomas
Toronto – The Ford government’s plan to have private stores sell cannabis has suffered another setback, prompting OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas to again call for a reliable public option. Thomas is reacting to media reports that Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has confirmed that seven of the 25 licensed cannabis operators have…
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Outsourcing of college counselling services a betrayal: Thomas
Ottawa – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the Ford falsehoods continue to pile up with word that counselling services at an Ontario college are being outsourced. Management at La Cité in Ottawa recently notified OPSEU that the entire Counselling Resource Centre at the college will be outsourced. Thomas says the layoffs are not only…
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OPSEU, OFL to pressure Conservative backbenchers
OPSEU has joined with Ontario’s other democratic unions in a bid to stop the provincial government’s cuts and privatizations by putting pressure on backbench Conservative MPPs, according to CBC Toronto. OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas tells CBC that while Premier Doug Ford “doesn’t seem to care” about protests, “his backbenchers will care.” “In my union,…
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SNC: A golden opportunity to drain the privatization swamp
The he-said-she-said coverage of the SNC-Lavalin scandal is compelling political theatre. But if Canadians look beyond the daily drama of Justin Trudeau’s clumsy cover-up, we can seize a golden opportunity to make our lives meaningfully better. Better hospitals, highways, and schools. Lower debt and lower taxes for working people. All of this can be…
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OPSEU President: Close ties to EY will be the Ford government’s version of the SNC-Lavalin scandal
Toronto– OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is warning Ontarians not to be taken in by the Ford government’s announcement on Wednesday that the deficit has been reduced. “Today’s news is nothing but another fruitless attempt at shameless self-promotion,” said Thomas. “Doug Ford takes credit for job increases that happened before he got elected. He takes…
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OPSEU President: Employment services privatization and workfare will lead to more precarious work
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the Ford government’s plans to privatize and outsource Ontario’s employment and training programs will leave even more Ontarians stuck in a downward spiral of being either jobless or stuck in precarious work. “Doug Ford can’t stop talking about making Ontario open for business, but what he’s really…
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77 municipalities reject Ford’s reckless plan to privatize cannabis sales
Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says 77 municipalities across Ontario have sent a clear message to Doug Ford that they want no part of his reckless scheme to put cannabis sales in the hands of profit-driven private retailers. Nearly a quarter of Ontario municipalities have opted out of the Ford government’s irresponsible plan…
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Town with secret cannabis warehouse rejects Ford’s privatization scheme
Toronto – The same town where the Ontario government set up its secret cannabis warehouse is banning private retailers, joining 50 other municipalities in just saying no to Premier Doug Ford’s reckless scheme to privatize cannabis sales. “It’s pretty ironic,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “The Premier put his 78,000-square-foot cannabis castle in Oakville,…
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Union reveals location of secret cannabis warehouse, claims province blocked sign up drive
The head of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says the provincial government is trying to prevent workers from unionizing at the Ontario Cannabis Store warehouse. The union also claims to have discovered the location of the warehouse, which had been kept secret by the OCS due to security concerns. Click here to read the full…