Services, jobs at risk as government slashes broader public sector agencies

The release of the provincial budget estimates revealed that significant cuts are coming to broader public sector employers, including the Ontario Arts Council, Health Quality Ontario, and Public Health Ontario.

AMAPCEO, the union that represents professional employees at these three agencies, is working with each of the employers to minimize any impact on jobs and services.

“Like the cuts to the Ontario Child Advocate and the Office of Ontario French Language Services Commissioner, these cuts do more than put people’s jobs at risk,” said AMAPCEO President Dave Bulmer. “These cuts will have a significant impact on the critical public services that Ontarians rely on.”

At the Ontario Arts Council, AMAPCEO members provide grants and services to professional Ontario-based artists and arts organizations.

At Health Quality Ontario, AMAPCEO members include clinical epidemiologists, who assess which health treatment options are both safe and economical for use in Ontario.

At Public Health Ontario, AMAPCEO members work in critical illness prevention and health protection roles.

These cuts are over and above the thousands of jobs already eliminated from within the Ontario Public Service, including the 477 professionals from the AMAPCEO bargaining unit alone who were bought-out through the Transition Exit Initiative. These cuts are also over and above the 40 positions eliminated when the government merged the Ontario Child Advocate, minus its advocacy function, along with the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner into the Ontario Ombudsman’s office.

“Make no mistake, Ontario’s public services are already threadbare,” said Bulmer. “Further cuts will only further unravel the seams of what is the fabric of our social safety network.”