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THEY’RE COMING HOME
LOCAL HOCKEY PLAYER DEFIES ODDS
A community celebration, recognizing the achievements of local global athletes
‘Living with the worst disease you’d never heard of’
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2025
S Q U A M I S H C H I E F. C O M
DEAL DONE?
Skaters acutely feeling impact of municipal labour dispute, as tentative deal reached JENNIFER THUNCHER
jthuncher@lodestarmedia.ca
L
abour disputes are like marriage separations—painful, confusing and frustrating. Only with labour disputes, come what may, the two sides have to agree to make the marriage work in the end. As of press deadline Tuesday, reconciliation is now within sight. The District of Squamish and CUPE Local 2269 announced on Oct. 28 that they had reached a tentative agreement. “This has been a difficult chapter between the District of Squamish and their workers,” said Celeste Bickford, president of CUPE 2269, in a news release. “Reaching a tentative agreement is the necessary first step towards rebuilding our workplace culture and improving staff morale, to ensure we can better deliver the vital services residents, business and visitors count on.” Next, union members will vote on the agreement. Picket lines will stay in place until both parties have ratified the agreement. While the public has been feeling the effects of the labour dispute since Oct. 2, when the union began rotating job action, the issue has been brewing for a lot longer for those involved. The collective agreement between the
PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER/THE SQUAMISH CHIEF
CUPE District of Squamish workers on the picket line on Sunday, during the torrential rain.
District and CUPE 2269 expired on Dec. 31, 2024. Talks broke down on July 4, 2025. That month, union members voted 100% in favour of job action. On Sept. 29, the District received strike notice from the union.
The key issues of contention have been wage increases and scheduling related to achieving work-life balance. After a couple of weeks of rotating job action, the District locked out some of its unionized workers on Oct. 16. Unless employees were part of the two sides’
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essential service agreement, services provided by CUPE 2269’s 250 members stopped that day. Meanwhile, those in the public most impacted have become increasingly frustrated. The arena has been a focal point for many. STRIKE: Continued on 2