OCSD Statement on the CHS Labour Dispute

OCSD Statement on the CHS Labour Dispute

For decades, OCSD has stood for the protection and promotion of sign language, Deaf culture, and Deaf community leadership. These aren’t extras,they are essential. They are human rights.

The ongoing strike at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS), now stretching into its third month, is not just a labour issue. It’s a human rights issue. It’s a language rights issue. And it is Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing people who are paying the price.

Access has stopped. Trust is gone. Lives are being impacted at every level.

This is not the first time. In 2017, CHS workers went on strike, raising many of the same concerns we’re seeing today. At that time, Ontario’s Deaf community expressed deep disappointment and called for change. We are still waiting for answers. Eight years later, we find ourselves in the same situation, facing the same failures in leadership, cultural accountability, and community engagement.

Interpreting services are being rationed. Decisions about who gets access are made by those who don’t understand what’s at stake. A routine dental appointment can become a health emergency. A family doctor may misread symptoms because writing doesn’t capture the full picture or the right questions were never asked. These aren’t just service gaps; they’re life-threatening oversights.

Mental health counseling has stalled. Deaf people in crisis are left without support, while CHS staff themselves are reportedly under such strain. That should never be the reality in a system meant to provide care.

Employment services are frozen. Deaf people ready and willing to work are missing out on job opportunities, not because of a lack of skills, but because of a lack of access.

General support services have also stalled. Many rely on CHS staff to assist with essential communication and literacy tasks. Without that support, individuals have missed crucial deadlines, like applying for the Disability Tax Credit, which directly affects access to new federal programs such as the Canadian Disability Benefit and the Canadian Dental Benefit. These delays have real financial consequences for those already facing systemic barriers.

Hard of Hearing clients who rely on hearing aids are being sent elsewhere, often to providers unfamiliar with their needs, leading to miscommunication and frustration.

And Deaf seniors, already at risk of isolation, are now even more alone. Home support services have disappeared, and some have been left without any communication support at all.

This is what happens when sign language is not treated as a right. When language and culture are left out of decision-making. When organizations are run about the Deaf community, but not by it.

This repeated failure shows a system that prioritizes profits and efficiency over the well-being of people. Two strikes in under a decade. No answers. No leadership changes. No improvement. The community deserves better.

OCSD believes sign language access is a human right and its denial has consequences across health, employment, aging, mental health, and everyday life. Every level is impacted.

We call on CHS and the Government of Ontario to stop treating this as business as usual. We demand transparency, cultural accountability, and immediate action. A Section 17 audit under the Auditor General Act must be conducted to assess how public funds are being used and whether they are truly serving the community.

If your services are for us, they must include us.

OCSD stands with the community. We stand for language. We stand for culture. We stand for Deaf leadership.