Ontario's government fought public workers for years. And lost billions.
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In November 2019, months before the pandemic made heroes of public sector workers like teachers and (especially) nurses, Ontario's government passed Bill 124, attempting to cap their pay increases at one percent for the next three years. It didn't go very well.
Earlier this month, after years of protests and bad press, and a legal challenge that went to the highest court ion the province, the same government repealed the bill. And then announced in the budget that the entire fight, including years of back pay, has already cost the province $6 billion in taxpayer money, and could cost billions more. So...what happened here? Why did this fight drag on for years? And would the government have been better off just paying up in the first place?
GUEST: Richard Southern, Queen's Park reporter, CityNews
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