Manitoba Land Titles hit by strike

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This article was published 31/07/2023 (801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Teranet Manitoba assistant district registrars and senior paralegals responsible for the Manitoba’s land titles system and personal property registry have walked off the job.

The workers, who are members of Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, stepped up job action Monday.

Teranet’s 70 MGEU members voted in favour of strike action in June. Staff had been refusing overtime but there has been no meaningful movement from the employer, the union said in a release Monday.

“As a next step, all assistant district registrars and senior paralegals will be off the job withholding services and will be picketing Monday. Staff that remain in Teranet offices will not be backfilling the work.”

The union said the move comes in an effort to get the employer back to the bargaining table.

Fourteen assistant district registrars and senior paralegals are responsible for property registry in Manitoba as well as several functions related to the ownership of land under the Real Property Act, including dealing with documents involving transfers of land, mortgages, caveats, liens, and judgments, the union said.

The withdrawal of services will affect all those who may be looking to buy, sell, or mortgage land or whose documents are submitted but may not be processed, it said.

Teranet’s corporate head office is located in Toronto, while Teranet Manitoba has Land Titles Office locations in Winnipeg, Morden, Brandon, Dauphin, Neepawa, and Portage la Prairie.

Teranet Manitoba said Monday it would “continue to provide land titles registry and personal property registry services, and its approach will ensure clients can do business confidently.”

It said the MGEU bargaining committee rejected a proposal for a third-party mediator to help forge a new collective agreement.

“We recognize this is a difficult situation for everyone involved and remain committed to resolution through the collective bargaining process,” said Claire Alford, general manager of Teranet Manitoba.

— Staff