N.S. school support workers could strike Oct. 26

Thousands of school support workers in Nova Scotia could go on strike as early as Monday, Oct. 26, after a conciliator declared an impasse in contract talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the province’s school employers, the Halifax Regional Centre for Education said.

The situation is developing, and the start of any job action depends on whether the union gives the notice required under the Trade Union Act and whether a deal is reached first.

The Canadian Press reported Monday that the union representing the workers is warning many schools may close if its members walk out. The Halifax Regional Centre for Education, known as HRCE, did not say schools would close in a letter to families.

Steve Gallagher, HRCE’s regional executive director, wrote that “unless a deal can be reached, CUPE has signaled an intent to commence strike action on Monday, October 26.” The centre told families in an email on Thursday, Oct. 15, that a conciliator had filed a report with Nova Scotia’s minister of labour, skills and immigration declaring an impasse. That halts bargaining and starts the process that can lead to a strike.

As of that Thursday, the union had not issued the 48 hours’ notice the Trade Union Act requires before a strike can begin.

Bargaining covers the province’s regional centres for education and the francophone Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. The union represents more than 5,000 school support workers across the seven regional centres and the conseil scolaire. They voted 94 per cent in favour of job action in the last round of bargaining.

The unit includes educational program assistants, early childhood educators, library support specialists, SchoolsPlus community outreach workers, child and youth care practitioners, Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian student support workers and assistive technology support workers. Teachers are not part of the unit.

CBC News reported the looming strike threatens access to education for some students with disabilities, who often rely on educational program assistants.

HRCE said its pre-primary program would be paused during a work stoppage. The EXCEL before- and after-school program is not represented by CUPE and would keep running. The centre said it is planning so students who rely on program assistants “will continue to be able to access educational services reasonably and safely,” and that principals will contact affected families directly. It promised families as much notice as possible before any change affecting students.

Gallagher pointed to recent labour action in the long-term care sector as a reason not to assume services will continue while talks are unresolved. About 3,600 care home workers in that sector went on strike in April and returned about eight weeks later after a tentative deal. Canada News Media previously reported on strike preparations in that sector.

Nova Scotia school support workers have come close to a walkout before. In 2023, members of Halifax’s CUPE Local 5047 voted down a tentative agreement that other locals accepted, sending them back to conciliation. A tentative deal reached Feb. 28, 2025, headed off a province-wide strike, and members ratified it that March.

Google Trends data showed searches for CUPE rising in Canada on Thursday as parents looked for information about possible disruptions. Neither the union nor the province had publicly confirmed a strike date at the time of publication.

Via The Canadian Press (CTV News), CBC News and HRCE correspondence to families. Related reading: Ontario education unions to hold strike votes in November.

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