About
Danny Cavanagh
Labour advocate, writer, and retired town worker. Truro, Nova Scotia.
A working life
I started with the Town of Truro in 1980 and stayed until 2025. Town work is close to the ground. You plough the streets people drive on, keep the water running, and see the same folks at the rink and the grocery store. It teaches you quickly that public services are people, not line items.
Early on I got involved with my union, because problems at work do not fix themselves. That led to years of representing members, filing grievances, sitting across the table in bargaining, and learning how decisions really get made. I served as president of CUPE Nova Scotia, and then as president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour from 2015 to 2025.
You learn more about a workplace in one grievance meeting than in a hundred pages of policy.
Beyond the union hall
I chaired the board of Literacy Nova Scotia, because reading and writing open doors at work and everywhere else. I also took part in work on occupational health and safety and on advice to government about the minimum wage. That work brought me into rooms with employers, government staff and other advocates, arguing over rules that decide what people earn and whether they get home safe.
Why this site
I am no longer in office, and I am not speaking for any organization here. But I still have plenty to say, and there is no single place where Nova Scotians can see union news, upcoming events, and plain writing about all of it together. So I am building one.
Three things live here: union news from around the province, an events calendar any local can add to, and my own posts twice a week.
A note on these details
The facts on this page are kept short and plain on purpose. Danny can add dates, places and further roles here as he chooses.