Sherbrooke Community Organizations Prepare for Province Wide Strike

Sherbrooke, March 18, 2026 – The social safety net in the Eastern Townships is fraying, and local workers are sounding the alarm. In a recent interview for the Local Journalism Initiative on CJMQ 88.9FM, Joshua Bullard spoke with Catherine Chaput from the Corporation de développement communautaire (CDC) de Sherbrooke to discuss the escalating “Le communautaire à boutte” movement.

Representing over one hundred local organizations, Chaput described a sector pushed to the edge by chronic underfunding. The crisis has reached a point where the very people dedicated to helping the vulnerable—staff at mental health resources like La Cordée and youth centers like Le Spot jeunesse—are increasingly forced to rely on food banks themselves to survive.

“It’s no longer just a service; it’s a place of belonging that is under threat,” says Chaput. This frustration has culminated in a planned strike from March 23 to April 2, where thirty Sherbrooke organizations will suspend regular activities to demand a massive reinvestment from the provincial government.

With a major regional march scheduled for March 27 and a national gathering in Quebec City on April 2, the message to the Legault government is clear: the community sector is exhausted, underpaid, and can no longer wait for the support it deserves.

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