Guelph, Ont. – May 16, 2020 – New analyses from food manufacturing and retail expert Kevin Grier reveal that prices, production, and profit margins in Canada’s meat processing industry have changed substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with pork prices collapsing, chicken demand increasing, and beef production taking a major hit in April.
Toronto – May 15, 2020 – We’re UFCW union members and your neighbours on the frontline, working day and night across the country to make sure you have the food, healthcare, security and vital services you need to stay safe during the COVID-19 crisis.
Toronto – May 14, 2020 – With the COVID-19 pandemic presenting a range of new stressors and challenges for workers across the country, UFCW Canada has launched a new series of webinars aimed at helping Canadians maintain their mental health in this time of crisis.
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| May 17 - International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) |
May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia & Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
Created in 2004, IDAHOBIT seeks to raise awareness of the discrimination and violence that is experienced by two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (2SLGBTQI+) persons around the world. The commemorative date of May 17 also coincides with the 1990 World Health Organization (WHO) decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness.
In 2023, the theme is “Together Always, United in Our Diversity.” The emphasis of this theme highlights the importance of solidarity, which is paramount in defending the hard-earned gains that the 2SLGBTQI+ community has earned in Canada.
It is no secret that Pride organizations from coast to coast have been the targets of homophobic and transphobic hate and violence, and these attacks are irrefutably connected to larger, global efforts of alt-right and white supremacist organizing. These attacks are increasing in size and frequency across the country. In May 2023, the Canadian Labour Congress unanimously passed an emergency ‘Anti-Hate’ resolution calling on Canada’s unions to condemn the rise in hate attacks on the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
In addition, gender-diverse workers in Canada are still facing disproportionately high rates of violence and harassment in the workplace. The CLC’s most recent survey on harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces found that 73% of gender-diverse respondents reported experiencing multiple forms of harassment and violence at work, a disproportionately high number compared to their cisgender colleagues. LGBTQ2S+ respondents were also more likely to have experienced harassment and violence, particularly sexual harassment and violence.
IDAHOBIT also presents an opportunity to support the work of LGBTQI2S organizations working to advance equality in Canada and around the world, including UFCW Canada’s national partner, the Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, and our international partner, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA).
For more information on our union’s efforts to advance 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, visit UFCW Canada’s “Supporting LGBTQI2S Rights” webpage, and be sure to check out our work with UFCW’s constituency group for LGBTQ12S issues and advocacy, UFCW OUTreach.
Saint Malo, Man. – May 12, 2020 – UFCW Local 832 members working at Chalet Malouin, a seniors’ retirement home in Saint Malo, Manitoba, have ratified a new union contract that provides wage gains, an extra float day, and more.
Toronto – May 11, 2020 – Many in the media and elsewhere have been praising Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ford has certainly outshone most other conservative premiers in Canada, mainly by not being the belligerent bully he was during his first eighteen month as premier. But we can’t forget his government’s reckless actions in the lead up to this pandemic.
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