Union representing N.S. long-term care workers to picket outside Houston speech

A Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) flag during an education support workers rally outside of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

HALIFAX — The union representing about 3,500 striking long-term care workers in Nova Scotia says its members will picket this afternoon, steps away from Premier Tim Houston’s state-of-the-province address.

Christa Sweeney with the Canadian Union of Public Employees says Houston’s government has a responsibility to listen to the workers set to gather outside the Halifax Convention Centre.

It comes after the union rejected the provincial government’s claim that union negotiators refused to return to the bargaining table on the weekend.

CUPE members at 35 long-term care facilities have been on strike for six weeks, with pay being the main issue in the labour dispute.

Seniors Minister Barbara Adams has said the union was asked to return to the bargaining table over the weekend but decided to wait until next week.

A union spokesperson says the claim that it was unwilling to return to the table was false.

The government has offered wage increases between 12 and 24 per cent over four years; retroactive pay to 2023; increased evening and weekend premiums; access to a defined benefit pension; an additional $2 per hour beginning in 2027 for those earning less than $23 an hour; and an additional 1.5 per cent increase for all workers next year.


Relatives of long-term care residents have said the strike has meant fewer baths, more falls and dietary adjustments for their loved ones.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2026.