CUPE urges Saskatchewan government to take action as library workers face violence

A union representing Saskatchewan library workers says they are dealing with escalating threats and violence.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said Tuesday that drug addiction issues are the source of such problems.

It’s calling on Premier Scott Moe’s government to take emergency action.

“Members have had weapons pulled on them,” union president Kent Peterson said in an interview. “This is a pretty common occurrence.

“It’s just an indication of the reality that people are turning up in libraries because there are so few supports and services available to them.”

Peterson said a library worker in Regina lost a finger about a year ago after it was cut off by a machete.

The Regina Public Library, however, disputed Peterson. In a statement, the library said the 2023 machete altercation began outside the building and ended with the injury occurring in the library entrance.

“No staff lost a finger,” the library said in a statement Wednesday.

Peterson also recounted a woman in Saskatoon who fought with a man in a parking lot after he reportedly tried to stuff her into the trunk of his car.

“We’ve had members who have been sexually assaulted at work, in the hallway at work because of these (addiction and homelessness) issues,” Peterson said.

“It is not uncommon for our library workers to deal with folks who are overdosing.”

Peterson joined the Opposition NDP at an earlier news conference in Saskatoon to call on the Saskatchewan Party government to provide meaningful investment into community services.

NDP health critic Vicki Mowat said the toxic drug crisis continues to spiral out of control, with Saskatoon’s homeless population larger than it was a year ago.

“Library workers are not first responders and they should not be left to do the job of the provincial government,” she told reporters.

Last year, two libraries in Saskatoon temporarily closed due to heightened drug use and violence.

At the legislature Tuesday, Joan Pratchler of the NDP asked whether Social Services Minister Terry Jenson would take responsibility for the growing violence.

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In response, Jenson told the assembly the province is working with the cities of Regina and Saskatoon and community organizations to tackle the issue.

“We have outreach teams that meet people in place … whether that be somewhere in the community. It could be on the street, it could be in front of the library,” he said.

Jenson later told reporters the province has spent $118 million to address homelessness, addictions and mental health issues. The province is also adding more housing units in Saskatoon and Regina, he said.

“This is not something that is going to be solved overnight, this is not going to be solved with a snap of a finger,” he said.

“This is something that is only going to be solved with the collaboration and co-operation of municipalities.”

Peterson said issues are just as bad as they were a year ago.

“If the minister thinks that what they’re doing is adequate, they’ve never stepped foot in a library in the last number of years,” he said.

Jenson said he hasn’t been inside a library in Saskatoon, but has seen “individuals” outside from time to time.

Asked if he should visit with workers to discuss violence, the minister said employees should call the police if they are ever threatened.

“If somebody’s feeling harmed working at 7-Eleven, does that mean I should go talk to the individual at 7-Eleven?” he said. “The library is a civic facility.”

Saskatchewan’s government provided libraries with $11.6 million in funding last year. The cities of Regina and Saskatoon primarily fund their libraries through municipal taxes.

“Violence in the workplace is completely unacceptable, no matter the workplace,” Jenson said.

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