Workers at 23 different organizations and agencies across Ontario, each of which are provincially-funded, have been on strike since May.
These workers were only given a one per cent annual wage increase under Premier Doug Ford’s Bill 124, which was enacted in 2019 and found unconstitutional in 2024. While other public sector workers got retroactive pay increases following the court decision, these workers have not.
One of the agencies with workers on strike is Sistering, which operates a 24-hour drop-in for women and gender-diverse individuals on Bloor Street West near Dovercourt Road.
“It’s more and more tasks being expected every day, but our wages is not going up,” Ashanti, a Sistering employee, tells The Grind at a protest taking place outside the agency. “Most of our staff is one paycheque away from being homeless.”
The province-wide strike has been promoted by the workers’ union, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), under the banner of their “Worth Fighting For” campaign. Striking workers have displayed banners around the province and showed up at Ford Fest en masse to boo the premier. After Canada Day, a group of workers paddled canoes and kayaks up to Ford’s cottage in Muskoka for a floating protest.
This article appeared in the 2026 Summer issue.
