Niagara Falls is one of the most spectacular and famous natural wonders in Canada, attracting honeymooners and tourists who want to take boat tours, hike the area or enjoy the view from observation decks.
However, because of the recent strike by Air Canada’s flight attendants, I got stuck in Moose Jaw instead of enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of the Niagara region. While Air Canada and flight attendants reached a tentative deal on Tuesday, the strike was long enough to kill my plans.
My parents and I had planned to visit the southern Ontario city to see family we hadn’t seen in almost two decades. My parents had scheduled everything down to the smallest detail, from the Airbnb to the car rental to the winery tours to the barbecues to seeing the thundering falls.
Then, within days of our departure, the union representing Air Canada’s flight attendants announced its members would go on strike — for reasons I totally support — and that people should be aware.
This prompted my parents and me to worry, since we were supposed to leave on the morning the strike mandate kicked in. I had managed to book a week off work, and my parents had spent a significant sum on plane tickets and everything else.
The initial strike announcement forced my parents to cancel the Airbnb and car rental, but then they feverishly attempted to rebook them after hearing that the federal government had forced the union back to work. The one caveat with the announcement was that anyone with flights on Air Canada should wait for a confirmation email or call from the company that the flight was still on.
By 7 p.m. on Saturday, my parents had not received any notification, but figured the plane wouldn’t be leaving and cancelled our tickets — and thus, the trip. The next morning, we learned the union wouldn’t obey Ottawa’s back-to-work legislation and planned to stay on the picket line.
So, not having to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a 7 a.m. plane was great, I guess.
It seems Canada has experienced many disruptive strikes, job actions and lockouts over the past few years, which have all affected the country in some way.
Canada Post employees engaged in strike activities twice in the past year, halting deliveries of mail and packages. Most people likely didn’t care too much since they order products online. Yet, personally, I missed receiving greeting cards from my elderly aunts and uncles. It’s also nice to have something physical and tactile to hold instead of just a text message.
Canada Post and its union recently held two days of talks to resolve their differences, so we’ll see how that goes.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City locked out their employees after months of bitter negotiations. This led to workers hitting the picket lines — albeit, for 17 hours — and shipments grinding to a halt.
Moody's Ratings estimated the shutdown cost the economy up to $341 million per day, equivalent to four per cent of Canada’s GDP. The shutdown also disrupted supply chains across North America, as Canada ships most of its exports to the United States by rail. A rail shutdown also affected shipments of grain, autos, coal and potash, among other goods.
The Canadian government eventually stepped in and forced the companies and unions to the bargaining table.
These past couple of years have shown labour issues are always bubbling in Canada, with workers wanting more money to address inflation pressures and work conditions, and companies refusing to budge. I wouldn’t be surprised if more workplace disruptions occur in the coming years.
Anyway, here I sit, typing this column with a fan blowing on me to beat the heat, instead of feeling the spray of the mighty Niagara Falls on my face.
