My name is Tamie, I am 16 year olds. I am supposed to be working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor this summer at Etobicoke’s Memorial Pool. Instead, as a member of CUPE Local 79, I am  on strike. And on Canada Day, I picketed at the Ingram Transfer Station. Going on strike was not part of my summer plans.

I started off not caring at all about the actual meaning of the dispute: I was there for the strike pay, not to support my fellow workers. If I worked for just four hours a day, five days a week, CUPE 79 would pay me $200. For a student like me, that seems like decent enough money. I soon got a reality check. I am currently scheduled at the York Civic Centre, where I picket in the back parking lot. On my first day, a woman brought along her 2-year-old toddler, for whom she couldn’t find daycare. The second day, I overheard another woman talking about being behind on her phone bill. 

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An excellent radio presentation from CBC Canada, featuring the case of the drain of health workers from the Philippines to Canada and how it impacts on the health care system of the Philippines. The story brings a human dimension to the work PSI is doing on migration. Click here