Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

As attendees gather at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal to develop solutions to save our ecosystems for future generations, the people of Ontario are sending a message to Doug Ford to get his “Hands off the Greenbelt” and stop his undemocratic assault on the environment and protected green space. The Ontario Public Service...

Toronto – OPSEU/SEFPO is echoing concerns raised by the Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk on how the province is policing environmental law. In her reports, she continues to be critical of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for its failure to enforce regulations, including those that deal with Ontario’s biggest polluters. “This is déjà vu...

Ontario’s provincial parks and conservation areas rank among the natural wonders of the world, thanks to the hardworking people who devote their lives to preserving and protecting them for this and future generations. OPSEU/SEFPO is so proud to represent a huge number of dedicated members who keep our parks in tip-top shape. They work for...

Toronto – OPSEU/SEFPO President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is calling out the provincial government for weakening environmental protection while the public was focused on the COVID-19 health crisis. Thomas’s rebuke comes in the wake of Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk’s 2020 Annual Report of the Environmental Value-for-Money Audits and the Operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights...

TORONTO – OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas is urging the Ford government to heed concerns that front-line inspectors are raising around changes to the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) contained in the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019.  Thomas says inspectors with the Ministry of the Environment are particularly concerned about changes to Section...

June is Parks and Recreation Month and OPSEU is proud to celebrate Ontario’s magnificent parks and recognize our members who work hard to make them the envy of the world. Parks are important to the economy, creating thousands of jobs and attracting tourists.  They’re also important to the environment. They clean our air, purify our...

The provincial government has signed another quick deal giving thousands of civil servants a 7.5-per-cent raise over four years, prompting accusations the Liberals are buying labour peace for next June’s election. Read the full story on the website of the Toronto Star. Related: OPSEU in the News

The two-step election process to elect the 2017 OPS bargaining teams began on Saturday, May 27. As a result of amendments to the Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act, OPSEU bargaining teams negotiate two separate, stand-alone collective agreements: one for the Unified bargaining unit and one for the Correctional bargaining unit. Accordingly, two separate regional bargaining...

The OPSEU collective agreement in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) expires on December 31, 2017. In preparation for bargaining, all OPSEU members in the OPS are invited to complete one of two 2017 demand-set surveys online. The survey will be live from February 23 to March 13, 2017. As a result of recent amendments to...

Thousands of OPSEU members took part in four recent telephone town halls for workers in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). Two were held on February 9 for members of the Correctional Bargaining Unit. It will be bargaining for a new standalone collective agreement, to be effective January 1, 2018. Two more town halls took place...

On Saturday, October 29, OPSEU delegates to the 2016 Ontario Public Service divisional meetings elected the members of their Ministry Employee-Employer Relations Committees (MERCs) for the 2016‑18 term. The following 163 members were elected by delegates from their ministries: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs ERC Mélanie Bégin, co-chair, Local 506 Marcus Rangai, vice...

Some 600 OPSEU members from 27 ministries were in Toronto this weekend to elect leadership teams and chart the way forward for the union in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). 600 members of the Ontario Public Service meet for their 2016 divisionals President Warren (Smokey) Thomas got the ball rolling with a firebrand talk focused...