Water testing and potholes. Here's Region of Waterloo's contingency plan during the outside worker strike
CBC News | Posted: March 17, 2025 10:00 AM | Last Updated: March 17
‘Prioritize what needs to be done daily,’ says the acting CAO of the region
The Region of Waterloo has a contingency plan in place to ensure services are maintained during the outside worker strike which has entered its third week.
Mathieu Goetzke, the acting CAO with the Region of Waterloo, told CBC News the work normally done by about 240 outside workers is now being performed by about half that number of people.
"So we've made sure that through management and management support staff, most of them have experience and have gone up through the ranks. So they have all the right qualifications and certifications and they're the ones who are stepping up to do the work," said Goetzke.
"A majority of our services are either regulated or they have mandated service levels. And then the way that we deliver them is also regulated."
The striking workers represented by Local 1656 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have been off the job since March 4. The union says it's calling for higher wages to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Service delivery not impacted
Since the strike started, management and support staff have prioritized services that include removing snow from the airport runway. Flights are running on schedule but travellers have been told to arrive early.
On the roads, the region is also working on fixing potholes that need to be repaired across the region.
Where waste collection is concerned, the curbside collection continues as normal but the waste landfill sites in Waterloo and Cambridge remain closed.
When it comes to drinking water, Mathieu Goetzke said that water testing is highly regulated.
"Operators require licenses and certifications. But as part of our management and management support staff, we have all the people who have the appropriate licenses and certifications. And so they're running the system right now," said Goetzke.
The region had to submit its contingency plan to the Ministry of Environment,Conservation and Parks.
"They keep a very close eye on these things both on the way we operate them and the staff who are maintaining the services. So they're all certified and qualified to do this work. And the ministry approved our contingency plan."
The wastewater treatment plants are run by operators from the Ontario Clean Water Agency, which is consistent with what other municipalities do. And Goetzke says staff are "carrying out all the operational checks and doing necessary repairs."
For their part, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks said the region did submit a proposal to use existing certified operators, including management staff, and professional engineers "trained by and working under certified operators' supervision."
"No other non-certified persons are permitted to operate the affected systems during the labour disruption. The plan has been accepted," a spokesperson for the ministry told CBC News.
Goetzke says the strike has delayed the start of construction season as a number of capital projects that were scheduled to start in the spring will be delayed because of the strike action.