CUPE confirms they were notified of layoff notices related to the defunding of the 29-bed residential addiction treatment program locally.

CUPE says the union’s hospital collective agreement has strong protections and requires five months notice of the layoff process.

Ontario Council of Hospital Unions President Michael Hurley says that period is now underway and they have until May to change the situation.

He says they’ll have a strong campaign to gain public support to prevent the layoffs.

“On Monday, the opposition health critic and the Executive Director of the Ontario Health Coalition are coming to North Bay and they’ll be calling for the program to remain open,” he says.

As well, there will be a town hall next month.

Hurley says 19 CUPE workers will be impacted if the program closes but they’ll have opportunities to remain employed within the hospital.

“In terms of how many will lose their job I’m hoping that none of our people will be unemployed,” Hurley says.

The province has said funding will be reinvested in a Transitional Housing and Crisis Stabilization Centre with six beds.

(File photo by station staff)

Filed under: cupe-ontario, north-bay-regional-health-centre