CHAIR’S MESSAGE
Greetings,
I hope you all had a wonderful summer making memories with family and friends. With luck, there will be many more warm days and pleasant nights before the feeling of winter arrives.
In the last newsletter I mentioned delegates from across the province met to elect our bargaining team and mobilizers for the 2027 round of bargaining. I’m happy to report that the bargaining team, mobilizers and alternates completed training the week of July 13. I’m also excited to announce that our mobilizing team has been activated, and our first structure test is to have 80% or more of our membership participate in the Demand-Set Survey.
The survey is a 10-minute questionnaire sent to all LBED members to find out what our members need in this round of bargaining. It requires your name and includes a demographic section to help your union understand who you are. Your individual responses will remain completely confidential and will not be shared with the employer. The results will be compiled by OPSEU/SEFPO staff and presented to delegates at the final Demand-Set meeting on November 28. You will also have the chance to participate in your local Demand-Set meeting to further refine specific local needs not covered by the general survey. Please monitor your email for a message from your local with meeting details.
It’s important that we hear from you, not just to reach our structure test goals, but to understand what you are willing to fight for in our next contract. Your input is what guides your bargaining team; it’s our roadmap to reach our collective bargaining goals. It ensures that when our opening proposal is given to the employer, that our demands are true to what’s important to our members.
From Windsor to T-Bay, Ottawa to Kenora, we know what our members are capable of and I know we can exceed our participation target. Our members are incredible at many things, particularly making noise and being heard. Let’s get loud and proud — I know we’ll rock this!
In solidarity,
Colleen Macleod,
LBED Divisional Chair
VICE-CHAIR’S REPORT
The grievance committee last met in August and will meet again in October and December. We reviewed a total of 103 grievances as follows: 12 grievances were recommended for mediation/arbitration; eight were put on hold seeking more information; two were previously settled; one was held in abeyance; and 80 were recommended to be withdrawn. The grievances that were withdrawn were due to a recent arbitration decision that was not favourable and pertained to management using seasonal warehouse workers to perform clerical work.
This committee would like to remind everyone that members seeking to file a grievance must consult a steward or local president before doing so and is encouraged to complete a grievance committee investigation form. This form helps expedite the process and avoids unnecessary delays. We urge local executive committees to reinforce this with their membership.
The latest policy grievance updates are as follows:
Truth and Reconciliation (2024-0999-0007) – On July 24, we had our first day of arbitration which is typically used for mediation. Discussions went well and we are looking ahead to future dates.
PPT Core Hours (2025-0999-0002) – On August 11, we had our first day of arbitration which is typically used for mediation. We have secured future dates for continued discussion. Both parties hope to come to a decision on the issues prior to the commencement of bargaining.
In solidarity,
Damian Campbell – Chair (L378)
Brenda White – Member-at-Large, Retail (L377)
Justin Malette Larcher – Member-at-Large, Non-retail (L164)
SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT
Elizabeth McChesney (Coordinator, Labour Relations, LCBO) and I have reconciled the 1100 Day Pool up until June 2026. The Employer notified the Divisional Executive (DivEx) there are outstanding Requests for Union Leave (RULs) from 2023-2026, and it has been agreed upon between the DivEx and the Employer that reconciling this will be a priority, starting with the earliest dated outstanding RULs and progressing forward.
A more structured process has been implemented to manage local tour time more effectively. A spreadsheet has been created and shared with locals to track allotted time off, time used, and time remaining. Please note, when submitting local tour days, that you ensure time is tracked accurately against the remaining time indicated in the spreadsheet.
Trustee Audit Reports (TARS) have been completed from July to December 2024, January to June 2025, July to December 2025, and now include January to June 2026. The trustees, sector negotiator, chair of the division, and the secretary/ treasurer met in March to finalize these reports. I am happy to report that Trustees Heather Parent (L162) and Alex Mistele (L164) have signed off on the outstanding TARS, they were submitted and approved by the OPSEU/SEFPO First Vice President’s office on September 9.
An email was sent to all local presidents requesting an updated Executive Contact List to send to the employer. Locals who have not yet submitted their updated information have been contacted once more.
In solidarity,
Shelly Robitaille (L162)
Secretary/Treasurer
PENSIONS & BENEFITS COMMITTEE REPORT
The committee met on June 30 for our first meeting with Beneva, as we transition to a new accidental death and dismemberment insurance provider.
The agenda included the expected timeline and project summary, responsibilities of premium and claim submissions, the format of the remittance form, electronic fund transfer payments, and whether LCBO will remit taxes directly to the province or to Beneva.
The meeting did not achieve what our committee had expected. To start, the timeline was deemed unrealistic by the employer stating technical, operational and scheduling challenges. Additionally, the employer explained
that updating the system would require a thorough impact assessment, coordination across multiple internal teams, and additional time for testing. They also emphasized a need for realistic expectations and said it’s likely more time will be required to complete the transition.
The group agreed to reconvene after the employer’s internal review to finalize the implementation plan, with clear roles and deliverables for each stakeholder. The committee is frustrated by the pace of this transition but remain optimistic about the switch.
The employer informed the committee that employees who were transitioning from casual to permanent part-time (PPT) status were not being appropriately flagged for the purpose of the sick credit pool (SCP) administration. As a result, the change did not trigger the expected SCP process. That is, the applicable sick day was not being pulled from the employee’s SCP entitlement. The employee’s permanent date remained unchanged. It was further clarified that going forward, PPT employees will have the applicable sick day pulled from the sick credit pool.
The Pensions and Benefits Committee will continue to monitor this matter in collaboration with OPSEU/SEFPO and the divisional executive.
In solidarity,
Stephanie Hickman – Chair (L377)
Trisha Harrison – Vice-Chair (L164)
Lee Hamilton – Member-at-Large (L378)
PROVINCIAL HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE
The Provincial Health and Safety Committee (PHSC) continues to monitor workplace incident and accident reporting. It has been encouraging to see improvement in the quality and frequency of these reports. Whether documenting hazards, injuries, violence, threats, first aid, property damage, near misses, or unsafe staffing levels, every report plays an important role in identifying risks and promoting a safer workplace.
A good incident/accident report provides a clear, objective record of an unexpected event, including the date, time, location, people involved, witnesses, what occurred, any injuries or damage, and action taken. Follow-up reports can also be linked when necessary.
As a committee, we have worked with the employer to ensure managers, supervisors, and staff are trained to respond appropriately, preserve video evidence, and complete incident reports. We have also emphasized the importance of completing Violence Risk Assessments when required. Further, we have pushed to make it a procedure for managers and supervisors to have post-incident information discussions that include the workplace’s health and safety representatives. More attention is also being given to recognizing and addressing mental and physical injuries.
This is ultimately about prevention. Written reports alert the employer to unsafe conditions and place the responsibility, as required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, on the employer to investigate and address those concerns. When incidents and injuries go undocumented, hazards remain unresolved, workers continue to be exposed to risk, and the employer may claim they were unaware of the situation.
It is inspiring to see more members pushing back when management suggests that an incident report is unnecessary. We must continue to insist on our right to have workplace incidents and injuries properly documented. This documentation has contributed to greater law-enforcement response, increased security in retail stores, stronger Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claims, improved powered lift equipment, and better workplace accommodations and support.
In solidarity,
Debbie McGuiness – Chair (L5110)
Jonathon Pukila – Member-at-Large (L163)
Kristan Wolfe – Member-at-Large (L377)
ANTI-PRIVATIZATION COMMITTEE
The Anti-Privatization Committee (APC) met over two days in July, to review current statistics, develop market research questions, and plan the upcoming APC Zoom educational. While some statistics were not yet updated by that meeting, we expect more current data on impaired driving, thefts, recycling and empty return locations. We are also watching for studies on Ontario’s alcohol sales expansion and its impact on healthcare.
The APC continues to track price increases and possible gouging by private retailers, reductions in public service funding, declining LCBO sales, issues and irregularities with the new licensee sales system and grocery-only products.
Research to date, for instance, indicates that private retailers have increased the per can price by $0.10 to $0.90 and wine products by $1 to $7; those increases are greater than what we identified in May. Retail pricing can also be misleading, as deposits and taxes are not included. Further, products designated for grocery-only sale compete directly with products available at LCBO stores. We are seeking a complete catalogue of products available exclusively through grocery and convenience retailers.
Available 2025 statistics indicate a 2% increase in impaired driving incidents, although additional data is still pending. With this, we are investigating reports of complaints to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario about convenience and grocery retailers, including allegations of price gouging, sales outside permitted hours, and sales to minors.
Deposit returns remain another concern; members of the public are dissatisfied with the accessibility of return locations. The committee is also following research being conducted by environmental organizations on this issue.
We continue to collaborate with OPSEU/SEFPO staff to establish our planned market research, identify potential questions, and determine the information needed to support the committee’s work. The APC plans to survey roughly 1,500 people across Ontario, followed by more targeted questions for a smaller group. The goal of this research is to assess public views on the convenience and accessibility of alcohol sales and to better understand public experiences and concerns with the current system. Findings will be incorporated into the upcoming APC Zoom educational and used for future discussions and recommendations.
The committee will meet again in October 2026.
In solidarity,
Lorrie Scuffell, Chair (L4100)
Meg Owen, Member-at-Large (L741)
Skylar McCarthy, Member-at-Large (L163)
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Education and Communication (Ed/Comm) committee met virtually in May. The two-day meeting was used to create the summer edition of the Echo and discuss future educational topics. The committee met again in early September and worked on the Fall edition of the Echo. We also discussed future Zoom presentations and educational opportunities or members.
The last edition of the Echo was published on June 5. The edition included a Chair’s message, a summary of each DivEx report, a piece on LBED Convention award winners, LCBO award winners and the results of the pre-bargaining conference.
We expect to have the next Echo completed by September 12 and published mid-to-late September. As our sector transitions into bargaining mode, the committee stands ready to assist the bargaining team and mobilizers in any capacity.
As of May 8, the official LBED page has maintained more than 2,700 “likes” with 3,407 followers. The page continues to engage our members and LBED supporters. The chart below shows our gender and age demographics.
The Ed/Comm committee presented its first Zoom called, “ An Introduction to Media Relations, Photography and Media Literacy.” The event was well attended, and a copy of the presentation was sent to local presidents / highest ranking to ensure it was available to those who could not be there. Further, the committee produced a bargaining timeline educational that was utilized on our sector GMM meeting.
The Anti-Privatization Committee (APC) zoom educational tentatively scheduled for August 16 has been postponed to a later date. The APC and Ed/Comm committees weren’t comfortable asking members to attend during peak vacation time. The presentation will be rescheduled.
In solidarity,
Craig Hadley – Chair (L5109)
Kristan Wolfe – Member-at-Large (L377)
Amanda (AJ) Johnson – Member-at-Large (L163)
This is what solidarity looks like!
Oshawa, ON – The bargaining team, mobilizers and alternates met in June for two days of mobilizer training in preparation for our 2027 bargaining round.