Region 1 is pleased to offer a Weeklong Steward Training to be held at the Unifor Family Education Centre – 115 Shipley Drive, Port Elgin, Ontario.
Interested members are invited to submit their Expression of Interest by completing the Application Form.
Deadline to forward your Expression of Interest/Application is April 17, 2026, at 4:30 pm. Space is limited.
- Applicants must be able to commit to the full week of There will be a Plenary Session at 7:00 pm Sunday, June 7th, with the training to begin at 9:00 am Monday, June 8th, and end at noon on Friday, June 12th.
- Applications will be reviewed by the Education Committee and selection decisions will be based on the application criteria.
- All applicants will be notified by April 24, 2026, on their selection or Further details, including transportation, will be provided to the selected participants at that time.
- On-site childcare is available for this Expenses for childcare, family/dependent care will be paid in accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO Policy.
- Wages will be covered for selected participants as per OPSEU/SEFPO
- Selected members will be entitled to accommodation at the Unifor Family Education Centre (further details to be provided to selected participants). All meals are
Course Descriptions
- Stewards 1, Stewards 2, and Stewards 3
- Basic Grievance Handling, Advanced Grievance Handling, and Interpreting your Collective Agreement
- Arbitration – The Arbitration Process
- Indigenous Journey – Walking Together – Parts 1, 2 and 3
- Workers Health & Safety Centre – Health & Safety Certification
STEWARDS 1, 2 and 3
Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace*
This course supports stewards through a range of tools and practical activities and includes a detailed description and history of OPSEU/SEFPO’s equity-seeking groups. The key aims are to strengthen steward skills to orient a new employee to the union, have effective one-on-one conversations with a cross-section of members, develop a communications strategy to enlist diverse member involvement, and develop approaches to everyday workplace problems. Throughout the course, participants are supported as they develop a profile of their members, clarify the tasks of the steward, find the resources and information in OPSEU/SEFPO, and understand the grievance process and their role in it.
Stewards 2: Facing the Employer, Building Member Involvement*
This follow-up to Stewards 1 focuses on investigating and writing a grievance, facing management, and involving members in worksite action. Participants will use their own Collective Agreements to identify grievances. They will become immersed in an evolving case study where they interview a grievor, write up a grievance, face the employer at a Step 1, and make a presentation on safety issues to the union side of the Joint Health and Safety Committee. They will examine the elements of effective mobilization and develop a campaign strategy for a local.
Stewards 3: Dealing with Discipline*
Dealing with Discipline is a skills and knowledge focused workshop that will assist union activists in their duties representing members that are facing discipline up to and including dismissal. This course supports stewards through a range of tools and practical activities and includes a detailed description and history of OPSEU/SEFPO’s equity-seeking groups. The key aims are to strengthen steward skills to orient a new employee to the union, have effective one-on-one conversations with a cross-section of members, develop a communications strategy to enlist diverse member involvement, and develop approaches to everyday workplace problems. Throughout the course, participants are supported as they develop a profile of their members, clarify the tasks of the steward, find the resources and information in OPSEU/SEFPO, and understand the grievance process and their role in it.
* Participants are to bring their collective agreement to the course.
BASIC and ADVANCED GRIEVANCE HANDLING; INTERPRETING YOUR COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT
Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building*
This course is designed to examine the grievance process from a workplace organizing perspective. Grievances are opportunities to build the union. This hands-on course helps members analyze situations to decide whether a grievance is the best approach. Participants will learn about different types of grievances and the remedies available through the grievance/arbitration process. They will develop technical skills in writing and processing grievances, and practice communication to assess whether a member’s rights have been violated.
Advanced Grievance Handling for Union Building*
Does your local have a grievance committee? Can your experience in handling a grievance help to build the local? Can you use your knowledge of common grievance issues to raise awareness at demand setting meetings? Have you ever thought of what it is like to be on the Employer side of the table? These are some of the topics that will be explored in the Advanced Grievance Handling for Union Building course. You will also get the opportunity to practice being on the Union’s team and the Employer’s Team as you work through some scenarios. Building on the Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building course, this course focuses on expanding both the steward’s and Local’s ability to process grievances from start to finish. Through active interviewing process, participants will explore how to identify grievances, practice negotiating settlements, and draft realistic, enforceable grievance settlements.
Interpreting Your Collective Agreement: An Activist’s Role*
Do you know what your Collective Agreement is? Do you have a copy of it? Have you ever wondered what is in your Collective Agreement and how to find information on different articles? Do you know how the Collective Agreement is structured? Are you confused by some of the terms used in it? In this course members will be assisted in understanding the power of their Collective Agreement and how to interpret and enforce their Collective Agreement. Using interpretation guidelines developed through case law, participants will build the skills and confidence needed to understand and use their collective agreements. Activities will give participants an opportunity to review legislation, examine the importance of timelines, discuss case scenarios, and debate some common clauses and what they mean.
* Participants are to bring their collective agreement to the course.
ARBITRATION
The Arbitration Process *
After the grievance procedure has been exhausted, an unresolved grievance can be referred to the last stage to be decided at Arbitration. This Course is intended to inform Local Union activists regarding various elements of the process at an Arbitration Hearing in order to fully appreciate what occurs during the grievance procedure and how it affects the final outcome.
Those selected for this Course will engage in a mixture of lecture-style reviews as well as role-play exercises. All the basic elements of what happens at a Hearing will be reviewed.
This Course is intended for Local Union Officers and Stewards who have taken Grievance Handling
courses and have extensive grievance handling experience up to the final stages of the grievance procedure. Having previously attended at Arbitration Hearings and/or Mediation would be an asset.
* Grievance Handling Course is a pre-requisite.
INDIGENOUS JOURNEY – PARTS 1, 2 and 3
The Indigenous Journey: Walking Together: Part One
This Indigenous Journey Course provides an overview of key concepts essential for building respectful, informed, and culturally responsive relationships with Indigenous peoples. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the purpose and practice of Land Acknowledgements, learn and apply accurate terminology, and explore Indigenous knowledges and distinctions to better appreciate the diversity of Indigenous worldviews and experiences. Through reflective activities and guided discussion, the course examines how implicit and explicit biases shape perceptions and behaviours, and how recognizing intent versus impact is critical for meaningful and accountable engagement. Designed for learners committed to personal growth and reconciliation, this course offers practical tools, cultural context, and opportunities for self-reflection to support more respectful and informed interactions in union, workplace, and community settings.
The Indigenous Journey: Walking Together: Part Two
The Indigenous Journey 2 course offers an overview of key events and policies shaping the relationship between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada. Beginning with early settler contact and a Two Row Wampum activity, participants will explore the origins and impacts of treaties, the Royal Proclamation, and the Indian Act—including enfranchisement. The course examines the residential school system, and the 60s and Millennial Scoop as examples of ongoing systemic harm. Participants will learn about Jordan’s Principle and Ashley’s Dream, which advocate for equitable access to services for Indigenous children and youth. The course discusses decolonization and Indigegogy, along with guided discussions on practical, actionable steps participants can take to support reconciliation in their personal and professional spheres as well as their union, workplaces, and communities.
The Indigenous Journey: Walking Together: Part Three
This Indigenous Journey 3 course offers an engaging and accessible exploration of reconciliation in Canada and beyond, guiding participants through key frameworks, histories, and current-day initiatives shaping Indigenous–
non-Indigenous relationships. Learners will examine the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), its Calls to Action, and the broader movement for justice reflected in Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ People (MMIWG2S) inquiries. The course also introduces the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Papal apology, and their significance in advancing rights, recognition, and accountability.
Participants will consider what decolonization can look like in the workplace, explore practices that support collaboration and working together respectfully, and discuss the importance of international solidarity in global Indigenous rights movements. Through case scenarios and guided reflection, the course emphasizes practical understanding and equips participants with actionable steps to support reconciliation within their personal lives, union, workplaces, and communities.
WHSC HEALTH AND SAFETY
WHSC – Health and Safety Certification Part 1
The Workers Health & Safety Centre developed this program to help workplaces meet their legal responsibility to provide the first phase of Certification training to members of joint health and safety committees in Ontario. This program, critical to securing safer, healthier work, is applicable to workplaces in all sectors. Delivered over a three-day period, this program gives participants a complete understanding of occupational health and safety legislation, including rights and responsibilities of workplace parties and certified representatives on joint health and safety committees in particular. This will include a full discussion about the Internal Responsibility System (IRS) and the purpose and requirements of workplace health and safety policies and programs. Equally important, participants learn how to identify, assess and control, or better yet eliminate, workplace hazards.