I am a retired municipal worker and labour leader from Truro, Nova Scotia. The short version of my story is on the home page. This is the longer one, about the work itself.

I worked for the Town of Truro from March 1980 until 2025. For much of the later part of that time I was on leave from my job to do the union work members elected me to do.

My working life taught me one thing above all. Respect on the job is not something workers should have to beg for. It has to be protected by strong unions, fair laws, and people who are willing to speak up.

Where it began

When I started at the Town, I saw that workers were not always treated the way they deserved. No one there had ever filed a grievance. That is where my union involvement started. I got active in CUPE Local 734 and began dealing with problems through the union instead of letting them slide.

A union works best when members know their rights, back each other up, and are not afraid to challenge unfair treatment. I learned that early, and I have never seen anything since to change my mind.

The jobs members elected me to do

  • President of CUPE Local 734, representing the Town of Truro’s outside workers
  • President of CUPE Nova Scotia, April 2005 to October 2015
  • President of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, October 2015 until I retired in 2025

Work I am proud of

  • The CUPE Water Watch campaign in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which helped push back against the privatization of public water and sewer services
  • Challenging anti-worker laws, including the court victory over Bill 148, which interfered with public sector collective bargaining
  • Pushing for a better workers’ compensation system. Injured workers deserve to be treated with dignity, not left to fight a complicated system on top of an injury, lost income, and an uncertain future

The labour movement is about more than contracts and grievances. It is about fairness, safe workplaces, decent public services, and giving working people a real say in the decisions that shape their lives.

Beyond the union hall

I chaired the board of Literacy Nova Scotia for about five years, and I served on the board of a community credit union. I also sat as a worker representative on the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Council and on the Minimum Wage Review Committee.

Those committees are where the rules about pay and safety get argued out, with employers and government staff at the same table. It is slow work, and it matters. It decides what people earn and whether they get home safe at night.

What you can expect on this site

Plain writing about what a decision actually does, who gains from it, and who pays for it. Where I can, I link to the law, the report, or the news story behind the piece so you can read the source yourself and make up your own mind.

If I get something wrong, tell me and I will correct it.

Get in touch

If you have a tip, a correction, or a problem at your workplace that deserves attention, use the contact page. I read everything that comes in.