The physicians of the Owen Sound Family Health Organization appreciate the support shown by our community, which has allowed us to continue providing care to our patients during this ongoing work stoppage.

Unfortunately, physicians, staff and patients have been subjected to increasing harassment and intimidation by OPSEU and some of the remaining 17 employees who are members of Local 276.

We remain steadfast in our belief that we have been fair, reasonable and transparent in our dealings with the union and with our employees.

We have bargained in good faith, making decisions which remain in the best interest of patient care, all while balancing the interests of our employees.

Our goal has always been, and will continue to be, to make high quality health services available to the residents in the Owen Sound region, and to ensure that our organization is sustainable to provide patient services for years to come.

When addressing some misconceptions, it's important to note that the President of OPSEU, Warren "Smokey" Thomas, is correct when he says we have had to direct financial resources to lawyers and security. In fact, our resources are being strained. We cannot begin to match the huge financial, legal and political resources of an organization like OPSEU, which has annual revenue of in excess of $100 million dollars.

We were initially successful in negotiating a new contract, which the union representatives unanimously recommended for acceptance. Clearly, OPSEU felt both the contract and the process was fair and reasonable. After employees could not agree with their own union on the terms of the contract, OPSEU changed its tune, now claiming that we have not bargained fairly. OPSEU's position simply doesn't reflect the facts and it is politically motivated.

Regardless, together with OPSEU and our property owner, we recognized the employees' right to strike and agreed on a strike protocol to ensure that patient access to care would be unimpeded.

However, OPSEU then breached the strike protocol and we were forced to request that a court intervene to protect against the unlawful activities of OPSEU and its members. Those activities have continued to escalate. As of August, almost half of the employees have resigned with many indicating that they could not support the actions of the union.

We remain committed to ensuring that our patients and our staff are safe, and we will take every measure available to us to protect against any unlawful activities. We value the support that the Owen Sound Community has shown us. We will continue to rely on that support as we attempt to conclude an agreement with OPSEU which protects patients. Providing quality patient care has always been, and will continue to be, our priority.

We hope that we will see an end to this strike in the near future. Thank you for all your continuing support.

Yours truly,

The Physicians of the Owen Sound Family Health Organization