As tensions rise between CUPE Local 2269 and the District of Squamish, residents are feeling the impact of a lockout that has shuttered key facilities and halted numerous municipal services.
Today marks Day 16 in the ongoing labour dispute between the District of Squamish and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2269, which represents 250 unionized municipal employees.
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If you have a dance class or other activity scheduled at a District facility today or this weekend, it is likely that it has been cancelled.
The increasingly bitter collective bargaining divide has resulted in closed facilities and the cancellation of services that will impact residents.
Both sides blame the other for the disruption of services to locals.
The District says the lockout of workers on Thursday deliberately didn’t include Brennan Park Recreation Centre as part of the lockout.
“Now that CUPE job action has impacted the facility, however, the ice will need to be removed and the pool drained, given the requirement for certified operators for the operation and maintenance of [the] ammonia plant and the pool,” the District said in its Thursday evening news release.
The union says there is no such thing as a “partial” lockout.
Its members were behind picket lines on Thursday.
It is important to note that essential services, like those related to water, wastewater treatment and collections, snow and ice control, and fire and police response, will continue no matter how long or contentious the dispute becomes, due to a legally binding agreement between the municipality and the union.
The District provided the following breakdown for residents of what is on and what is cancelled:
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The arena ice will be removed. The District says this is due to the inability to maintain the ammonia plant without certified operators.The pool will be drained. Again, the municipality says this is due to the lack of certified pool operators to maintain water quality and facility systems. The pool reopening date originally scheduled for Oct. 18 is now cancelled.The remainder of the Brennan Park Recreation Centre, including washrooms, will be closed Oct. 16 to 20. The District says this is due to the inability to provide custodial services. The closure will impact all programs and bookings running on those days. Capacity to facilitate programming and bookings from Oct. 21 onward is still under review, the release from the municipality says.Fall pool program registration will not begin on Oct. 21 and is delayed indefinitely.
The District says refunds for programs will be issued.
“Customer emails can be sent to [email protected], though responses will be delayed,” the news release states.
The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.Essential services such as water supply and distribution, wastewater (sewage) treatment and collections, snow and ice control continue.Non-unionized employees will complete work relating to District garbage bin collection and other tasks.Weather-related issues are considered an essential service and will continue as needed.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.Essential services such as water supply and distribution, wastewater (sewage) treatment and collections, snow and ice control continue.Non-unionized employees will complete work relating to District garbage bin collection and other tasks.Weather-related issues are considered an essential service and will continue as needed.The RCMP facility remains open and police services are not impacted.Urgent bylaw enforcement will continue by other authorized agencies. Bylaw complaints can continue to be identified to [email protected] and will be prioritized accordingly.Animal control services will be impacted, and the dog pound will be closed until further notice. Please contact the RCMP via the non-emergency line 604-892-6100, or 9-1-1 in an emergency, for any concerns related to dangerous dogs.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.Essential services such as water supply and distribution, wastewater (sewage) treatment and collections, snow and ice control continue.Non-unionized employees will complete work relating to District garbage bin collection and other tasks.Weather-related issues are considered an essential service and will continue as needed.The RCMP facility remains open and police services are not impacted.Urgent bylaw enforcement will continue by other authorized agencies. Bylaw complaints can continue to be identified to [email protected] and will be prioritized accordingly.Animal control services will be impacted, and the dog pound will be closed until further notice. Please contact the RCMP via the non-emergency line 604-892-6100, or 9-1-1 in an emergency, for any concerns related to dangerous dogs.Remains open.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.Essential services such as water supply and distribution, wastewater (sewage) treatment and collections, snow and ice control continue.Non-unionized employees will complete work relating to District garbage bin collection and other tasks.Weather-related issues are considered an essential service and will continue as needed.The RCMP facility remains open and police services are not impacted.Urgent bylaw enforcement will continue by other authorized agencies. Bylaw complaints can continue to be identified to [email protected] and will be prioritized accordingly.Animal control services will be impacted, and the dog pound will be closed until further notice. Please contact the RCMP via the non-emergency line 604-892-6100, or 9-1-1 in an emergency, for any concerns related to dangerous dogs.Remains open.Fire rescue services are not impacted.The turf field remains open. Portable washrooms will remain operational today (Friday, Oct. 17) then reassessed for availability.Grass fields remain open through the weekend and will be reassessed on Monday. Washrooms in the field house building will be open daily during pre-scheduled field use.Pickleball and tennis courts remain open.Other facilities, such as the BMX track, the SORCA skills park and skate parks are not impacted.The facility will remain open during regular operating hours, and remains open for previously booked events and rentals.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered, the District says, but most programs were cancelled Thursday, including dance and fitness classes.Programs led by union employees are cancelled.View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors for a full list of offered programs.Certain programs led by contracted instructors continue to be offered. View the daily schedule at squamish.ca/seniors.The facility remains open during regular operating hours for the intake of applications, such as business licences, building permits, planning and environmental permitting applications.Financial services payments, including dog and business licence payments, can be completed online at squamish.ca/online-services.Public washrooms are closed.Essential services such as water supply and distribution, wastewater (sewage) treatment and collections, snow and ice control continue.Non-unionized employees will complete work relating to District garbage bin collection and other tasks.Weather-related issues are considered an essential service and will continue as needed.The RCMP facility remains open and police services are not impacted.Urgent bylaw enforcement will continue by other authorized agencies. Bylaw complaints can continue to be identified to [email protected] and will be prioritized accordingly.Animal control services will be impacted, and the dog pound will be closed until further notice. Please contact the RCMP via the non-emergency line 604-892-6100, or 9-1-1 in an emergency, for any concerns related to dangerous dogs.Remains open.Fire rescue services are not impacted.Film and event permit applications are temporarily not being accepted.Repair Café and Children’s Clothing and Toy Swap events are cancelled.Budget Bingo and Budget Trivia nights next week are cancelled.
More to come…
The first day of the lockout of unionized workers by the District of Squamish saw CUPE 2269 rally in front of Municipal Hall.
Union members were joined by supporters and provincial CUPE BC representatives including president, Karen Ranalletta, secretary-treasurer Tony Rebelo and general vice-president Sheryl Burns. National president Mark Hancock was also in attendance for the rally.
The Squamish Chief reporter Ina Pace talked to union representatives and Mayor Armand Hurford.
CUPE Local 2269, which garnered a 100% strike vote from its members in July, began rotating job action on Oct. 2.
The District locked out its workers as of this morning, Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6 a.m.
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More to come…
On Day 15 of the escalating divide between the District of Squamish and its unionized employees, the battle is continuing to play out in press releases rather than at the negotiating table.
With the District locking out CUPE 2269 employees as of this morning at 6 a.m., the union’s leadership says that what the municipality calls a “partial lockout” is in fact a complete lockout.
“There is no such thing — a lockout is a lockout,” reads a news release from the union sent out late Wednesday night.
The release says that as of this morning, all services provided by CUPE 2269 members have stopped, except those deemed essential.
“This decision shows a lack of leadership,” said Celeste Bickford, president of CUPE 2269, in the release. “The mayor and council, and senior management, have chosen escalation over resolution. Instead of doing the hard work needed to find a solution, they have chosen to lock out their own workers and indefinitely disrupt the public services that residents depend on every day.”
Both sides accuse the other of not working toward a deal.
The District, in its release on Oct. 14, said that the union has not come back to the table since Oct. 4, when the municipality made its last proposal.
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The District said its most recent proposal increases the wage of the lowest-paid unionized employees to $27.50 per hour, not including benefits and offered wage increases of 3.26% in 2025 and 2.99% in 2026. The District said it has also moved on vacation pay, reducing the years needed to reach four weeks of vacation to four years from five, and is offering compressed work weeks where possible.
Though it doesn’t provide its exact demands, the union says that the employer’s offer wasn’t a serious one.
“Let’s be clear, we never walked away from the table,” said Bickford, in the Wednesday release. “When the District asked to resume negotiations earlier this month, we agreed in good faith. Instead of moving toward a deal, they came back with an offer that was lower than what they had previously proposed. Since our last bargaining date, the District has misrepresented what happened during negotiations and shared inaccurate information with the public.”
In a letter to mayor and council that the union shared on its Facebook page, Bickford challenges the District’s assertion that its offer was equal to that of larger communities, when those communities have only negotiated up to 2025.
Other communities, similar in size to Squamish, have had better deals recently negotiated, she added.
The union release states that since 2024, approximately 40% of unionized workers have stopped working for the District. Bickford states that 89 of the 94 who left, quit. The letter to council says that workers are burning out trying to fill in for workers who left.
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In the letter, she repeats the union’s call for “fair compensation and stable staffing.”
“And while the District has amended their exempt staff compensation policy to help address recruitment and retention concerns, they have not implemented a similar measure for unionized workers,” the latest union release states.
“CUPE 2269 has always been ready to bargain and remains prepared to return to the table if the District is serious about reaching a fair deal that respects workers and protects the services Squamish residents rely on every day.”
The union is planning a rally outside Municipal Hall today at noon.
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