Then following is a letter to the editor submitted by the Children's Aid society Board of directors.
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We wish to challenge the assertion made by the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ representative that the CAS is not keeping members of the public adequately informed during the current labour situation.
As the facts show, nothing could be further from the truth.
The CAS board is in constant communication with CAS executives and, through them, with the provincial government and members of the public. The board is kept apprised immediately of any new developments during the labour dispute.
Updates, news releases and background information have been posted to the CAS website several times since the dispute began, and this will continue as developments warrant.
From the outset, CAS Executive Director Gisèle Hébert has conducted numerous interviews with news media in response to all of their requests, and news releases and other communications providing important updates have been sent to them as well. All of these many communications have been conducted with one purpose in mind: to keep all stakeholders, including members of the public, fully informed. We will continue to do so.
Our board’s decision not to cancel but to postpone the Jan. 24, 2017 board meeting, and the reason behind that decision, are posted on our website, as your article notes. We will add that the board and CAS remain fully in compliance with all relevant reporting and meeting requirements.
Respecting the difficult decision to lock out workers, this action was based on strong evidence that, had we not done so, we would face a serious risk of disruption to the services we provide to children and families. To avoid this risk, it became necessary to implement a contingency plan that involved the lockout. In the meantime, the CAS is focusing its efforts and resources on the provision of services to children and families, in keeping with our mandate, and our board remains fully confident in the CAS’s executive leadership.
Yours Sincerely,
The Board of Directors Nipissing and Parry Sound CAS
