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A prominent Winnipeg labour leader has died.
Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500 says Gord Delbridge, the local’s longtime president, died on Monday night. He was 55 years old.
The union announced his death in a news release Tuesday, saying he died Monday night, “surrounded by his loved ones.”
Delbridge suffered a “medical emergency” Monday and was rushed to hospital where he died, CUPE Manitoba president Gina McKay said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
“He was unafraid to stand up to big developers and private corporations, famously pushing back against privatization, the attempted sale of the public golf course, and fighting to protect public snow clearing and garbage collection in the city of Winnipeg,” McKay said.
CUPE Local 500 represents approximately 5,000 City of Winnipeg employees, as well as workers at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the Winnipeg Humane Society.
Delbridge’s death leaves the union without a leader as it is in the midst of collective bargaining with the City of Winnipeg.
Beginning his career with the city working in skating arenas, Delbridge was elected president of the union in 2015. He was a frequent speaker at city hall committee and council meetings, regularly advocating for the city to hire its own workers to provide services rather than contracting those services out.
The union has been without a new labour agreement with the city since Feb. 28, 2025. Last month, the union agreed to go to arbitration in the event it couldn’t reach a deal, avoiding the possibility of a strike or lockout.