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2h ago

Ontario College Support Staff Strike Enters Third Week as Talks Collapse Again

Employers say they cannot agree to job‑security guarantees on contracting or administrative duties.

Centennial College is shown in Toronto on Wednesday July 9, 2025. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union says close to 10,000 college faculty and staff have either been let go or are projected to lose their jobs amid hundreds of program cancellations and suspensions since last year.

Overview

  • Both OPSEU and the College Employer Council confirmed Monday that mediation failed and negotiations broke down with no return‑to‑work date.
  • Roughly 10,000 full‑time support staff at Ontario’s 24 public colleges have been on strike since Sept. 11.
  • OPSEU says the employer refused progress on job‑security provisions and argues none of the current proposals would prevent layoffs.
  • CEC CEO Graham Lloyd says colleges cannot be bound to never contract out or to permanently restrict occasional administrative work, adding the dispute is not financially driven.
  • The union cites thousands of sector layoffs and Georgian College’s planned closures in Orillia and Muskoka as evidence of broader risks, while NDP Leader Marit Stiles called the stalled talks concerning.