News and Events

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day - Every year we encourage all members to honour this day with deference and solidarity. This year, given the recent discovery of a mass grave of 215 Indigenous children found at a former Kamloops residential school, we must also honour our revived outrage at the ongoing violence of colonialism.

June marks the beginning of Pride Season – a time of community, education, and of course, celebration. But the story of Pride is so much bigger than rainbows and parades. It’s important to remember that Pride started as a riot – a rebellion against the discrimination of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people. And this community continues to be at the forefront of the civil rights and social movements today.

Sisters, Brothers: This year, the heatwaves have come much earlier in some areas of the country. This is certainly welcomed with great optimism following the dark period we went through last winter with the virus and its more contagious variants. But while much of our attention is focused on COVID-19, we still have to face various other challenging conditions, including heatwaves looming on the horizon.

The National Executive Board has appointed the Negotiation Committee members who will represent the Urban Unit during the 2021–2022 round of negotiations. The five members, which include a technical aid, will be joining Sister Lana Smidt, recently appointed Chief Negotiator for the Urban Operations bargaining unit, bringing diversity and a wealth of experience. Carl Girouard, the National Grievance Officer, in accordance with the National Constitution will act as technical consultant.