Apply now for Region 2 Summer Educational, June 21-22

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•  Dates:
  • Saturday June 21, 2025 (9:00 am – 4:30 pm)
  • Sunday June 22, 2025 (9:00 am – 1:00 pm)
• Location:
  • Unifor Family Education Centre – 115 Shipley Drive, Port Elgin, Ontario
• Registration Deadline
  • Wednesday, April 30, at 4:30 pm

We’re thrilled to announce that the Region 2 Summer Education Session will be held at the UNIFOR Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, on Saturday, June 21, 2025 (9:00 am – 4:30 pm), and Sunday, June 22, 2025 (9:00 am – 1:00 pm).This new venue promises a fantastic experience for our members and their families.Located on the shores of Lake Huron, the centre offers comfortable accommodations, delicious meals, and a wide array of recreational facilities, including a private beach, sports fields, and more. We believe this beautiful and well- equipped space will provide an excellent opportunity to learn, connect, and build solidarity with fellow Region 2 members in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. For further information about the UNIFOR Family Education Centre please visit https://www.uniforcentre.ca.Note: Lost wages will not be reimbursed for this weekend education.To register, please complete the following:

1. Complete the online registration form by April 30 at 4:30 pm.
2. For ALL Human Rights Accommodation requests, including previously approved requests, complete and email the attached Human Rights Accommodation Request Form to [email protected] and [email protected]
3. Child Care Registration Forms should be submitted to [email protected] no later than Friday, May 23, 2025 (4:30 PM), if needed.
4. Advance Request Forms should be submitted to [email protected] no later than Monday, June 2nd, 2025 (4:30 PM), if needed.

Should you have any questions please reach out to [email protected]g. We look forward to seeing you in Port Elgin!In solidarity,Region 2 Education Committee.

Offered In-person classes

• Dealing with Workplace Conflict
• Duty to Accommodate: A Tool for Inclusive Workplaces
• Equity combo: Challenging the Stigma – How to be an Ally to Sex Workers; Introduction to Gender Identity and Expression
• Health & Safety: Level One
• Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace
• Stewards 3: Dealing with Discipline (Prerequisite: Stewards 1 & 2)
• Union Skills for Workplace Investigations

Dealing with Workplace Conflict

Every day, in our lives, we have to deal with situations of conflict. It may be with our family, our work colleagues, our friends, our peers, or our supervisors. In this course we will define and analyse conflict and look at the range of processes aimed at alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict. There are many tools available to people in conflict. How and when they are used depends on several factors that will be perused. We will also look at mediation and its role in conflict resolution.

Duty to Accommodate: A Tool for Inclusive Workplaces

Provincial legislation and existing case law require employers and unions to provide accommodation short of undue hardship.This interactive course examines the roles and responsibilities of the employer, the union, and the member in accommodating members with disabilities and all other protected groups under the Ontario Human Rights Code. It builds activists’ skills to support members requiring an accommodation, and to deal with employer resistance to accommodation in the workplace.

Equity combo: Challenging the Stigma – How to be an Ally to Sex Workers; Introduction to Gender Identity and Expression

Health & Safety: Level One

This course is designed for members and stewards who want to become more involved in health and safety activities in their workplace. There is a strong focus on health and safety legislation to enable participants to use the legislation effectively in their own workplaces.Participants work in groups to explore the legislation and to gain a better understanding of their rights and employers’ obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations. Participants are introduced to the concepts of hazard identification, assessment and control, and develop a greater understanding of the components of an effective health and safety system.

Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace

This course will build and strengthen the skills of a steward. Participants will explore the role of the steward throughout the bargaining cycle, including organizing their local, having effective one-on-one conversations, developing a communications strategy to enlist diverse member involvement, and learning strategies for everyday workplace problems.Throughout the course, participants are supported as they develop a profile of their members, find resources and information in OPSEU/SEFPO, and understand their role in the grievance process. Stewards 1 is a prerequisite to Stewards 2. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.

Stewards 3: Dealing with Discipline (Prerequisite: Stewards 1 & 2)

This is an advanced level steward course. It is suggested that participants take Stewards 1 and Stewards 2 prior to signing up for this program. Dealing with Discipline is a skills and knowledge focused workshop that will assist union activists in their duties representing members that are facing discipline up to and including dismissal. This course bridges concepts from Stewards 1 and 2, Basic and Advanced Grievance Handling, and Workplace Investigations. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.

Union Strategies 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 to best represent this person, particularly if you suspect they may have broken a rule or two?This hands-on course takes you step-by-step through a workplace investigation 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.

Travel expenses

Round-trip mileage at the rate of:

• 60 cents/km. if driving alone;
• 65 cents/km. if driving with 1 OPSEU / SEFPO member as a passenger;
• 70 cents/km. if driving with 2 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers;
• 75 cents/km. if driving with 3 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers;
• 80 cents/km. if driving with 4 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers.

Overnight Accommodation

Members who live beyond 60 km are entitled to overnight accommodation for Friday and Saturday night(s). Members who live within 60 km are entitled to overnight accommodation for Saturday night only.

Meal plan

All meals are provided “cafeteria-style” in the UNIFOR Dining Hall for members, staff, and guests. Unregistered companions/family members aged 12+ yrs (excluding member dependents registered for On- Site Child Care) are required to pay $75 pp/night, plus taxes, upon check-in.

Shared guest rooms

The main property at the UNIFOR Family Education Centre has a limited number of guest rooms.While we are incredibly excited to utilize this fantastic venue, it is likely that we will need to use overflow hotel accommodations for some of our members. To ensure that as many members as possible can experience staying directly at the UNIFOR Centre, we will be asking during the registration process if you are willing to share your guest room accommodations with another member. Please note that no member will be required to share a guest room if they do not wish to. This is strictly voluntary.However, we would greatly appreciate it if members who are comfortable sharing would consider indicating this during their registration. Priority for on-site accommodation at the UNIFOR Centre will be given to members with mobility or other human rights-related accommodation needs, as well as those members who indicate their willingness to share a guest room. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to accommodate everyone for a successful and engaging Education Weekend.

Human Rights Accommodation

“The Accommodation Fund was created to encourage and facilitate greater participation of those covered under the Ontario Human Rights Code. The fund will cover extra costs related to a member’s disability, illness or other grounds under the Code. For example, the Fund would cover the extra cost of a fridge in a guestroom for a member required to store medications at a particular temperature.Requests for accommodation can be identified on your application of the Human Rights Accommodation Request Form, included in the application form. This form can be sent directly to the Equity Unit by fax 416- 448-7419 or email: [email protected] and [email protected].

Advance cheques

Applicants may apply to receive an advance cheque to cover mileage by filling out the request for an advance portion of the application form. Guest room accommodation costs and eligible meals will be directly billed to OPSEU/SEFPO for this event. Please note that request forms must be submitted no later than Monday, June 2nd, 2025, 4:30 PM.

On-site child care

Complete the attached forms for on-site child care and return via email to [email protected] no later than Friday, May 23, 2025 (4:30 PM)Cancellations must be emailed to [email protected] a minimum of 24-hours before the event. Parents must be on-site at all times when utilizing child care provided by OPSEU/SEPFO. CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT REGISTERED FOR CHILD CARE MAY NOT BE ACCOMMODATED IF BROUGHT TO THE EVENT

Family Attendent Care (child / elder / dependent)

When care is provided in your home:Members will be reimbursed for Family Care at the rate of $15.00 per hour to a maximum of $220.00 within a 24 hour period, while doing union business. It is recognized that to guarantee meaningful access to union activities, child care both day and night may be necessary. Please specify hours claimed for each day.Members are entitled to reimbursement of reasonable costs of family/attendant care (child/elder/dependent) provided by someone other than their partners/spouses as a result of absences from home arising from the conduct of union business. Such allowances are not intended to reimburse members for family care expenses that they would have normally incurred as a result of employment, except where the absence exceeds the normal work day or week.Claims must be signed by the service provider and may be verified by Head Office before payment is made.

Cancellation policy

In accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO Policy, notification by a member to cancel course attendance should be received by both the Local President and the Regional Office no later than 48 hours before commencement of the regional school (i.e., no later than 4:30 PM on the Wednesday prior to the weekend school).When a member does not attend and the Regional Office has not been notified 48 hours prior to the school’s commencement, the member will be assessed a $50.00 penalty. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration.

Scent and nut-free policy

Workers 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 those 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 locations.