Blog Posts

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE SEPB) to urge the Canadian government to immediately expand the humanitarian aid it provides to the citizens of Cuba. The people of Cuba continue to have their basic human rights, dignities, and livelihoods violated and attacked because of the actions of the Trump administration in the United States.

Our union and our tens of thousands of members across Canada are distressed to see the ongoing humanitarian crisis faced by the people in Cuba because of the Trump administration’s violation of the UN Charter and the rights of Cuba to national sovereignty and self-determination.

 

full document can be found here – 26-Ltr to Prime Minister Carney re Cuba May 29

Your workers have questions about trans issues. Many are wary, uncertain, about gender-affirming healthcare, women’s sports and what’s being taught at school. They have questions – and they deserve answers. That’s why Fae Johnstone and Victoria Bucholtz, two of Canada’s leading trans activists, are hosting “Ask a Trans Person Anything” events across Canada – where all questions, no matter how tough, are welcome.

We have events planned across Canada throughout the summer, and are asking for your help to spread the word through your members. A full list of events (growing by the day!) is accessible here: https://transcanadatour.ca/asktrans/

We’re asking for your help to spread the word, to bring workers out, whether as allies, as those unsure, or those with tough questions. All are welcome.

A message from Siraz Kaur Chatha, COPE Ontario Young Workers VP

 

 

Happy International Women’s Day COPE ON!

Gender Justice is Economic Justice – Gender justice means addressing the social and economic barriers faced by women and gender-diverse people in our society. These barriers include disproportionately higher rates of poverty and worsening food and housing insecurity crisis compared to men. Gender justice at work means addressing workplace issues that threaten gender equity and deepen economic injustices facing women and gender-diverse workers, including:

– Violence and harassment at work that disproportionately target women and gender-diverse workers;
– ⁠Overrepresentation of women in undervalued employment sectors, such as care work, which is often precarious, low paid and marked by poor working conditions; and
– ⁠A national child care crisis that continues to be a major barrier for women’s workforce participation.

WOMEN AND THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS

– 60% of minimum wage workers in Canada are women.
– ⁠Young women are 53% more likely to hold multiple jobs.
– ⁠40% of women reported it was difficult or very difficult to meet financial needs in 2025.
– ⁠41% of female lone-parent families face food insecurity.
– ⁠Women still only make 89 cents for every dollar men make.
– ⁠Women are 60% more likely than men to carry most of the unpaid and
long-term care at home.

When we rise up together, we make real change and fight for a more feminist and equitable future for our workplaces, communities, and economy.

Heather Bouley – laying the Remembrance Day wreath for COPE Local 96

Heather – thank you for all you do and continue to do for your country and union

Annette Toth, President of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE), has released this statement in response to the Government of Alberta’s use of the notwithstanding clause to attack the rights of teachers and to end the teachers’ strike. COPE represents tens of thousands of union workers in both the public and private sector across Canada:

COPE strongly condemns the Government of Alberta and Premier Danielle
Smith’s assault on the rights of the striking teachers in Alberta by invoking
the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work.

No matter how the Government of Alberta attempts to frame it, this is
nothing but an attack on the fundamental rights of teachers who are
exercising their rights as workers and doing their part to defend public
education and students in Alberta by asking the government to address
critical issues that are affecting the educational experience, including
class sizes and the need for student support.

By taking this action, the Government of Alberta is also showing they have
little regard for workers’ rights in general and would be willing to use this
method to attack workers and union members in any sector as they see fit.

Our union, and our tens of thousands of members across the country,
stands in solidarity with the teachers in Alberta, and with the Alberta
Teachers’ Association, in their continued efforts to defend public
education and workers’ rights in the face of a government that has shown
little regard for either.

 

 

Déclaration de la présidente du SEPB, Annette Toth, sur les actes brisegrève du gouvernement de l’Alberta

Annette Toth, présidente du Syndicat canadien des employé.es
professionnel.les et de bureau (SEPB), a publié cette déclaration en réponse à
l’utilisation par le gouvernement de l’Alberta de la clause dérogatoire pour
attaquer les droits des enseignant.es et mettre fin à leur grève. Le SEPB
représente des dizaines de milliers de travailleur.ses syndiqué.es des secteurs
public et privé à travers le Canada :

Le SEPB condamne fermement l’atteinte portée par le gouvernement de
l’Alberta et la première ministre Danielle Smith aux droits des
enseignant.es en grève en Alberta en invoquant la clause dérogatoire pour
les forcer à reprendre le travail.

Peu importe la façon dont le gouvernement de l’Alberta tente de présenter
les choses, il ne s’agit là que d’une atteinte aux droits fondamentaux des
enseignant.es qui exercent leurs droits en tant que travailleur.ses et font
leur part pour défendre l’éducation publique et les élèves en Alberta en
demandant au gouvernement de s’attaquer aux problèmes critiques qui
affectent l’expérience éducative, notamment la taille des classes et le
besoin de soutien aux élèves.

En prenant cette mesure, le gouvernement de l’Alberta montre également
qu’il accorde peu d’importance aux droits des travailleur.ses en général et
qu’il serait prêt à utiliser cette méthode pour s’en prendre aux
travailleur.ses et aux membres des syndicats de n’importe quel secteur,
s’il le jugeait opportun.

Notre syndicat et nos dizaines de milliers de membres à travers le pays
sont solidaires avec les enseignant.es de l’Alberta et de l’Association des
enseignant.es de l’Alberta dans leurs efforts continus pour défendre
l’éducation publique et les droits des travailleur.ses face à un
gouvernement qui n’a montré que peu de considération pour l’un ou
l’autre.

Candidate Bio: Keri Taylor– Running for Vice President, COPE Union
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

Hi everyone,
My name is Keri, and I’m running for Vice President of our COPE Union. I’m a Clerk 3 in the Emergency Department, where our team keeps things running around the clock. Although I’ve been at Thunder Bay Regional for about a year, I bring over 20 years of experience working in healthcare. That time has shown me how essential teamwork, communication, and trust are to providing the best care and supporting one another in a demanding environment
I’m running because I want to help create meaningful change within our union — to make it more member-driven, transparent, and connected. I believe every member should have a voice, and that we make the best decisions when everyone feels heard and involved.
I also bring a long history of union involvement from previous workplaces. Over the years, I’ve served as a steward, a communications officer, health and safety rep, and have always been an active, engaged member. I’ve helped organize large groups to unionize and successfully vote in union representation, even when the odds weren’t in our favor. Beyond the workplace, I’ve also been deeply involved in political activism, advocating for workers’ rights and fairness at every level.

If elected Vice President, my priorities will be to:
✅ Strengthen team cohesion across all departments — we’re stronger when we support each other.
✅ Keep member input front and center in contract negotiations and decision-making.
✅ Improve communication and transparency, so no one feels left out or unheard.
✅ Boost meeting attendance and engagement, making our gatherings more welcoming, relevant, and meaningful.
✅ Stay accessible and approachable, especially as someone working in a 24-hour department who understands our daily challenges.

This isn’t just about me — it’s about all of us working together. That’s why I’m proud to be running alongside Justyna for Secretary and Teeje for Sergeant-at-Arms. Together, we’re taking a team approach to building a stronger, more united union that truly reflects the needs and values of its members.

Let’s work together to make our union what it’s meant to be — by the members, for the members — and to prosper together as a forward-thinking, progressive team.
If you’d like more information, have questions, or want to share your ideas, please feel free to reach out to myself, Justyna, or Teeje — we’d be happy to chat, listen, and even meet in person. Your input matters, and we want to hear from you.
Vote Keri Taylor for Vice President — Experienced. Accessible. Member-Driven.

If I’m the successful candidate for the Vice President position at Thunder Bay Regional, my vision is to bring transparency, increased communication, education on union processes and building a strong sense of community between our members.

Though I have not held a position on the Executive prior, I have had the honor of representing us at the negotiation table during the last contract. It was a great experience and an inside look at it means to write a contract, negotiation tactics and sit across from Human Resources to represent you, represent us.

I commit completely to educating myself on all things related to the role so that I can confidently represent you to the best of my ability.

I strongly believe that communication is key. I promise to keep you informed on everything I know and everything I learn as well. The more adept we are at understanding our contract, laws, grievance process etc, the more we can confidently identify and address issues, or questions as they arise.

I want to meet with you. I want to hear your concerns and questions. I want us to build strength and community and be the voice we need.
*I worked in the Admitting/Registration for eleven years and have been in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab for eight years.
*I was a member of the Bargaining Committee at our last contract negotiation.
*I have completed steward training.
*I along with some of our other members represent Clerks/Cope at the Staff Advisory Committee.

Let’s build on what we have and keep the momentum going. I want to work together to build a strong, educated, collaborative and communicative team.

 

good day/evening everyone

 

last year we made changes to our Constitution and Bylaws – hoping to make things a little easier

 

FOR CANDIDATES:

Nominations opened on the third Tuesday of September, during the regular General Membership. Nominations will close at 4:00 pm the second Tuesday of October. You must submit your name, seconded by a member, stating your intention to run for office and which position you wish to run for to the COPE Local 96 email (cope96@tbaytel.net) and the Election Chair’s email (schampagne@copeontario.ca).

 

The nominee has the option to provide a brief outline and picture of themselves. The outline will be uploaded to the COPE Local 96 website. All nominations will be reviewed by the LRS, Treasurer and Sargent-at -Arms to confirm eligibility. The nominee will receive an email confirming their eligibility.

 

The positions up for Election, for 2-year terms, include:

• President
• Executive Vice President
• Treasurer
• Recording Secretary
• Sergeant-At-Arms
• Unit VP of Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre
• Unit VP of Lakehead University

 

FOR VOTERS:

COPE 96 Members wishing to vote in the election will be required to register to vote.

 

Registration will open on the third Tuesday of September during the regular General Membership meeting. Members who wish to vote must send an email with their current email address, to the COPE Local 96 email. (cope96@tbaytel.net) and the Election Chair’s email (schampagne@copeontario.ca).

 

A list/spreadsheet will be kept and will be available to the membership. Voting registration will close at 4:00 pm the second Tuesday of October – giving time for the LRS, Treasurer and Sargent-at-Arms to confirm eligibility. The election will be administered by COPE Ontario. An email will be sent to all registered member’s email addresses.

 

ELECTION DAY:

The election will take place on the first Tuesday of November. The voting will be open for 24 hours. The results will be sent to the Labour Relations Specialist (LRS) who will send an email to the current president to distribute to the membership.

The full set of bylaws concerning Local Elections has been included below for your reference. If you have any questions, please reach out to Steven Champagne, Election Chair, at schampagne@copeontario.ca.

ARTICLE 9 ELECTIONS

 

Section 1: It shall be the aim of the Union to elect to the Executive Board the most capable members of the various groups comprising the membership of the Union.

 

Section 2: The officers and members of the Executive Board and standing committees shall be elected by the membership and shall hold office for a term of two (2) years and be elected by the membership for the above term. (Election of the Unit Vice-Presidents and Unit Bargaining Chair (Northern Credit Union) as per Article 8, section 2 a)

 

Section 3: Nominations will open on the third Tuesday of September, during the regular General Membership meeting of each election year. Nominations will close at 4:00 pm the second Tuesday of October on the election year. You must submit your name, seconded by a member, stating your intention to run for office and which position you wish to run for. The nominee has the option to provide a brief outline and picture of themselves. The outline will be uploaded to the COPE Local 96 website. All nominations will be reviewed by the Treasurer and Sargent-at -Arms to confirm eligibility. The nominee will receive an email confirming their eligibility. Section 3a: COPE 96 Members wishing to vote in the election will be required to register to vote.

 

Registration will open on the third Tuesday of September during the regular General Membership meeting. Members who wish to vote must send an email with their current email address, to the COPE Local 96 email. A list/spreadsheet will be kept and will be available to the membership. Voting registration will close at 4:00 pm the second Tuesday of October – giving time for the Treasurer and Sargent-at-Arms to confirm eligibility. The election will be administered by COPE Ontario. An email will be sent to all registered member’s email addresses.

 

The election will take place on the first Tuesday of November. The voting will be open for 24 hours. The results will be sent to the Labour Relations Specialist (LRS) who will send an email to the current president to distribute to the membership.

 

Section 4: Inauguration shall take place after elections.

 

Section 5: No member of this Union shall be permitted to vote unless he/she is in good standing in the Union.

 

Section 6: a) No person shall be elected or appointed to an office in or as an Executive Board member of the Union unless they have been an active member of this Union in continuous good standing for at least the preceding twelve (12) months and has attended 50% of the past years general membership meetings except as provided in Article 8, Section 7.

 

NOTE FROM THE ELECTION CHAIR: As outlined in the September GMM where nominations were opened, the only exception to Section 6 a), as provided for under Article 8, Section 7, is if a member who does not meet the criteria outlined puts their name forward and there are no other members running who are eligible.

 

1. b) No person shall be elected or appointed President or Executive Vice President without serving at least one term on the executive.

 

Section 7: No member shall hold more than one of the offices specified in Article 7, Section 1 at one and the same time.

 

Section 8: The candidate(s) receiving the greatest number of votes cast for the respective offices shall be declared elected.

 

Section 9: No votes for any member who is not duly nominated and listed on the ballot may be counted by the Election Board. (No sticker or write-in candidates)

 

Section 10: No voting by proxy or mail ballot shall be allowed.

 

Section 11: All Officers and Executive Board members shall be inaugurated immediately following the election at the regular membership meeting of the Union. They shall assume the duties on the first day of the month (December) following the Elections. Before entering upon the duties of their respective offices, the newly elected officers shall subscribe to the following installation obligation:

 

“I,…………………, do hereby sincerely pledge my word and honour to perform the duties assigned to me in the Local Union Constitution and ByLaws, to the best of my ability and with complete good faith to support, advance and carry out all official policies of the Local Union and to promote a harassment and discrimination free environment. I will at all times devote my efforts to further the aims, objectives and best interest of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union. I will also surrender all books, papers, electronic data and other property of this Local Union in my possession to my successor in office”.

 

Remembrance Day is a time for us to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, reflecting on their courage and dedication to preserving the freedoms we hold dear. As we pause to remember, it is also a chance for us to come together as a country, united in gratitude and respect.

Remembrance Day offers a powerful reminder of the strength found in solidarity and shared values, encouraging us to build bridges and support one another in the pursuit of peace and unity for all Canadians.

Lest we forget