Fred Hahn, secretary-treasurer of CUPE Ontario, was elected CUPE Ontario president by the CUPE Ontario Executive Board earlier today.
Hahn, a social worker raised in rural Ontario, joined CUPE in 1990 after deciding to use his degree from the University of Toronto to advocate for children with intellectual disabilities at Community Living Toronto. Hahn also makes labour history as the first openly gay man to lead a union in Ontario.
Hahn replaces outgoing president Sid Ryan. Ryan, president of CUPE Ontario for nearly 18 years, who was recently elected president of the Ontario Federation of Labour.
Candace Rennick was also elected to replace Hahn as secretary-treasurer of CUPE Ontario. A labour activist since her teens, Rennick has long been a pioneer within Ontario’s labour movement, becoming President of CUPE Local 2280, representing long-term care staff at St. Joseph’s at Fleming, a senior’s care facility in Peterborough, at the age of 22.
