OPSEU/SEFPO friends and colleagues are mourning the passing of Mélanie Bégin, 57, on October 26, 2022. A service of remembrance will take place in Oshawa on Sunday, November 20, 2022. Click here for her obituary and details about the service.
Mélanie was a proud activist member of OPSEU/SEFPO and a meat inspector with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). She was the Co-Chair of the Ministry Employee Relations Committee (MERC) for OMAFRA for several terms, and spent a decade on the Meat Inspectors Sub-Committee as well. She was also the 2nd Vice President of Local 506.
Mélanie was loved and respected by her friends at work, the members of her local, and the union as a whole. She made a point of welcoming new colleagues at work and making them feel part of the team and the union.
There have been serious workplace issues faced by OMAFRA meat inspectors, and Mélanie was a strong advocate for their health and safety and their rights. She always stepped up to the plate, not just for meat inspectors but also all of her colleagues in OMAFRA, which is why her fellow members elected her to leadership positions in her local and on the MERC.
Fellow MERC members remember her as a great negotiator who mentored union activists and also earned respect from the employer. While her demeanor was calm and steady across the table from the employer, she never backed down when it came to standing up for her fellow members.
Mélanie will be missed by all of us in OPSEU/SEFPO. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and loved ones.