John Grimshaw and James Barry would like to thank the IBEW CCO membership across Ontario for their hard work that made the rally against Schedule 17 such a success. Over 4,000 of you participated in the event – the largest seen at Queen’s Park in over 4 years.
The Queen’s Park Legislative Security Service was amazed at the incredible organization of this event. It took less than 24 hours from when we met with them to secure the permit to get thousands of people to the Legislature. Not only that, everyone was very respectful and conscientious, which kept the focus on the issue.
From business managers to staff to rank and file members, it took the incredible efforts of many to organize the demonstration in just a few short days. Incredibly long hours were put in by each and every local union office, reaching out to members through e-mails and phone calls to put the word out and create the required domino effect.
Individual members put their daily commitments on hold to be on busses as early as 3:00 AM to make it to the Ontario Legislature on time. So many of you also pitched in where and when they could on the grounds of Queen’s Park, handing out signs and sharing IBEW swag, keeping pedestrians safe when crossing the road, and even collecting garbage when the rally was over.
A couple of shout outs:
- Local 353 played a pivotal role to help organize the distribution of signs, and live social media posting of video of the speeches.
- Local 105 Hamilton brought a team to act as marshals to keep the event running smoothly and safely.
Thank you to members of ECAO (Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario) who also made the time to join in the demonstration and support the cause. In particular, spokesman Dan Lancia of Holaco Installations spoke of his solidarity with all certified trades.
Our membership was the best represented union from across Ontario. In spite of the urgency of the issue, there was positive conversation between members from many certified trades and other vested parties.
Bill Daniels, Vice President of IBEW First District Office, “I would like to extend my congratulations to Brothers Grimshaw and Barry, and the IBEW Construction Local Unions in the province of Ontario, for a job well done in orchestrating and participating in the Day of Action opposing the Liberal Government’s Bill 70, Schedule 17. Your leadership on this issue raised the profile of regressive legislation intended to lower the professional standards in the electrical and other skilled compulsory trades. Keep up the good work.”