Strike sinks Gabrielle-Roy Library reopening, March Break activities 

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The delay-plagued reopening of the Gabrielle-Roy Library hit another roadblock days before the scheduled opening ceremonies.

On Feb. 25, the 240 employees of the Institut Canadien de Québec, which manages the city’s public library network, voted in favour of an indefinite strike starting March 1, the first of three days of planned festivities to celebrate the library’s reopening.

“On March 1, there will be a picket line [in front of the library] if we don’t have a satisfactory offer,” Roxane Larouche, a spokesperson for Travailleurs et Travailleuses unis de l’alimentation et du commerce, Local 501 (TUAC 501) which represents workers at all of the city’s 26 public libraries, said at the time.

Larouche said there would be “no book borrowing, no documentation, acquisition, classification, billing or people preparing materials” to be lent out, for the duration of the strike. The city also scuttled the three days of free concerts, tours and demonstrations planned for the grand opening. Although Mayor Bruno Marchand initially insisted the celebrations would go forward, city officials ultimately decided that “the situation doesn’t allow the public to fully enjoy the planned activities and discover its library.” A media tour was held Feb. 29, the day before the strike began (See article in this edition). City officials say $300,000 of public money was invested in the opening celebrations, of which $60,000 is not recoverable.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do [to celebrate the reopening] but we won’t have the same resources,” said Marchand.

Union members are calling for higher salaries, a payscale in line with Ville de Québec employees carrying out similar tasks, more predictable schedules, paid break periods and the ability to take partial vacation days, Larouche explained. They have been without a contract since December 2022.

The strike comes at an extremely inconvenient time for the central library. It closed for major renovations in August 2019 and was originally sup- posed to reopen in 2021. The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the labour shortage and the cancellation of a call for tenders after bids came in higher than expected delayed the opening for more than two years. In March 2023, the reopening was pushed back further when construction crews found that a beam was in need of major repairs. The strike pushes the planned public opening back further; it is now scheduled for March 12.

Twenty-three of the city’s 26 libraries will close for the duration of the strike. The Monique-Corriveau Library (Sainte-Foy) and the Étienne- Parent Library (Beauport) will reopen on a reduced schedule starting March 6.