The OPSEU/SEFPO Coalition of Racialized Workers Election Summit will take place Friday, March 22 to Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Dates and Times:
- Friday, March 22, 2024 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
- Saturday, March 23, 2024 – 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Sunday, March 24, 2024 – 9:00 am –12:00 pm
Hotel:
- Sheraton Centre Hotel
- 123 Queen St West, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2M9, (416) 361-1000
- Single rate: $299 + taxes
- Meeting Room: Civic Ballroom
- Registration: Friday, March 22, 2024 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
- Parking: 110 Queen Street West (Nathan Phillips Square Garage)
- Monday to Friday – Day Max: (7am – 6pm): $22.00,
- Night Max. (6pm – 7am): $7.00; Saturday & Sunday: Maximum (7am – 7am): $9.00
- Please note as per policy, valet parking is not a reimbursable claim.
Mode of Event: This is an in-person event and there is no virtual option.
OPSEU/SEFPO’s Coalition of Racialized Workers (CoRW) will be convening their Election Summit on Friday March 22 to Sunday March 24, 2024, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in Downtown Toronto.
Quite fittingly the theme is, “The Right of Self-Selection in a Democratic Environment,” which speaks to the trials, tribulations and victories of the past, the resistance of today and the path forward for the work ahead. Using an anti-racist and intersectional lens, participants will come together and mobilize by understanding the importance of this election for Black and racialized workers.
Delegates at the 2022 OPSEU/SEFPO Convention voted to amend the union’s Constitution which changed CoRW’s status to a provincial equity committee under Article 19. This was a significant milestone in the union’s history because members of CoRW can make an even greater impact to support and engage with OPSEU/SEFPO’s Black and racialized members.
The main purpose of this Election Summit is to mobilize Black and racialized members and to elect representatives to the Coalition of Racialized Workers (CoRW) Committee. This Summit will also explore and discuss critical strategies that will advance OPSEU/SEFPO’s priorities on dismantling anti-Black racism through sustainable and meaningful change.
It also builds upon other key achievements for OPSEU/SEFPO which include the addition of seven equity-designated seats on the Executive Board as well as the ongoing mandatory training on dismantling anti-Black, anti-Indigenous and all forms of systemic racism for all elected union officials.
Election Summit Format:
The Election Summit will be an in-person event with no option to attend virtually.
There will be a total of fourteen (14) elected positions all of which are representative of OPSEU/SEFPO’s seven (7) regions.
Below is the breakdown of elected CoRW positions:
- Region 1 – Two (2) positions
- Region 2 – Two (2) positions
- Region 3 – Two (2) positions
- Region 4 – Two (2) positions
- Region 5 – Four (4) positions
- Region 6 – One (1) position
- Region 7 – One (1) position
Note: Black and/or Racialized OPSEU/SEFPO members who will not stand for elected positions are also eligible to attend the Election Summit and vote for CoRW candidates from their region.
Hotel Room Bookings
OPSEU/SEFPO will make the hotel reservation on behalf of the member when they request a hotel room while registering through the Member Portal. Please note that the 60 km rule has been waived for this event.
OPSEU/SEFPO will be booking all hotel rooms centrally. Hotel rooms will be reimbursed on a single room basis.
Members are responsible for payment of their hotel room upon check out as there are no charges billed back to OPSEU/SEFPO. Please save your itemized receipt and submit it with your Membership Expense Claim Form.
The single room rate is $299.00 plus taxes per night.
You must notify the hotel of any special accessibility needs that you may have with respect to your hotel room.
Any additional nights outside of this policy must be pre-approved by the First Vice-President/Treasurer’s office, regardless of region or distance from the event.
Human Rights Accommodation Request Form
Should you require a human rights accommodation or have an existing accommodation under the Human Rights Code, please complete and submit the Human Rights Accommodation Request Form in full. Family, Dependent and Attendant Care are covered expenses for this event for those who require it at the event or at home.
Meals
Meals will not be provided at the CoRW Election Summit. Meal per diems will be covered in accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO Policy.
OPSEU/SEFPO Child Care Policy
OPSEU/SEFPO undertakes to provide childcare services, when requested, at all union educationals, conventions, regional, divisional, and demand-setting meetings where the membership requests at least three weeks prior to the event. Members who bring their children to OPSEU/SEFPO sponsored functions should normally be required to use the on-site childcare service if it is available. The three-week notice will ensure adequate time to process advances when requested. If no requests for on-site childcare are received three weeks prior to the activity date, childcare arrangements for on-site childcare may not be made. If members then bring children to the event without the required notice, the member should be responsible for making his/her own childcare arrangements.
Procedures for Online Registration
Online registration forms for this conference are now available. Members will be able to complete and submit the Member Event Registration Form, Hotel Booking Form and Registration for Child Care through OPSEU/SEFPO’s Member Portal.
Attached you will find the following documentation:
- Advance Form
- OPSEU/SEFPO Human Rights Accommodation Form
- Member Portal Quick Intro
- Event Registration Tutorial
- Online Expense Claim Tutorial
Please register no later than March 3, 2024
We appreciate your cooperation and participation in these meetings.
In Solidarity, JP Hornick OPSEU/SEFPO President
Authorized for Distribution: OPSEU/SEFPO Coalition of Racialized Workers
Tentative Election Summit Agenda
Friday March 22, 2024 – Day 1
5:00 to 7:00 PM Registration Opens / Candidates Corner (Dinner on Your Own)
5:00 to 5:30 PM Smudging Ceremony
7:00 to 7:15 PM Lion Dance
7:15 to 7:30 PM Welcome Remarks and Election Summit Logistics
7:30 to 8:00 PM Overview of Election Process & Procedures
8:00 to 8:45 PM Keynote Address: Professor Carl James: “The Right of Self Selection in a Democratic Environment”
8:45 to 9:00 PM Questions, Wrap-up, and Adjournment
(Childcare Operating Hours: 4:30 to 9:30 PM)
Saturday March 23, 2024 – Day 2
8:00 to 9:00 AM Registration Re-opens | (Breakfast on Your Own)
9:00 to 9:15 AM Welcome by Peter Thompson, CoRW Chair
9:15 to 9:45 AM Opening Remarks from OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick and First Vice-President/Treasurer Laurie Nancekivell
9:45 to 10:30 AM Regional Delegate Status & Candidates Speeches
10:30 to 10:45 AM Morning Break (Refreshments Provided)
10:45 to 12:30 PM Candidates Speeches – Continued
12:30 to 1:30 PM Lunch (On Your Own)
1:30 to 3:00 PM Elections
3:00 to 3:15 PM Afternoon Break (Refreshments Provided)
3:15 to 3:30 PM Guest Speaker: Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine, P.C., C.M., O. Ont., C.B.E. (Former Member of Parliament)
3:30 to 4:30 PM Panel Discussion: “The Right of Self Selection in a Democratic Environment” with:
• Marium Tolson-Murty, Director, Anti-Racism Organizational Change, University of Windsor
• Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine, P.C., C.M., Ont., C.B.E. (Former Member of Parliament)
• Professor Carl James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, and Equity Advisor to the Dean, York University
Moderated by CoRW and OPSEU/SEFPO Local 154 Members Peter Thompson & Elizabeth Ha
4:30 to 5:00 PM Wrap Up and Adjournment
5:00 to 7:00 PM Dinner (On Your Own)
7:00 to 8:00 PM Introduction of Newly Elected Provincial CoRW Committee Members
8:00 to 9:00 PM Black Resistance: African Fashion Week Show
9:00 PM to 1:00 AM Caribbean Band and DJ entertainment
(Childcare Operating Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM and 6:30PM to 9.30PM)
Sunday March 24, 2024 – Day 3
8:00 to 9:00 AM Breakfast (On Your Own)
9:00 to 9:15 AM Welcome Back and Recap
9:15 to 10:15 AM Regional Breakout Groups
10:15 to 10:30 AM Morning Break (Refreshments Provided)
10:30 to 11:30 AM Regional Breakout Groups Feedback and Regional Needs
11:30 to 12:00 PM Closing Remarks, Way forward, Call to Action, and Traveling Song
12:00 PM Adjournment
(Childcare Operating Hours: 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM)