Resources

• BDLC Affiliation Form
• BDLC By-Laws (English)
• BDLC By-Laws (French)
• Labour Day Picnic booth application form

Equity Statement

Union solidarity is based on the principle that union members are equal and deserve mutual respect. Any behavior that creates conflict prevents us from working together to strengthen the labour movement.

As unionists, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding are our goals. We neither condone nor tolerate behavior that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Discriminatory speech or conduct which is racist, sexist, transphobic or homophobic hurts and divides us. So too, does the discrimination on the basis of disability age, class, religion, language and ethnic origin.

Sometimes discrimination takes the form of harassment. Harassment means using real or perceived power to abuse, devalue or humiliate. Harassment is not a joke. The uneasiness and resentment it creates are not feelings that help us grow in solidarity.

Discrimination and harassment focus on characteristics that make us different. They reduce our capacity to work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our unions.

The CLC’s policies and practices reflect our commitment to equality. This event is harassment free zone to ensure that the dignity and equality of all sisters and brothers is respected.

Ceasefire Now. Aid To Gaza. End the Blockage.

The Barrie and District Labour Council endorses and joins the Ontario Federation of Labour’s call for immediate ceasefire.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is speaking out to oppose the rapidly escalating violence in Israel-Palestine, and joining the call for an immediate ceasefire, aid to Gaza, and an end to the blockade.

In its statement on October 9, 2023, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), representing labour organizations internationally, unequivocally condemned all attacks on innocent civilians. We too condemn Hamas’ attack on October 7 and Israel’s subsequent response. Violence must not beget more violence.

The loss of thousands of lives has caused unspeakable pain, and it must end now.

With each passing hour, the situation is spiralling to a full-scale war, on top of an already devastating humanitarian crisis.

The OFL calls on the Canadian Labour Congress, and all trade union allies, to join us in making these demands of the Government of Canada:

• Call for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in Israel-Palestine
• Call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the restoration of humanitarian aid and access to the basic necessities of life
• Call for the safe and immediate return of all hostages and civilians being held in detention without charge

We firmly believe a just and lasting peace is possible in Israel-Palestine, where people of all backgrounds and faiths can live peaceably side by side, in safety and security, and with justice for all.

BDLC’s Black Lives Matter Statement

Anti-Black racism runs deep but so does our commitment towards combating it. Canada’s Unions are expressing solidarity with Black communities everywhere, including in our own backyard. The Barrie and District Labour council is committed to fighting all forms of discrimination and is urgently calling for accountability and systemic change.

#blacklivesmatter

BDLC is a signatory of the Just Recovery Simcoe Group

The Barrie and District Labour Council is comprised of fifteen Labour Unions from Barrie and surrounding areas. We share common goals with Just Recovery Simcoe.

As we, the municipalities and the city of Barrie, move further into recovery it is important for our politicians to focus on key elements in their recovery plans.

1. Strengthen Public Health – The pandemic made it clear that we need a more resilient and comprehensive public health care system. Governments must make investments that will keep all of us safe, make life affordable, and ensure everyone has access to the health care they need.

2. Replace lost jobs with better ones – Millions of jobs were lost because of the pandemic. The economic shutdown had a disproportionate impact on women, racialized workers and Indigenous Peoples who face systemic barriers. Governments must make investments that guarantee a living wage for all workers, invest in green infrastructure, including public transit, clean and renewable energy, and energy efficient retrofits of buildings and homes. Support workers and industries that have been hardest hit. Finally, establish a “Buy Canadian” procurement policy.

3. Disaster-proof Canada’s social safety net – The pandemic exposed deep disparities and vulnerabilities in our social safety net. We can’t go back to business as usual. Governments must make investments that strengthen employment insurance, invest in a universal child care system, make housing more affordable and invest in skills training and post-secondary education so Canadians can get the skills and knowledge they need to find and keep good jobs.

As a country, province, and municipalities we have one chance to get recovery right.

https://justrecoverysimcoe.ca/

Land Acknowledgement

The Barrie and District Labour Council, who hold our meetings on the traditional territories of the Anishnaabe, Ojibwe of Rama, and Christian Island and the ancestral home of the Wendat send our solidarity to the Six Nations land defenders at 1492 Landback Lane.

As a Labour Council, we represent working class people in the Barrie and surrounding areas, including many of whom are from Six Nations, other First Nations, Metis, or Inuit nations. While those of us who are settlers cannot fully comprehend the history of oppression and violence that colonialism has wrought on these territories, we can stand as allies and say that every government who has ignored these issues has been complicit in their criminality.

We will commit to echoing this belief with members of the Canadian governments at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

We know that while there is much that makes us unique, being workers and part of a working class is something that we share across nations. We believe an injury to one is an injury to all.

As union leaders and activists, we must stand in solidarity with those activists and resisters. We understand that when we fight for one we fight for all, and when we make gains in one area we also fight so that all can benefit from our gains. We also have a responsibility to provide education to our members, our family and our community to ensure that those traditions of resistance and activism are carried on.

Our brothers and sisters at 1492 Landback Lane, and those supporting the land defenders at other sites, have our commitment that we will act as allies in working to stop the centuries-old and ongoing injuries resulting from colonialism and white supremacy.

We wish to affirm our support and we will work together, when needed, to provide solidarity in the future.