Thunder Bay Library Strike Ends After Nearly Four Weeks

Keenan Hutka November 11, 2026 3 minutes read

THUNDER BAY – November 11, 2026

The Thunder Bay Public Library strike is over. The Library Board and workers represented by CUPE locals 3120 and 87-18 ratified new collective agreements on Tuesday, ending a dispute that began October 15 and involved more than 70 employees. Staff are preparing to return to work, and three branches will resume normal hours on Thursday.

The settlement followed a long day of bargaining on Monday. Around 11:30 p.m. that night, the union reported a tentative agreement. By Tuesday afternoon both the board and the two locals had ratified it. Library CEO Richard Togman said the sides had reached a fair compromise after more than 12 hours at the table. The union secured the compensation that mattered most to its members. The board stayed within its budget. Details of the deal have not been released.

Mary J.L. Black, County Park and Brodie branches will open on regular schedules Thursday. Waverley Library will remain closed. Staff there will report to work Thursday to begin packing for a major renovation scheduled to start in January 2027. The renovation plan includes a larger children’s area, accessible washrooms, a redesigned entrance, coworking space and an Indigenous Knowledge Centre. Before the strike, the library had planned to close Waverley to the public on November 23. The labour disruption effectively moved that date forward.

The strike lasted 26 days. Workers had been without a contract for more than a year when they walked out. Three of the four branches closed for most of that period. Mary J.L. Black stayed open limited hours staffed by management. The union had said concessions on benefits were the main sticking point and that it would not bargain backwards. Management had described some of the union’s public claims about benefits as factually inaccurate. Those points were resolved in the final round.

The end of the strike comes as new municipal councils across Northwestern Ontario prepare to take office later this month. Library service is one of the services residents notice quickly when it is interrupted. Parents, students, seniors and job-seekers use the branches for internet access, programs and materials. The return of regular hours on Thursday restores that access at three locations. The continued closure of Waverley for renovation means one branch will stay offline into the new year.

Library workers and management both said they were eager for staff to return and for branches to reopen to the public. The ratification ends the picket lines and starts the return-to-work process. No further details on wage increases or benefit changes have been made public. The library has said it will update service information as staff return and branches reopen.

The agreement closes a dispute that kept most library doors shut through late October and early November. With the new collective agreements in place, the focus now shifts to restoring full service and preparing Waverley for the construction that begins in January.