OPSEU/SEFPO Health Care Divisional Council [HCDC]

Public Healthcare is Not for Sale: OPSEU/SEFPO joins Ontario Health Coalition Mass Protests

May 31, 2024

Ontario can’t afford a healthcare system where the quality of care is determined by the depth of our pockets. On May 30th, thousands of trade unionists across the province gathered to send a powerful message that healthcare is not for-profit, with mass protests organized by the Ontario Health Coalition in Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder...

OPSEU Community Health Care Professionals

Important updates on Bill-135, wage reopener negotiations and your next round of bargaining

December 15, 2023

I wanted to reach out to provide an update on your current and upcoming bargaining negotiations and the future of Home and Community Care Support Services (HCCSSs). On behalf of all of OPSEU/SEFPO, I also want to extend our solidarity and support for you in the months ahead. On Dec. 4, Bill 135, the Convenient...

Immediate solutions to hospital crisis lie in public system, not private: OPSEU/SEFPO Hospital Professionals

November 2, 2022

TORONTO – Hospital professionals represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) are calling for the Ford government to take immediate action on the hospital staffing crisis by looking at solutions from within the public hospital system, rather than siphon resources to private clinics and for-profit corporations. Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) First...

OPSEU/SEFPO will not allow the Ford government to destroy public health care

August 18, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 18, 2022 TORONTO – OPSEU/SEFPO leaders have vowed that the tens of thousands of health care workers in their membership will fight health care privatization every step of the way. “We are appalled that in their second week back in the legislature, this is the Ford government’s top priority,” said OPSEU/SEFPO President...

Ontario Health Coalition news conference livestream on health care privatization: August 16

August 12, 2022

Update: The date has been changed to August 16th. The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) is inviting media to a news conference sounding the alarm on the Ford government’s plans to privatize health care in Ontario. All OHC members and supporters are invited to join the Facebook livestream at 10:30 a.m. on the OHC Facebook page....

OPSEU/SEFPO calls on government to address staffing problems across health care sector

March 7, 2022

Toronto – OPSEU/SEFPO is calling on the government to create a long-term plan for addressing recruitment and retention problems across Ontario’s health care sector, in the face of severe shortages in numerous fields. The government will be providing eligible nurses a $5,000 one-time recruitment and retention payment this year. OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas calls...

OPSEU/SEFPO demands meeting with Premier to discuss retention bonuses promised to nurses

February 12, 2022

Toronto – OPSEU/SEFPO wants to meet with Premier Doug Ford to discuss a late Friday announcement that the province has reportedly agreed to pay a $5,000 dollar bonus to all front-line nurses. The Ontario Nurses’ Association made the announcement late Friday, but it’s unclear who exactly would be eligible for the bonus. OPSEU/SEFPO represents tens...

OPSEU/SEFPO joins Ontario Health Coalition call to fix health care staffing crisis

January 14, 2022

This morning, OPSEU/SEFPO called on the Ford government to take immediate steps to fix the health care staffing crisis at a press conference held by the Ontario Health Coalition. A statement was released with a list of demands signed on by many unions and advocacy groups including OPSEU/SEFPO. Read: Emergency Measures Needed to Address the...

Thomas: Message to the OHA — recovery will take action, not just talk

April 13, 2021

The following Op Ed by OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas was published in the Toronto Sun on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Thomas: Message to the OHA — recovery will take action, not just talk The third wave of COVID-19 has arrived and many folks are scratching their heads wondering how Ontario’s entire health-care system —...

College students listen to their professor during a lecture

OPSEU/SEFPO lauds college funding for new PSWs as a ‘good first step’

February 24, 2021

Toronto – OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says Ontario’s plan to invest millions for PSW training at Ontario colleges is a good first step in tackling the crisis in Long-Term Care and rebuilding a long-neglected public sector. The union says the $115 million earmarked for Ontario’s publicly funded colleges will support training for up to...

The Saturday Debate: Should private long-term care be abolished? Yes.

February 6, 2021

The following Op-Ed by OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas was published today in the Toronto Star. The Saturday Debate: Should private long-term care be abolished? Yes. Warren (Smokey) Thomas Ontario Public Service Employees Union This pandemic has taught us a lesson of epic proportions: it’s time to end our toxic relationship with private, for-profit long-term...

Exhausted PSWs need help. Regulation is the first step

October 27, 2020

By Laura Bulmer Imagine for a moment that personal support workers were to walk off their jobs for one hour and stand with a placard saying, “I am a PSW, you may need me one day – now I NEED you.” Maybe the visual of just how many there are would finally humanize the issue...

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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.