April 7, 2026

Long-term disability claims surge by 18% at CBC/Radio-Canada

Remember that somewhat distant pandemic phrase, “We’ll be okay”? Well, no — collectively, we’re not okay, and it’s going to cost us dearly starting in July. The reason: a significant increase in the number of colleagues on long-term disability (LTD). 

In December 2024, 228 CBC/Radio-Canada employees had been absent for more than 15 weeks. As of December 31, 2025, that number had risen to 270, an 18.4% jump in just one year.

Imagine a room with 270 workstations, all empty. These are not people feigning illness, but colleagues who have been “out of action” for more than three months.

We pay for the LTD plan entirely. This plan ended 2025 with a deficit of over $7.6 million, as we learned at the most recent meeting of the Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC).

Contributions, set at 1.734% of employees’ salaries, will increase significantly, the manager warned. We should expect a double-digit increase, he added.

The exact increase will be known in early June.

STTRC representatives at the BAC made two requests.

First, a special meeting to analyze the causes and develop a plan. And most importantly, that this meeting include the vice-presidents of all CBC/Radio-Canada branches. This isn’t just a matter of human resources management and employee benefits; it’s a corporate issue.

CBC/Radio-Canada is not solely responsible for the financial crisis we have been facing for the past few years (skyrocketing food prices, the housing crisis, soaring home prices, etc.). But it has the leverage to make a difference.

Next, we must review how work is organized and question our methods with candor and openness. We are constantly working under pressure, and this is not without consequences. To paraphrase a line-up editor, there are no longer any quiet days; “we are working through a succession of crisis.”

This process must be carried out in collaboration with the four unions: the STTRC, the Canadian Media Guild, the Association of Professionals and Supervisors (APS), and the Association des réalisateurs (AR).

Twenty years ago, at the request of CBC/Radio-Canada, Professor Jean-Pierre Brun and his team conducted a survey of our collective well-being. Professor Brun concluded that absences due to illness amounted to nearly 300 full-time employees per year.

Twenty years later, we’re almost there… It seems to us that this calls for a minimum of self-reflection and honesty.