Canadian Hearing Services Strike Enters Fourth Week

May 28, 2025

Since April 28th, 2025, 206 members across Ontario of CUPE 2073 who work at CHS as Sign language interpreters, employment consultants, Deafblind intervenors and in other frontline roles have been striking in 15 picket lines across the province for a two-year deal with a 5% wage increase. Audiology clinics are closed, literacy and newcomer services are no longer happening.

“Unfortunately, our employer has not really come to the table and offered us much,” said Courtney Drummond, an American Sign Language Interpreter with CHS who is one of the six staff on the picket line in Kingston. “They offered a one year, which has been what has been happening the last few years and so we couldn’t take this any longer, and we asked for a slightly more wage increase from what they offered and a two-year offer, to which they gave no reply.”

Due to the staff decreases (500 staff reduced to 206 staff across Ontario since 2010), Drummond is worried that without negotiation and a willingness to support staff, CHS will not be able to offer the services their vulnerable population needs. This especially affects rural populations without as much access to services that are offered in cities, with offices closing across the province.

“Being that we had to walk out not only to protect our coworkers but also the community from services being cut even further,” said Drummon. “Things that are happening are that our offices are being closed across the province, we only have 10 now, so people are not getting the services they need in the appropriate settings. It’s just putting up more barriers, and it’s just the way things have been going.”

“Barriers are being erected by the agency instead of being removed by the agency.”

Drummond believes that without staff equity, the clients who access these services are also going to suffer. 

“We are access. We are providing access to several thousand Ontarians. We provide American Sign Lanuage interpretation, we provide French LSQ, we have general social service workers that help clients find housing and resources in the community, and advocate for access. We have hearing specialists and speech therapists and so many other programs,” she said. “ We provide so much access and yet by not treating the staff equitably, they are actually hurting the community.”

“Our staff provisions are reduced so therefore, our services are reduced.”

While workers’ wages have decreased 16% behind inflation under CEO Julia Dumanian, Dumanian now earns 122 % more than the previous CEO. Drummond, along with her coworkers, is calling for financial transparency and responsibility to taxpayers in Ontario.

“We are primarily taxpayer-funded by financial support for the Ontario government and there is something going on. Our CEO is making $330,000 a year, and other upper staff are getting three-digit pay increases and yet they can offer us single-digit raises for year. We just want fiscal responsibility so tax payers are getting what they are paying for.”

CUPE 2073 headed  to the table with CHS on May 20  to discuss further options.