July 8, 2026 - Executive Director's Update Regarding Labour Action
Dear Friends of Broadview Village,
I am sad to report that the labour action that started May 25, 2026, is now in its seventh week. Unfortunately, this has meant that people we support remain in new locations, or with different agencies, or are lacking day program supports; our neighbours remain inconvenienced by the OPSEU picketing and the actions of the picketers; and our staff remain off (having now missed 2 complete pay cycles). We were hopeful that this situation would be resolved by now, but there is little cause for optimism at this point as we remain apart with no new bargaining scheduled.
As this situation continues, I want to be clear as to where we, the management team, are at in relation to this action, so please accept the following:
- Residentially we have had multiple reviews by our funder, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) and in each case (before and since the strike), we have received a clean report with NO instances of non-compliance with required standards. This is a true testament to our agency workers and our managers hard work together to ensure the continued health, safety and quality of life of the people we support.
- For our closed Day Programs, let me say how sorry I am that this is having the profoundly negative impacts that it is on those we can currently no longer support.
- We attempted to negotiate a picket line protocol with the union prior to the strike. Unfortunately, OPSEU denied our request. A picket line protocol is not something that is required by law but is often engaged in between the employer and the union. The protocol can specify things like how long people are held up at the picket line, activities on the line, etcetera. As a result of this, the level of impact on our neighbors remains high.
- There are no new negotiations set.
We remain hopeful that we will receive a viable counter to our last offer as a starting point for continued negotiations, but please understand that the union’s stated position is that their fight is with the Provincial Government – something we have zero control over – and so this may last a while.
Take Care and God Bless you all….
Art Mathews, Executive Director, Broadview Village and London Village
May 25, 2026 - Executive Director's Message Regarding Labour Action
Dear Friends of Broadview Village,
I am sad to report that after months of negotiation we have not been able to reach a successful settlement with our staffs’ bargaining unit OPSEU, who have now declared a legal strike effective today. We are committed to the process of collective bargaining and the principles upon which it is founded and are hopeful that we will find a resolution that is mutually acceptable soon.
In the interim, we have had to make changes to some of our programs to manage the portions of our service that are deemed essential. Unfortunately, we have had to shut down our Day Programs for people with developmental disabilities at our Railside location and at the 1132 Broadview location. We have also temporarily closed a few of our homes and supported people in relocating to new, temporary homes to ensure their health, safety and quality of life.
I know this is a tremendously trying time for many people but, as I say above, I am hopeful that we can work towards a speedy resolution. During this time, please send your good thoughts and prayers out to the people we support and their families; to our staff who find themselves on the outside looking in; to our replacement staff who are working gallantly to maintain the health, safety and welfare of everyone; and to our management and administrative staff who in many cases have moved into residential locations to provide frontline support during this difficult time or have extended their hours to maintain critical operations within our Ministry Unit.
Should you require any additional information about this please reach out to THQ.BroadviewVillageInquiries@salvationarmy.ca directly for more information.