Café Justicia BC has posted on social media:
“On day 19 of CCDA representative and Cafe Justicia founder Leocadio Juracan’s cross-Canada tour, he visits a UNIFOR picket line in Victoria to show support for transit drivers seeking a fair contract. UNIFOR is one of four Canadian unions that support the CCDA’s Land and Development project for indigenous farmers.”
Leocadio Juracán is the agrarian reform coordinator of the Campesino Committee of the Altiplano (CCDA) in Guatemala.
Unifor Local 333-BC represents transit workers at BC Transit in Greater Victoria. The collective agreement expired March 31, 2025.
On August 31, 2026, Unifor posted: “Transit workers represented by Unifor Local 333-BC will begin an overtime ban at BC Transit as of September 1, escalating job action in Greater Victoria after more than a year without a collective agreement.”
On October 28, the Times Colonist also reported: “The union instituted an overtime ban starting Sept. 1. It was temporarily called off for a few weeks when B.C. Transit and Unifor entered mediation talks, but the ban started up again this month after mediation ended without an agreement.”
That Times Colonist article further explains: “B.C. Transit is increasingly reliant on overtime, as workers book time off in the form of sick and disability leave due to tough working conditions, [Stephen Bains, president of Unifor president of Local 333-BC] said. ‘They do quite honestly exploit our labour’.”
Leocadio Juracan also recently visited Ottawa. Laura Avalos from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) posted on social media: “It was a pleasure to welcome Leocadio Juracan Salome and Steve Stewart, share experiences and strengthen the long standing connections between our organisations, and continue building bridges of solidarity between Canadian public sector workers and Guatemalan indigenous movements.”
Avalos adds: “We deeply value the commitment, courage, and leadership of grassroots organizations working for social justice, Indigenous rights, agrarian justice, and food sovereignty. These encounters remind us that solidarity knows no borders. Together, we continue strengthening our struggles for dignity, justice, and a better future for our communities.”
Additional reading
–Guatemalan human rights defender Leocadio Juracán to speak on Denman Island, November 1 (PBI-Canada, October 16, 2026)
–PBI-Canada attentive to the Breaking the Silence speaking tour in the Maritimes with CCDA coordinator Leocadio Juracán from Guatemala (PBI-Canada, October 10, 2026).
Peace Brigades International accompanies the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) of the Verapaces in the departments of Alta and Baja Verapaz, the municipality of El Estor in the department of Izabal and the Zona Reina in Quiché.
Photo: PBI-Guatemala with Leocadio Juracán, July 2026.
