Writers Guild of Canada authorizes strike as bargaining continues with producers

The Canadian Press

April 25, 2024 at 12:05 p.m.·1 min read

TORONTO — The Writers Guild of Canada says its members have voted to authorize a strike if negotiators can't reach a deal with the Canadian Media Producers Association.

The WGC says 96.5 per cent of those who voted were in favour of authorizing a strike, and a record 70.2 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

A strike authorization vote doesn't necessarily mean a union will go on strike, it just gives them the option should negotiations break down.

The CPMA says it will remain at the bargaining table.

The two sides began bargaining six months ago, and their Independent Production Agreement expired on Dec. 31, 2023.

The CMPA is a national advocacy organization for independent film, TV and digital content producers, while the WGC represents screenwriters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press

CNN
Bodies, pickup truck found in Mexican region where American and Australian tourists went missing, sources say
Three bodies were found Friday in the Mexican region where an American and two Australians have been missing for several days, multiple sources told CNN.
USA TODAY
A Columbia professor wanted to document history. NYPD arrested him outside his home
The professor had just finished his last class to end a 28-year teaching career at Columbia University. Then police arrested him outside his home.
Sky News
Wife of doctor who 'drove car off cliff' with family inside begs for attempted murder charges to be dropped
The wife of a California doctor accused of deliberately driving a car off a cliff with his family inside has begged prosecutors to drop the charges against him, according to US media reports. Dharmesh Patel, 42, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. Patel, a radiologist, was driving his white 2021 Tesla Model Y along the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco, when it plunged several hundred feet off the cliff at Devil's Slide.
Miami Herald
Men charged with rape of Broward woman get probation. The victim wanted her day in court
The men posted their encounter with the woman on OnlyFans.
People
Where Is Chris Watts Today? A Look at His Life in Prison After Family Murders
Chris Watts has been in prison in Wisconsin since 2018 after murdering his wife, Shanann, and young daughters, Bella and Celeste, in Colorado
Global News
Fresh details emerge about deadly, wrong-way collision on Ontario's Highway 401
New details are emerging about the victims of Monday night’s deadly collision on Highway 401 after a wrong-way police pursuit. As Catherine McDonald reports, Global News has also obtained new video of the police pursuit through the streets of Durham Region.
USA TODAY
Murder trial underway in case of New Jersey father who made son, 6, run on treadmill
Jurors in New Jersey heard the first week of testimony in the case against Christopher Gregor, charged in the murder of his son, Corey Micciolo, 6.
CBC
She survived a knife attack by her ex-partner. He's been sentenced, but her fears remain
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and may affect those who have experienced intimate partner violence or know someone who has.The first time Sabrina L'Heureux's ex-partner came at her with a knife was in March 2020.When he attacked her with a different blade a year and a half later, she managed to escape, bruised and bleeding, but with her child.She then spent the next 12 months fearing for their lives while he remained at large.On Wednesday, 47-year-old Paul John MacDonald of Kingst
People
A 6-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Killed His 5-Year-Old Cousin. Why Were Their Grandparents Just Charged?
On April 1, a 5-year-old Michigan boy was fatally shot at his grandparents' home
USA TODAY
Two defendants guilty of conspiracy in groundbreaking Antifa trial in San Diego
Two defendants were found guilty of conspiracy in a groundbreaking trial that could change how Antifa is understood and targeted by prosecutors.
CNN
79-year-old man arrested in 1966 stabbing of 18-year-old
A 79-year-old man was charged with first degree murder on Monday for allegedly stabbing a woman more than 120 times nearly six decades ago, authorities said.
The Canadian Press
Three Indian nationals charged with killing B.C. Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar
SURREY, B.C. — Three Indian nationals have been charged with the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a killing last year that threw Ottawa's relationship with New Delhi into disarray. Police say they are investigating if the Indian government was involved, an allegation raised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons last year. Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Supt. Mandeep Mooker said in a Surrey, B.C., news conference on Friday that the three men had bee
USA TODAY
Amber Alert issued after 2 women found dead, child injured in New Mexico park
Two women were found dead in New Mexico park on Friday and an Amber Alert was issued for a 10-month-old girl who belonged to one of the victims.
CNN
Leading Gaza surgeon Adnan Al-Bursh dies in Israeli prison
A prominent surgeon in Gaza has died in an Israeli prison after being held for more than four months, according to Palestinian prisoners’ groups, which decried his death as part of a “systematic targeting” of health care workers.
CBC
Americans arrested for allegedly swindling Canada out of 12 million COVID masks
Fraudsters in the U.S. swindled funds that were supposed to buy 12 million face masks for Canadians in the frantic early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new criminal indictment alleges. American authorities this week arrested two residents of New York state, charging them with wire fraud in an alleged $8.2-million US scam. Jonathan Cannon and Julie Dotton are accused of devising a scheme in which they falsely promised millions of masks to a Canadian company that was supplying two provinces. "Th
The Canadian Press
The bystander's role is changing in the era of livestreaming. North Carolina's standoff shows how
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Saing Chhoeun was locked out of his Charlotte, North Carolina, home on Monday as law enforcement with high-powered rifles descended into his yard and garage, using a car as a shield as they were met with a shower of gunfire from the direction of his neighbor's house. As bullets flew just feet away, Chhoeun took out his phone and started live-streaming the standoff between officials and a man wanted for possession of a firearm by an ex-felon and fleeing to elude. By the end
CBC
York police arrest 1, seeking 2nd suspect after cop hit by car
York police have charged one man and are looking for another, after an officer was hit by a driver during an auto-theft investigation.Around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers found two allegedly stolen vehicles near Overlea Boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive in Toronto, according to a news release issued by York Regional Police Friday. Along with the force's canine unit, the officers tried to arrest the suspects, catching one after a short foot chase, police said. Another suspect got into a vehicle
Miami Herald
Toddler dies from overdose 3 weeks after return to parental custody, Florida cops say
Fentanyl, methamphetamine and xylazine were found in his system, the medical examiner said.
Miami Herald
Woman spent 25 years stealing $1 million meant for dead aunt, feds say. She’s indicted
If convicted, the 77-year-old New Jersey resident could face up to 20 years in prison, feds say.
CBC
Police make arrests in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Canadian police have arrested members of an alleged hit squad investigators say they believe was tasked by the government of India with killing prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., last June, CBC News has learned.

Latest Stories