July 19, 2024 – We understand and share your frustrations. Your dedication and hard work are the backbone of our mission to ensure the safety and wellbeing of families in Ottawa. We are committed to working together to achieve our shared goals for sustainable child welfare. We know that you’re continually asked to do more with fewer resources and we are deeply appreciative of your efforts. Your work is invaluable to the Ottawa community. You deserve more.
Over the past few years, CASO has undertaken several key initiatives to address funding challenges and call for sustainable child welfare:
- 2019: CASO management flagged to the Ministry that continued declines in service volumes would result in a deficit by 2023-24. In response, the Board and senior leadership drafted a revised funding formula proposal, which was shared with various societies, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS), and our program supervisor at the Ministry.
- 2019-2020: CASO provided direct guidance and input into the child welfare redesign strategy, launched in July 2020. We drafted a proposal for a funding formula that rewards best practices, prevention and early intervention, upholding our commitments to Reconciliation and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- 2020-2022: The Board and senior leadership met with the then Assistant Deputy Minister to discuss sector sustainability. During the pandemic, CASO collaborated with CHEO, OPS, and Public Health to streamline services and support families in crisis, ensuring no child or youth fell through the cracks. Similar challenges were noted in the developmental services and mental health/addictions sectors.
- 2023: With the appointment of a new Assistant Deputy Minister, the Ministry communicated that the overall funding for all 50 child welfare agencies would remain unchanged. CASO hosted an event with its community partners, MPPs and Ottawa City Councillors to highlight our challenges, leading to a series of media releases. Our union president and the OPSEU Representative were invited to witness our efforts.
- 2024: CASO joined the union in a press conference to highlight financial sustainability concerns. We support joint messaging with the union and are willing to do this again once our staff return to work.
Considering the significant financial constraints our agency is experiencing, and the projected increases in operating costs in the coming years, we believe the offer we have made to the Union is reasonable. In addition to the 3.5 per cent wage increase provided in 2023, our proposal amounts to a cumulative increase of 11.7 per cent over a four-year period.
In response to our offers, the Union has indicated they cannot bring any proposals to their membership that do not include higher wage enhancements or an agreement from CASO to prevent any layoffs over the course of the Collective Agreement. On July 17, 2024, CASO contacted the Union to propose returning to the bargaining table with the assistance of a third-party mediator. However, the Union expressed that they were not interested in pursuing a mediated approach at this time.
Make no mistake, our efforts will continue, and we will persist in urging the Ministry to provide adequate funding for the vital work you do.
We are committed to working together to find a fair and sustainable solution. Your role is critical, and we are dedicated to supporting you as best as we can within our current limitations. Our continuity plans are in place, and our management team is working around the clock to meet the community’s needs. But this isn’t a sustainable long-term solution. We need you, and the community needs you.
