Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

OPSEU ImpacT: New IMA professional dues

A newsletter for OPSEU members working at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

New IMA professional dues

The Institute of Municipal Assessors (IMA) has introduced an annual affiliate membership fee of $159 (plus HST) that will be levied against members who are working towards the associate membership certification. We brought the issue forward at our recent union-management committee meeting. However, management made it clear that they refuse to reimburse any part of this fee. Our current collective agreement contains no provision for reimbursement of this fee. OPSEU takes the position that reimbursement of this membership fee would encourage staff to pursue further education from the Institute of Municipal Assessors. Management claims to support accreditation but this refusal of theirs seems to indicate otherwise. This is an issue that members should consider as a demand for bargaining next year.

Kudos Korner

How about a big shout out and warm welcome to our new MPAC regional manager, Andre Morin. Morin left his former job of five years, as Director of Corporate Services with the City of Stratford, and joined MPAC the first week of October.

For those of you who may not know, Stratford is the place where Dan Mathieson, Chair of MPAC’s board of directors, also happens to be the mayor. Is this just a coincidence? You decide.          

Morin seems to be doing very well for himself, considering his first job at MPAC just so happens to be one of the highest paying positions at MPAC’s head office in Pickering. We would like to think that favouritism didn’t play a part in Andre Morin getting hired over several very highly qualified internal applicants already working at MPAC; but you never know what goes on behind closed doors where upper management makes their decisions. MPAC likes to talk about succession planning, but the increased number of external hires tells us a different tale.

Benefits reminder

OPSEU reminds everyone to contact our benefits provider, Green Shield Canada, for pre-determinations to ensure that the product or service they are seeking is covered by our plan. Members should contact Sabrina Kanji in the MPAC HR department directly about issues that GSC won’t resolve.

Join MPAC and see the world

While management has had no problems when they try and squeeze our members at the bargaining table, it seems like the vacation budget flows along like a mighty river, especially for notable repeat offenders like Brian Guerin, Shelly Graham, and John Watling. For those of you who may not know the aforementioned managers, they have been traveling the world for years while the staff that they supposedly manage, work without proper guidance, supervision or oversight. We need look no further than at Guerin and Graham for the abuse of position and power. With Guerin (the Director of Assessment Standards and Mass Appraisal (ASMA) and Graham (Manager of Assessment and Mass Appraisal) away at the same time, who’s running their team while they are out tanning and enjoying MPAC travel?

Hey Guerin and Graham! Don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses the next time you’re travelling to sunny destinations like Jamaica, Australia, or Trinidad and Tobago on the taxpayer’s dime.

Stay in touch!

To ensure a speedy response to your questions, your leadership team has divided up all MPAC offices in the province. If you have a question or a comment, please contact the team member below responsible for your office. Contact us by email at work or at home, at the following addresses:

David Fong

Timmins, Sarnia, Windsor & Kitchener
photosnorth@yahoo.ca

Paul Leslie

Pickering, Richmond Hill, Peterborough, and Milner
opseu312@yahoo.com

Tom Chisholm

North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden, and Pembroke
tandcind@msn.com

Mark Hotte

Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Trenton, and Ottawa
mark_hotte@hotmail.com

David Lynch

Bracebridge, Owen Sound, Barrie, London, Hamilton, Mississauga, and Toronto
opseu409@yahoo.ca

OPSEU ImpacT is produced by the Municipal Property Assessment Division of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, and authorized for distribution by Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President. Ontario Public Service Employees Union 100 Lesmill Road, Toronto, Ontario  M3B 3P8  www.opseu.org

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