A Region 3 Educational will be held on February 7 and 8, 2026, at the Deerhurst Resort –1235 Deerhurst Dr – Huntsville ON – P1H 2E8, 1-800-461-4393 or 705-789-6411Courses times: Saturday, February 7th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. & Sunday, February 8th, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.You will receive a confirmation letter if selected. At that time, you will also receive the time-off request form, childcare request form, human rights accommodation form, for completion.For your application to be considered, it must be sent to the email [email protected] before Friday December 12, 2025 by 4:30pm. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.In solidarity,Region 3 Education Committee

Information Sheet

Application

• Application forms must be signed by the Local President or Designate, and received by the Region 3 email address [email protected] no later than Friday December 12, 2025 by 4:30pm. Application forms & accompanying documents must be fully completed and received on time to be considered.
• You will receive a confirmation letter if selected. At that time, you will also receive the time-off request form, childcare request form, human rights accommodation form, for completion.

Cancellations

• A member cancelling participation must notify their Local President and [email protected] as soon as Members are responsible for cancelling hotel reservations and any associated cost for late cancellations.

No Call/No Show

• Members who do not cancel their participation with the Regional Office within forty-eight (48) hours of the event start date will not be eligible to attend the next Extenuating circumstances will be considered.

Childcare/Elder/Dependant Care

• Members will be reimbursed for family care (childcare/ elder care/dependent care) at a rate of$15.00 an hour to a maximum of $220.00 in a 24-hour period.
• Childcare claims will be honoured for children up to and including age 16, for whom the member is a guardian.
• Care may be provided by friends/family, professional or commercial services, or any other arrangement satisfactory to the member making the Claims may be verified and must be signed by the service provider. A spouse is excluded from the list of eligible care providers.
• Members who have responsibility for elderly/dependant persons living with them as part of their family may claim for their care.
• Members will be reimbursed for family/attendant care at $15.00 an hour, to a maximum of $220.00 in a 24 hour period.
• This policy covers the expenses for persons over the age of 16, permanently residing with, and under the care of a member, who are differently-abled and/or A spouse is excluded from the list of eligible care providers.
• If childcare is requested through OPSEU/SEFPO at the Educational, all paperwork must be completed and submitted, and the child must be in attendance with the program. If the child is not in attendance, you will be responsible for the full cost of their accommodation and the cost of meals at the Resort.

Expense claims

The Member Portal (opseu.org//members-login) is the quickest way to have your expenses processed. Please see the E-Claim tutorial in your Members Profile under the Documents menu.If you choose to use a paper expense claim – only one event is allowed on each form and can be submitted to [email protected]. Multiple events on one form will be returned to the member for correction.

Accommodation

A block of rooms has been reserved at Deerhurst Resort and is based on OPSEU/SEFPO policy of single accommodations.

• Once acceptance to the educational is confirmed, Members are responsible for booking their own accommodations directly with Deerhurst Resort no later than January 5, 2026. Bookings after this date are subject to availability and regular hotel room rates will To book your room at Deerhurst Resort please contact their Reservations Department at 1-800-461-4393. Please identify yourself as being with the OPSEU/SEFPO Group.
• Hotel Accommodations are not approved for members living within 60 Kilometers of the hotel location. If you live within 60km, please book & pay using your own credit card. Room keys will not be provided to those within 60km unless a credit card is provided.
• OPSEU/SEFPO members are responsible for notifying the hotel directly of any special accommodations or dietary restrictions required by guests or children of the
• Additional meal rates will be charged in advance of Upon check-in, participants and paid guests will be provided with a bracelet, allowing them to eat with the group.
• Pet Policy: If you require a Dog to attend, please let reservations know at the time of your booking
• Credit card must be provided upon check-in for incidental pre-approval.
• Check-in after 4 m. on Friday, check-out by 11:00am on Sunday.
• If members are unable to attend, they are responsible for cancelling their

Meals that are included in the room rates will not be allowable expenses even if you do not eat at the resort (Saturday Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, and Sunday Breakfast). Deerhurst Resort does have dinning for dinner on Friday night. This meal is not included in the room rate; however, members will be reimbursed $39 in accordance with the OPSEU/SEFPO dinner rate. To make a reservation for dinner on Friday, please let Deerhust know at time of booking.Additional Guests – please notify the hotel directly to let them know you are bringing additional guests so we can make the appropriate meal arrangements. Please note that accommodations and meals for additional guests will not be reimbursed. The rates for Friday and Saturday nights are $239.00.Children must be registered and attend the on-site childcare to have their accommodations and meals reimbursed (not applicable if Companion/Spouse is in attendance but NOT registered for a course)

Time-Off/Lost Wages

Lost wages will be reimbursed for shift workers only in accordance with current OPSEU/SEFPO policy. Documentation must be submitted with your claimOwn time is not paid for a weekend education.Time off arrangements – Time-Off Request forms will be provided for completion with the confirmation letter if selected.

Course Descriptions for February 7 and 8, 2026

Courses times: Saturday, February 7th, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. & Sunday, February 8th, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Local Treasurers Course

This course is aimed at Local Treasurers and Trustees who are either NEW to the role or experienced members who are seeking a “refresher course”. The goal is to give the necessary tools and education to Local Treasurers and Trustees in order for them to fulfill their roles in the Local. It will also draw on members’ experiences to solve problems occurring with the administration of Local funds.

Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building

This course is designed to examine the grievance process from a workplace organizing perspective. Grievances are opportunities to build the union. This hands-on course helps members analyze situations to decide whether a grievance is the best approach.Participants will learn about different types of grievances and the remedies available through the grievance/arbitration process. They will develop technical skills in writing and processing grievances, and practice communication to assess whether a member’s rights have been violated. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.

Cross-Cultural Communication at Work: A Union Perspective

In our workplaces, unions, and communities, we experience daily interactions with diverse groups including co-workers, and our fellow union members. There are moments when these interactions lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding about cultural expressions and social cues. In order to work through some of these communication challenges, an introductory course, Cross-Cultural Communication, has been designed.Participants will work through case scenarios to develop strategies designed to improve their cross-cultural communication.

Union Skills for Workplace Investigations

Have you ever been called, at the last minute, to the employer’s office to “represent” a member who is being accused of serious wrong-doings? Have you wondered what to do and how best to represent this person, particularly if you suspect that they may have broken a rule or two?This hands-on course takes you step by step through a workplace investigations process. It starts with the first contact with the member, through to the response to the investigation findings, with lots of practice in between. Through case studies and a variety of active exercises you’ll practice interviewing the member, anticipating the investigator’s questions, preparing the member for meeting the investigator, taking good notes at the meeting, and working with the member to respond to the findings. The Resource Toolkit has additional information about investigations in different sectors, use of surveillance, and other issues.

Statement of Respect

Harassment or discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at OPSEU/SEFPO functions.Whenever OPSEU members gather, we welcome all peoples of the world. We will not accept any unwelcoming words, actions or behaviours against our union members.We accord respect to all persons, regardless of age, creed, political affiliation and racialization including and not limited to People of African descent, Black, Caribbean, South Asian, Asian, Palestinian, women, men, First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, members of ethno-racial groups, people with disabilities, gays, lesbians, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, and gender diverse persons, francophones and all persons whose first language is not English.In our diversity we will build solidarity as union members. If you believe that you are being harassed or discriminated against, contact      (specify names)* for immediate assistance.Names:  _______* It is the event coordinator’s responsibility to designate at least two qualified persons. The names and phones numbers of such persons must be listed. One of the designated members shall be female.Updated September 2025

Allergy Alert

Scent, Peanuts and Nut-Free PolicyWorkers are becoming sensitized to chemicals, scented products and certain foods such as peanuts, peanut butter, pecans, walnuts, many chocolate bars and energy/nutrition bars.For many individuals, attending conferences, meetings etc. and being exposed to perfumes, other strong scents and certain foods can pose serious health risks such as asthma attacks, respiratory problems and/or migraine headaches.In the interest of the health and safety of the sisters and brothers whose health may suffer from any of these exposures, we ask that you refrain from wearing or using scented products, peanut and nut products at all OPSEU/SEFPO events and OPSEU/SEFPO locations.

Alerte aux allergies

Politique pour un environnement sans parfums, sans arachides et sans noixLes travailleurs sont de plus en plus sensibles aux produits chimiques, aux produits parfumés et à certains aliments, tels que les arachides, le beurre d’arachide, les pacanes et les noix (famille des noix), ainsi qu’à de nombreuses barres de chocolat et barres énergétiques et nutritives.Pour de nombreuses personnes qui assistent aux conférences, réunions, etc., une exposition aux parfums et autres produits fortement odorants, ainsi qu’à certains aliments, peut poser un risque grave pour la santé, tels que crises d’asthme, problèmes respiratoires et/ou migraines.Dans l’intérêt de la santé et de la sécurité de nos consœurs et confrères sujets aux effets néfastes d’une exposition à ces produits, nous vous demandons de ne pas porter ou utiliser des produits parfumés et de ne pas avoir avec vous arachides, noix et produits contenant des noix lorsque vous vous trouvez à une activité ou dans un local du SEFPO/OPSEU, quels qu’ils soient.Authorized by the OPSEU Executive Board / Avis autorisé par le Conseil exécutif de l’OPSEU/SEFPO