“Sharing knowledge with new leaders and celebrating leadership” – Region 5 Regional Meeting educated and inspired

By Wendy Lee, Local 575, InSolidarity Committee

Region 5 held its leadership conference at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel from Mar 6 to 8 with roughly 80 attendees.

Friday evening started with ice breaking games testing attendees’ knowledge through a fun game of trivia pursuit related to our OPSEU union. Questions about the procedures of convention, the budget, the audit, membership dues, and much more was meant to stimulate our knowledge about how much or how little we are aware about how our union functions and operates.

Saturday’s sessions were about Convention Procedures and Committees, Roberts Rules of Order, and Resolutions and Constitutional Amendments.

A review of Robert’s Rules of Order was conducted. This session was to help attendees better understand the terminology and when to apply it.

More information about Robert’s Rules.

Saturday morning started with introductions to the newly elected Equity members representatives in Region 5. Each committee provided update reports on what was achieved in the previous year(s) and what Region 5 members can look forward to in the upcoming 3 years. The Committees and Caucus are as follows:

• Rainbow Alliance
• CoRW – Coalition of Racialized Workers
• Provincial Francophone Committee
• PWC – Provincial Women’s Committee
• PYWC – Provincial Young Workers Committee
• PHRC – Provincial Human Right Committee
• GTAC – Greater Toronto Area Council
• Jewish Caucus
• Indigenous Circle

At Region 5 Conference, attendees also took a moment to acknowledge the passing of a beloved activist Janice Hagan. She was from the College Sector and has been active for decades in Region 5. For more information about Janice, please click on this link: Remembering Janice Hagan – there was no mountain high enough to stop her activism and solidarity – OPSEU SEFPO

In short, the bulk of the weekend was about teaching and knowledge sharing to assist Region 5 leadership to understand the structure, constitution and resolution amendments, convention procedure, etc. in preparation for a mock convention to run on the Sunday. This conference was meant to really enhance the attendees’ ability to mentor those at the local level in preparations for upcoming meetings and conventions.

Here are the dates for conventions moving forward:

• April 8 – 11, 2027
• April 20 – 23, 2028
• April 26 – 29, 2029

Worth Fighting For

Additionally, the attendees were reminded and educated about the Worth Fighting For Campaign as Region 5 continues to mobilize and organize various members in the Broader Public Sector.

More information on Worth Fighting For

Attendees were reminded that each of us doesn’t have to be the solo expert on how to organize. We were encouraged to establish 1:1 building of relationships in our locals because organizing isn’t possible for just one person to accomplish on their own. We need to take action as a collective whole and show solidarity by taking action together like passing out flyers and collecting signatures on a petition.

Establishing relationships and transmitting information is great way for holding institutional knowledge. This is easily accomplished as members are already organized based on departments, areas of work, social networks via WhatsApp group, etc. There is another way that leaders can look for natural leaders within the workplace. Sometimes these individuals may be the ones who organize social activities like retirement parties, bridal showers, etc.

Mock convention

Sunday was the mock convention where attendees practised their newfound knowledge. Attendees discussed and debated resolutions and constitutional amendments during the mock practice session. This mock convention allowed for pauses after each portion of discussion and debate to provide explanation with further enhanced discussion and clarify for terminology.

Hopefully, many more attendees at the larger convention setting will now have a little more knowledge and confidence. Several attendees also had the ability to try out what being chair of the mock convention feels like. This provided insights on the challenges that the convention chair experiences at each annual convention.

Upcoming education events

Region 5 has additional education opportunities coming up in 2026. Please reserve the following dates:

• September 18-20
• November 17-29

There were plenty of resources and a Local Presidents’ Planning Checklist for 2026 was distributed as well.

Positive feedback

In closing, here are what some attendees had to say about the Region 5 Leadership Conference.

Jason Morgan, Local President 584, Ontario Clean Water Agency

• “Networking with other leaders and learning about grievances and bargaining language within the Collective Agreement was really beneficial for me. Enhancing clarity about Robert’s Rules of Order and how to apply it will also assist me at Convention. Meeting some candidates that will be running at Regionals was a way for me to get to know them a little bit more.”

Phylicia Lafreniere, Local President 590, Humber River Health

• “I really enjoyed learning about Robert’s Rules of Order and how to use them in practice. It was helpful to learn about convention awards and what criteria is applied for when nominations are made at the local level.”

Himanshu Parekh, Local 5110, LCBO, Rainbow Alliance Equity Chair

• “I learned how to speak at the microphone on the convention floor when the debates are happening.”

Kelly Jo Walden, Local 579, Local President, Centre of Forensic Sciences

• “Networking and learning how to write a resolution.”

Jonathan Modo, Local 570, Local President, Mount Sinai Health/Bridgepoint Health

• “Learning about the procedure’s manual for convention.”

Fredy Mejia, Local 563, Local President, Humber College

• “Sharing knowledge with new leaders and celebrating leadership.”

Thor Martin, Local 527, Local President, Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal

• “Hearing interesting stories from diverse workplaces compared to my own. This helps me understand what others face in various other sectors. I appreciate the diversity that OPSEU/SEFPO brings.”

Luisa Lampitoc, Local 580, Local President, CoRW, Ministry of Children and Social Services

• “Networking and learning from other leaders without having to go off site for meals. This maximized our time together to learn and talk with one another.”

Maia Rotin, Local 590, Lead Steward, Vice-Chair of Jewish Caucus, Humber River Health

• “Bringing increased awareness to the Jewish Caucus and being able to make new connections with other leaders.”

Boris Stoev, Local 510, Local President, Ministry of the Attorney General

• Practising my skills about Roberts Rule of Order and making new friends.”