As a couple of labour disputes drag on, the provincial NDP leader says the province should be doing more to fund the agencies involved.

In an interview with our newsroom, Andrea Horwath was asked about the 12 week lockout at the local Children’s Aid Society and the province wide strike at the Canadian Hearing Society.

She says both receive government funds and if the services are needed, then society should be helping provide them.

“If that is the case, then lets do it in a way that ensures that people who provide those services, the workers, are given a fair shake and able to make a decent living and have a secure future,” she says.

Horwath says the government is not stepping up to the plate by ensuring Children’s Aid Societies are being funded at a level appropriate for what they do and the lockouts and strikes are making the situation worse.

“We have the most vulnerable children, the most vulnerable families not being able to get the kind of services and supports that they need and that is reprehensible,” She says.

No talks are scheduled in either dispute.

Filed under: labour, lockout, ndp, new-democratic-party, north bay, strike