OPSEU/SEFPO Community Services Divisional Council [CSDC]

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Call for nominations: Starfish Award

A young boy was seen tossing stranded starfish from the beach back into the water and was asked why he was making an effort when there are countless stranded starfish. Tossing another back into the water, the boy said, “I just made a difference for that one!” and continued on. OPSEU/SEFPO’s Community Services Division has...

OPSEU SEFPO flag

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Children’s aid workers in Ottawa demand province reverse cuts

CBC News was there when dozens of OPSEU members working at the Ottawa Children’s Aid Society (CAS) led a protest against budget cuts in front of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services building in Ottawa on June 24, 2019. “We have fewer workers now to do the job to help protect our children...

OPSEU Kids Matter - Nos enfants comptent SEFPO

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Windsor child treatment and autism workers join OPSEU

Nearly 100 frontline child treatment and autism service workers at the John McGivney Children’s Centre in Windsor have voted to protect themselves and the families they support by joining OPSEU. “Doug Ford and his government are running roughshod over families of children with special needs and autism,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “By joining...

Community Agencies Sector 5

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OPSEU demands full reversal of ‘devastating’ cuts to legal clinics

Toronto – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is demanding that the Ford government immediately reverse its cuts to Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) in the wake of the news that those cuts are being passed on to community and specialty clinics across the province. “What’s happening to legal clinics is shameful,” said Thomas. “If these cuts...

Children running and smiling.

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Celebrating Child and Youth Care Workers Week

Children are the future, and the future is in good hands when our children can count on the nurturing, support, and encouragement of professional and caring frontline Child and Youth Care practitioners.   During International Child and Youth Care Week, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the dedication, hard work, and love that...

Pink shirt with "Pink Shirt Day, 100% Bully-Free" written on the tag.

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Pink Shirt Day: OPSEU members in social services mark National Pink Shirt Day

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas issued the following statement today to mark National Pink Shirt Day, February 27. Dear friends: National Pink Shirt Day was started by a group of teenage boys in Nova Scotia in support of another boy who was the victim of bullying. OPSEU members have stood in solidarity with the National...

Handful of buttons that say Champions for Children / Champions des enfants

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Tell the Ford government to keep wage grants for child care workers

The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC) has launched a petition to continue the Provincial Wage Enhancement Grant to Registered Early Childhood Educators and child care workers in licensed child care. This funding provides $2 per hour in wage support to child care workers in Ontario who continue to face unacceptably low wages. Petition...

OPSEU / SEFPO flag

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Open letter from President Thomas to Premier Doug Ford: reinstate the Child Advocate

OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas sent the following letter to Premier Doug Ford, after the government conducted sham consultations and rammed through Bill 57, Restoring Trust, Transparency and Accountability Act, 2018, eliminating the Child Advocate. It’s never too late to start listening.   Click here to download a printable pdf version of the letter. December...

OPSEU / SEFPO flag

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OPSEU members demand that the Provincial Child’s Advocate Office be reinstated

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas issued the following statement today to mark National Child Day, November 20. Dear friends: The new Ford government is turning its back on children and youth in this province with its decision to abolish the office of the Provincial Child Advocate and should immediately reverse course. Twenty-eight years ago, the...

Handful of buttons that say Champions for Children / Champions des enfants

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Child care workers are champions for children!

OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas issued the following statement today to mark Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. Today marks Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. On this day, October 16, OPSEU applauds all the members who work in child care. You are Champions for Children, this year’s theme,...

Community Services Divisional Council

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BPS Social Services News: Winter 2018

For members in Developmental Services, Children’s Aid Societies, Community Agencies, BPS Corrections and Child Treatment. Download BPS Social Services News: Winter 2018 Message from the chair In my role as newly elected chair I want to take this opportunity to recognize outgoing chair, Deborah Gordon, who held the job for 10 years since its beginning....

Raise the Bar: Same Work. Same Wages. It's the Law.

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7500 members at the table: OPSEU Developmental services bargaining newsletter

Coordinated bargaining news for OPSEU Members from Sector 2, Developmental Services To download a printable version of the newsletter, click here. This year the majority of OPSEU developmental services workers will be bargaining new collective agreements across the province. Together, we can reverse the part-time trend, and fight for fair wages across the sector. With...

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inSolidarity Committee, 2024-2026

The editorial committee of inSolidarity is elected every other year at the biennial Editors’ Weekend event, which is open to all OPSEU/SEFPO members in good standing to attend.

inSolidarity Committee members:

  • Craig Hadley, L 5109
  • Michael Hamilton, L 376
  • Wendy Lee, L 575
  • Alexandrea Seggewiss, L 715
  • Lorinda Seward, L 351, editor

Alternates:

  • Christopher Arndt L 241 (1)
  • Angela Speers, L 684 (2)
  • Duc Vu, L 230 (3)
  • Michele Morrison, L 222 (4)
  • Lorrie Scuffell, L 4100 (5)

Ex-officio:

  • Vikki Poirier – Executive Board Liaison
  • Andy Pedersen – OPSEU/SEFPO Communications Staff Liaison

How to submit an article to inSolidarity

The editorial committee of inSolidarity welcomes contributions from OPSEU/SEFPO members and retirees in good standing. Please read the Editorial Policy below for content guidelines.

To contribute an article to an upcoming issue of inSolidarity, please send it by email to [email protected]. Your submission should include your full name and local number.

Editorial Policy

The content and editing of this newsletter are determined by the committee. We want members to feel ownership of inSolidarity and view it as independent of any particular segment of the union. Content comes from our base of activists, staff and other labour sources.

Where an article has a byline, the views are those of the author and not necessarily the views of OPSEU/SEFPO. While we welcome your contributions, we ask that they be constructive. All articles should be signed and include your local number, and should contribute positively to OPSEU/SEFPO’s mission.

We encourage thoughtful discussion of all related issues and reserve the right to edit for libel, length and clarity, and to reply to those that seem to reflect a misunderstanding of the union and its policies.