Mediator appointed to resolve 'incredibly challenging' Fraser Valley bus strike
The British Columbia government has appointed veteran mediator Vince Ready to help resolve what it says is an “incredibly challenging” bus strike in the Fraser Valley.
CUPE Local 561 has been on strike since March, and Labour Minister Harry Bains says the prolonged absence of bus service from Abbotsford and Mission to Chilliwack and Hope has had real impacts on residents.
The minister says Ready is a well-regarded mediator in both the public and private sector and will help settle the terms of an agreement between the union and bus operator First Transit, a private company that has been contracted to run the service.
Bains says Ready will have up to 10 days to bring the sides together and come to terms of an agreement, but if one can't be reached in that time, Ready can issue recommendations on how to end the strike.
In a statement issued by the minister on Thursday, Bains says both sides will have five days to accept or reject Ready's recommendations should they fail to resolve the strike.
Bains says it's important for both sides to work toward a deal at the bargaining table to end the months-long strike, which has been stalled over benefits and the union's request for wages closer to their counterparts in Metro Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.