Tory MPP Michael Tibollo defends library cuts as workers protest

The interlibrary loan system was used by libraries across York Region and New Tecumseth. Now, they are gone

Dina Al-Shibeeb
May 16, 2019
Yorkregion.com

With half of the unionized staff positions at Ontario Library Service -- North reportedly eliminated, the province’s Tourism, Culture, and Sport Minister Michael Tibollo defended the Tory-led government’s cuts on public libraries.

“We inherited a debt of over $340,000,000,000 from the previous government, the highest subnational debt on the entire planet,” he wrote in an email.

“As a part of the 2019 Ontario Budget, we are showcasing how we plan to put Ontario on a path to balance to protect what matters most.”

The Conservative minister, who represents the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, added, “We remain committed to maintaining operating grants to Ontario’s libraries at $25 million.”

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On April 26, the provincial government announced the changes that saw a 50 per cent cut to Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) and Ontario Library Service -- North (OLSN).

One feature that has been slashed with these two support services is the interlibrary loan service, which allowed one library to exchange requested books with another library anywhere in the province.

These two support services are used by libraries across York Region and New Tecumseth for the interlibrary loan service (which has since been cut) and other services.

For CUPE Ontario Library Workers' Committee chair Kathy Coates, these cuts are “devastating” especially for rural areas that aren’t bolstered by a strong taxpayer base.

“Rural libraries are supported by municipalities, and if municipalities don’t have the right taxes, their resources would be much less.”

Coates said these cuts will disproportionately impact rural, northern and Indigenous communities since they rely heavily on urban library services for their programming and service delivery.

She also recalled how a woman who told her that this interlibrary loan service have helped her keep costs at minimum by borrowing textbooks to graduate from university.

The culture of having book clubs will also be affected, since libraries for instance “won’t have 15 copies of the same book, even if they have a wide selection, it won't’ support the book club.”

The chair said not all can afford to attend Tibollo’s fundraiser, arguing that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay that price tag to have their voices heard.  

While Tibollo says he “recognizes” that libraries across Ontario, “whether it be in urban centres, rural areas or Indigenous communities, play an integral role in supporting Ontario’s diverse culture,” a statement by OLSN on May 9 dubbed the impact as “disproportionate.”

In its statement, the OLSN said that half of its unionized staff positions were “eliminated” and a “sixth reduced to part time” after the cuts, with more jobs expected to be lost.

It added that these cuts “will impact programs and services beyond Interlibrary Loan.”

“While much of the focus on these cuts has been on the Interlibrary Loan Delivery system, which operated exclusively in southern Ontario and which the government has characterized as 'slow, inefficient, environmentally unfriendly and expensive,' none of the individuals who lost their positions at Ontario Library Service -- North were involved in the administration of the Interlibrary Loan program,” it added.