National Secretary-Treasurer's Report - December 2022

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends:

This fall has been incredibly busy. In-person events have continued to increase, and it has been wonderful to see so many members again after more than two years of gathering mostly online. It’s clear that we all needed these in-person connections to fuel our ongoing work together as a union and a movement. I am proud CUPE continues to prioritize the health and safety of members and staff as we learn to adjust to the ongoing pandemic, with COVID-19 policies that follow recommendations from scientists and public health.

At the start of my second year as your National Secretary-Treasurer, I want to highlight how inspired I am by the work happening in all your regions to organize and fight back. I am very proud to see all the incredible work you are doing at bargaining tables, in community campaigns, and in the public eye. Rapidly rising interest rates, crushing inflation, and working the frontlines of an ongoing pandemic continue to make life very difficult for CUPE members. Your bargaining and mobilizing efforts across the country demonstrate daily what a huge difference it makes to have a strong union behind workers.

I had the pleasure of participating in my first PSI Canada-USA meeting alongside Mark this fall. The meeting was hosted by CUPE, as we are the titular union for Canada. It was good to hear about the challenges – and also the victories – of public sector unions in both countries. I look forward working with PSI in the years to come.

It was a privilege to be able to attend in person both the HEU and the Manitoba Division conventions this Fall, presided over by two inspiring women leaders, Barb Nederpel and Gina McKay. Congratulations to Barb on her re-election as President! And I congratulate Gina on the hard work she is leading in Manitoba to rebuild a strong Division. The Manitoba convention tackled many issues critical to CUPE members there.

I was also thrilled to be able to join the PEI All Presidents’ meeting remotely, and hear directly from them. Due to events in Ontario, I wasn’t able to be there in person as originally planned, but I really appreciated the warm virtual welcome and the ability to connect with people remotely.

Just last week, I attended the CUPE-Québec Human Rights’ conference in Trois-Rivières. I was invited to speak about the important work being done on Safe Union Spaces. On a personal note, I was incredibly moved to be able to be there on December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal massacre. December 6 serves as a reminder to all of us that the work we need to do inside our union to eliminate gender-based violence is critical work.

Budget

As I present to you my first budget as your Secretary-Treasurer, I would like to thank the regions and divisions across the country for their collaboration. Thanks to increased projected revenue, we are able to present a strong budget with some deep investment in resources. Naturally we could not meet every request from every region, but my office worked hard to ensure that key priorities and needs were met in a fair way. We enhanced resources for cost-shared campaigns, to support the incredible work happening in every region, and committed new staffing resources for every department. We have also enhanced Defence Fund and organizing resources. I am proud of the investments we are making to ensure CUPE can meet the needs of our growing membership.

Strikes and Lockouts

Mark and I visited the longshore workers at the Port of Quebec City, who have been locked out by their employer since September. As of the writing of this report, members of CUPE 2614 remain locked out in their fight to safeguard against oppressive concessions sought by the Port.

Also in Quebec, the 150 employees of the Quebec Cannabis Society are still on the picket lines with no settlement in sight. We are working hard to find a satisfying negotiated solution.

Local 1690, Municipality of Ste-Julie, took a one-day strike action to put pressure on its employer.

We did not have the opportunity to visit striking members at Dalhousie University before they won a settlement that included significant wage increases.

Workers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, commenced strike action on November 21, over wages, funding, and access to work, and rising tuition costs that erode their earnings significantly. As of the writing of this report, I’ve not yet had the opportunity to visit their picket line.

“Political Protest” in Ontario

Making news across the country, of course, was the “political protest” Ontario education workers were forced to undertake in order to beat back the profoundly unconstitutional Bill 28, which imposed a concessionary contract and took away their right to strike. These workers bravely walked off the job for two days in early November, despite the passage of the bill and a hostile majority conservative government that promptly went to the labour board to have their job action declared illegal.

During those two days, Mark and I were present at the biggest Toronto picket line, which was set up at Queen’s Park. We were joined by several NEB members who made their way to Ontario to express solidarity against this draconian bill.

I know that Mark will have a lot to report about this dispute in his report, but I want to say as a national officer who hails from Ontario, I am incredibly proud of the way our union worked to build a huge, strong labour coalition to defeat Bill 28. Public and private sector unions responded to CUPE’s call to build momentum toward a general strike, and just four days after it passed, the Ford government was forced – by us! – to repeal Bill 28.

Before we ever got to the point of executing the walkout and the broad coalition pushback against the bill, OSBCU spent months organizing their membership into a state of readiness. They delivered a 96% strike mandate with 80% of their membership voting. They have engaged their membership in a very deliberate organizing strategy over the last nine months and we could all see the payoff of those efforts when members so bravely chose to walk off the job despite the passage of a bill that threatened them personally with huge fines, as well as huge fines to the union. I want to congratulate OSBCU President Laura Walton, the OSBCU bargaining team, and all the staff assigned to the sector in Ontario for positioning CUPE members so well for victory.

Speaking specifically as your National Secretary-Treasurer, I want to thank the NEB for pledging access to resources for this fight. We would not have been able to push the Ford government back so swiftly without knowing the full resources of the union were behind OSBCU members in Ontario. Because our National Executive Board recognized the significance of this fight, we were also able to pledge the support of the Strike Fund to other CUPE locals who were mobilizing toward general strike. The Bill 28 fight represents a significant moment in our history, one where CUPE helped to further entrench the right to free collective bargaining and the right to strike in this country’s constitution. And that is very much thanks to the support of CUPE members from across the country.

Hurricane Fiona Relief

Following the devastation left behind by tropical storm Fiona, the NEB approved by electronic vote donations of $20,000 each to two non-for-profit organizations, one in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the other in Nova Scotia. In addition, CUPE also made contributions to organizations in PEI and in Iles-de-la-Madeleine, both also affected by the storm.

Pivot Airlines Members Held in the Dominican Republic

I am so pleased to mark the release of the two CUPE members employed by Pivot Airlines who have been unjustly detained for more than 230 days. Cristina and Alex arrived home on Canadian soil on December 1. Our thanks to all CUPE members who helped apply pressure to get them home, as well as those who helped fundraise to assist with their financial obligations in Canada while they were detained.

CUPE Staff Bargaining Update

We have not yet reached agreement with CDU or Unifor 2013 (national representatives’ unit). CDU has filed for conciliation; a conciliator has been appointed and the parties have agreed to a date on December 19.

HR Re-org

In concert with the national officers, the Human Resources Department has undergone a re-organization. We have eliminated a director position as well as two labour relations officers, and are implementing three assistant director positions, and a personnel clerk, should our proposed budget be approved. The three new assistant director positions will focus on the areas of labour relations, training/benefits/policy development, and employment equity/staffing and recruitment. These new assistant directors will work with the Managing Director collaboratively to build a strong team focused on CUPE’s organizational priorities.

Please join me in welcoming Alison Denis and Margot Pasley, who have agreed to fill two of the new assistant director portfolios in HR on a temporary basis until these jobs are approved and permanently posted.

Safe Union Spaces

Sub-groups and staff have continued to work on multiple Safe Union Spaces pieces during this quarter. We held bystander training at the National Sector Conference, and also heard from three members of the Safe Union Spaces Working Group (SUSWG) at that gathering.

Early on, SUSWG identified a need to introduce restorative approaches to our conflict work inside the union. This quarter, we have done some awareness sessions on restorative approaches, at national and regional gatherings, including at the Manitoba Division convention. The first steps to pilot this approach are underway in various regions.

The SUSWG of the NEB has an in-person meeting planned for January in Toronto, following anti-racism training for the Board. At that January meeting, the working group will start to consider recommendations for an eventual new CUPE Office of the Ombudsperson, as well as outlining the plans for upcoming Division conventions.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

GENERAL FUND

Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet)

Assets: The total assets in the General Fund at September 30, 2022 were $348.3 million compared to $351.8 million at December 31, 2021 and $334.5 million at September 30, 2021. The items of significance are discussed below.

The bank balance at September, 2022 of 18.7 million is a $273,000 increase from the bank balance at December 31, 2021. This will require the transferring of some surplus cash to our general investments. The bank balance includes various internal cash reserves, which are set aside for the 2023 convention, retirement payouts, future benefits funding, property maintenance and the Regional Building Fund.

Liabilities: The total liabilities in the General Fund were $299.6 million at September 30, 2022 compared to $305.2 million at December 31, 2021 and $287.6 million at
September 30, 2021.

Employee Future Benefits Obligation: As at December 31, 2021 CUPE had recorded the full liability of $240.3 million on the Balance Sheet and had met the goal of the Employee Future Benefit Roadmap that was put in place in 2005. Unfortunately, since then the equity markets have been on a significant downturn and the assets set aside to fund these liabilities have lost $15.3 million in 2022. Although we have continued to book the expense according to the roadmap, as of September 30, 2022, the liability recorded for employee future benefits has dropped to $234.4 million.

Fund Balance: The Fund Balance at September 30, 2022 is $48.7 million and $3.6 million of that Fund Balance is restricted as follows: Convention and National Events Assistance Fund $1.1 million and Regional Building Fund, $2.4 million. The remaining components making up the Fund Balance are: an investment of $67.9 million in fixed assets and a negative unrestricted balance of $22.8 million. This means that all the equity in the General Fund is spoken for either in terms of being allocated for a restricted purpose or tied up in fixed assets.

Statement of Operations

The operating surplus for the year to date is $2.1 million, compared to a budgeted deficit of $4.9 million.

Revenue: Per Capita revenue is over budget by $3.8 million and total revenue is under budget by $13 million, due primarily to an unrealized loss of $19 million in our investment accounts.

Expenses: Total expenses are under budget by $20 million, some of the expense highlights are as follows:

Salaries are over budget by $1.1 million, current benefits are over budget by $1.1 million, and future benefits, excluding the provision to add the investment gains and losses to the liability, are over budget by $2.9 million. Salaries are mainly over budget due to the negotiated wage increase and vacation relief.

Cumulatively, the other operating expenses (including Programs) are $6.1 million under budget.

1. Operational Travel costs are $2 million under budget due primarily to reduced business travel.
2. Overall programs for the national departments are $1.2 million under budget largely due to the timing of expenditures incurred.
3. Fixed Staffing costs are $1 million under budget largely due to reduced vehicle travel so far in the year.
4. Strategic Directions is $1 million under budget to this point in the year.
5. EAP Care costs are $424,000 over budget.

NATIONAL DEFENCE FUND

Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet)

Assets: As at September 30, 2022, we have $26.4 million in Total Assets compared to $23.3 million at December 31, 2021, and $22.4 million at September 30, 2021. The cash balance at September 30, 2022 of $4.6 million is down $1.7 million compared to December 31, 2021 and down $990,000 from September 30, 2021. In addition, we have investments totalling $19.3 million on the books at September 30, 2022, up $4.6 million from December 31, 2021.

Liabilities: Under Liabilities we have accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $708,000 at September 30, 2022 compared to $1.8 million at December 31, 2021 and $409,000 at September 30, 2021. There is also $10.3 million in cost-shared campaigns’ liabilities which have remained at the same level from December 31, 2021. Finally, $27,000 is owed to the General Fund at September 30, 2022.

Fund Balance: At September 30, 2022, the Fund Balance was $15.3 million compared to $11.1 million at December 31, 2021.

Statement of Operations

The operating surplus for the year to date is just under $4.2 million compared to a surplus of $20,500. This surplus includes $475,000 of unrealized investment losses.

Revenue: Per capita tax allocated to the fund at the close of Q3 was just over $10.5 million, with just under $3.5 million from unused campaign funds from previous years and just over $150,000 in interest earned on investments. Total revenue in the fund is at $14.1 million.

Expenses: Total expenses in the fund at the close of Q3 were $9.5 million. Spending categories are as follows:

Cost-shared campaigns: Approved by the National Executive Board so far in 2022 were $5,099,724 with an annual budget of $4.4 million.

Major Organizing: expenses were $2,037,351 against an annual budget of $4.25 million.

National Strategic Initiatives: expenses were $1,454,552 against an annual budget of $2.85 million.

Regional Strategic Initiatives: expenses were $898,960 with a budget for the year of $2.375 million.

It is expected that all expense lines under Major Organizing, National Strategic Initiatives and Regional Strategic Initiatives will increase in Q4 as there is usually a delay in the submission of invoices from Divisions and Regions.

NATIONAL STRIKE FUND

Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet)

Assets: Total Assets in the National Strike Fund as of September 30, 2022, were $136 million, slightly down from December 31, 2021. These assets consisted of $2.6 million in cash and $2.5 million in per capita receivable and $130.4 million in investments.

Liabilities: Under Liabilities we have accounts payable and accrued liabilities totalling $1.3 million, and an amount of $13,000 due to the General Fund.

Fund Balance: The fund balance at the close of Q3 is $134.6 million.

Statement of Operations

The fund has an operating deficit of $747,000 for the period ending September 30.

Revenue: Per Capita Tax allocated to the Strike Fund are $10.5 million. Investment income saw a loss of $786,000. Total revenue for the period was $9.7 million.

Expenses: Expenses in the fund total $7.5 million as follows:

Strike Related Expenses: $4,340,817

Strike Averting Expenses: $1,883,236

Legal and Arbitration Expenses: $707,967

Bargaining Rights Legal Challenges: $589,183

The fund also has unrealized losses of just under $3 million.

STRIKES, LOCKOUTS AND SETTLEMENTS

QC	5454	Société québécoise du cannabis	150	17-May 22
QC	2614	Société des arrimeurs du Québec LOCK OUT	81	15-Sep-22
NS	3912	Dalhousie University	550	19-Oct-22	11-Nov-22
ON	3760	City of Oshawa    Crossing guards could not cross the line - OSBCU	140	07‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5519	ASP Incorporated (Toronto) Crossing guards could not cross the line - OSBCU	399	07‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	16	Algoma District School Board	175	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	27	Greater Essex County District School Board	305	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	65	Northwest Catholic District School Board, Rainy River District School Board	331	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	218	Durham Public School Board, Durham Catholic District School	4000	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	256	Wellington Catholic District School Board, Upper Grand District School Board, Caretaking Norwell Paul Metzger	330	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	895	Rainbow District School Board No. 3	225	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	997	Trillium Lakelands District School Board	700	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1011	Halton District School Board	375	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1022	Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board	747	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1165	Employees Of Near North District School Board Et Al	315	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1176	Bluewater District School Board	260	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1196	York Region District School Board Employees	1175	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1202	Renfrew County Catholic District School Board	54	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1238	Lambton/Kent District School Board	1000	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1247	Renfrew County District School Board	130	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1310	Simcoe County District School Board	500	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1317	The Niagara Catholic District School Board	950	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1321	Renfrew County District School Board	110	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1328	Toronto Catholic District School Board Employees	2070	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1348	Greater Essex County District School Board	240	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1358	Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board	600	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1369	Sudbury Catholic District School Board Employees	56	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1453	Peterborough Victoria Northumberland & Clarington Catholic District School Board	850	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1479	Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board	950	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1480	Limestone District School Board	1250	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1483	Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board	760	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1571	York Catholic District School Board Employees	516	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1628	The Peel District School Board	1200	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1734	York Region District School Board	3300	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	1939	Keewatin-Patricia District School Board	83	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2026	Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board	500	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2331	York District Catholic School Board	1800	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2357	Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board	2054	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2486	Lakehead District School Board	147	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2512	Waterloo Catholic District School Board	1200	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2544	The Peel District School Board	1350	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	2799	Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord	113	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3155	Toronto Catholic District School Board	70	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3166	Halton Catholic District School Board	430	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3396	Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board	1030	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3447	Bruce Grey County Roman Catholic Separate School Board Employees	400	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3615	Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board	187	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3987	Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board	194	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4148	Employees Of The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board And Soo Arena Association	510	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4153	Hamilton-Wentworth D.S.B. - Custodial	550	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4154	English Catholic District Sb Of Eastern Ontario - Board #52	721	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4155	Conseil scolaire de district des écoles françaises de l’Est Ontarien #65	255	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4156	District School Board Of Niagara	1725	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4168	St. Clair Catholic District School Board	610	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4186	London District Catholic School Board	1000	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4222	Thames Valley District School Board	1845	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4274	Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel Ontario	80	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4297	Le conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est	150	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4299	Conseil scolaire de district des écoles catholiques du Sud-Ouest	800	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4340	Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud	180	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4400	Toronto District School Board	16244	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4681	The Northeastern Catholic District School Board	154	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	4865	Conseil scolaire publique du Nord-Est de l’Ontario	247	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5100	Grand Erie District School Board	950	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5200	Halton Catholic District School Board	1050	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5335	Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario	450	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5476	York District Catholic School Board	19	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5555	The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board	1943	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	5678	Upper Canada District School Board #26	1480	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	7575	Thames Valley District School Board, Educational and Instructional Assistants	1766	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	7777	Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes Rivières	100	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	8888	District School Board Ontario North East	175	04‑Nov‑22	08‑Nov‑22
ON	3906	McMaster University	2856	21‑Nov‑22
QC	1690	Municipality of Sainte-Julie Rotating strike	100	6-Dec-22

PER CAPITA ARREARS

For the quarter ended September 2022, the total arrears were $11,536,299, which was an increase of $3,478,980 or 43.18% from the previous quarter ended June 2022.

Total arrears have increased 24.48% as compared to September 2021.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) REPORT

With the fourth quarter of 2022 coming to an end, the IT Branch continues to work on approved plans for CUPE’s Information Management solution, CUPEDocs, Avanti Human Resource management system, a new grievance management system for HR labour relations and MRMS enhancements while planning for 2023.

Information Management (IM) Solution

CUPE is moving forward with the implementation of a bilingual IM Solution called (CUPEDocs | DocsSCFP), based on Microsoft 365 tools. The first phase of the project for 2022 focuses on implementing the IM solution for CUPE National, with the objective of rolling out the IM solution across national office and all regions over the course of 2023.

Per Capita System Re-Development

We have met challenges with this project, and we are analyzing how we complete the remaining development. We may need to shift gears on this project. We are testing for functionality, as well as the accuracy of calculations in various complex scenarios. The original timeline to roll out this project is now delayed until the new year.

Avanti Human Resources System Enhancements

The HR project to enhance the recruitment/onboarding framework for CUPE is now live and the HR Team is conducting the final round of testing. Discovery sessions for a new Time and Attendance module are scheduled, with a plan to implement for Q2 2023.

Grievance Management System – Labour Relations

The implementation of this new system is in progress, with the first training session already completed. The go-live is planned for December 2022.

Member Relationship Management System (MRMS) Enhancements

The IT Development team remains focused on the new strike fund project, with the objective of automating workflow processes, creating the ability to fill out forms online, and expediting approval and reporting processes online. In the long term, this will eliminate the problem of maintaining and managing paper forms, as well as delays caused by collecting signatures and providing the necessary reporting and auditing requirements.

Full release of the Strike Fund system is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2023.

As part of the CUPE’s IT reporting strategy, MRMS end users and managers will be provided with the capability and tools to run through analytical dashboards, operational and analytical style reports. The first phase of this project was building a reporting data warehouse, which is now completed. Phase two will introduce to users of MRM LUI the capability to analyze and query local union, bargaining units, organization, national representatives and members. Phase 2 is still in the design and development phase.

In October, the IT Development team, in collaboration with ORS, released the MRM LUI enhancement for tracking and reporting on organizing drives.

End User IT Infrastructure/ IT Security

CUPE users’ laptop environments continue to be refreshed every four years with the latest Windows devices, operating system, security, and applications. With the ongoing increase in security threats, it is imperative we continue to enhance CUPE’s IT security measures and vigilance to protect CUPE IT resources and users. Testing has been completed on an antimalware solution for smartphones within the CUPE IT user group. Beginning in January 2023, the solution will be implemented for all CUPE mobility users. Successful testing of the enhanced password policy has been completed within the IT employee group. Deployment to senior staff will commence in January with a full rollout to all users in early March 2023.

PROPERTIES AND LEASEHOLDS

The Property Management Team continues to implement and manage COVID preventive measures, to maximise the safety of staff and members using our offices. Measures include daily disinfection of points of contact, increased ventilation and fresh air, supply of masks, hand disinfectant, and COVID prevention signage.

We are in the process of developing a new office design, which we believe will better serve our operational requirements. In light of recent developments in real estate markets, and of new realities highlighted by the pandemic, we seek to improve our facilities and better align them to the current context. We should be in a position to implement new designs with several upcoming projects, such as Oshawa, Sudbury and Dauphin.

During this fourth quarter of the year, we are pursuing a renewal and expansion agreement in New Glasgow, negotiating for new spaces in Sydney and Victoria, and are looking at various options in London, Niagara, and Edmonton.

We will continue our evaluation of the Regina real estate market in order to examine various opportunities for a long-term solution relating to the Saskatchewan Regional Office.

We recently completed leasehold improvements for our new space in Gatineau and continue to work on the expansion of the Manitoba Regional Office. We are also performing capital investments in several of our properties, including numerous security systems upgrades.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

This has been a very busy fall for CUPE, as we have hosted an increasing number of events for members and staff. CUPE held our National Sector Council Conference in Ottawa, from October 3 to October 6, 2022. This event marked the first in-person national conference since the initial COVID shutdown in March 2020. The Sector Council was a success, with a total of 771 members registered from every region in the country.

On the heels of the Sector Council Conference, we held the 2022 All Committees Meeting at the Vancouver Convention Centre, from October 31 to November 3, 2022. This event marked the first All Committees Meeting since 2018. We brought together committee members, National Executive Board members and the staff advisors to our 18 national committees, for both plenary sessions and individual committee meetings. I brought greetings from the National Officers before flying to Ontario to join Mark and the OSBCU bargaining team as they were dealing with Bill 28.

Following the 2022 All Committees Meeting, our National Services Department held a joint department meeting for all its national and regional staff from the following branches: Communications, Human Rights, Legal, Research and Union Education. CUPE has hired so many new staff these last few years, and this was an important opportunity for the leadership, branch directors and staff to meet in person and discuss work expectations, processes, and to collaborate on and review upcoming assignments. The Joint NSD meeting took place at the Intercontinental Toronto Centre from November 28 to December 2, 2022.

In addition to future NEC/NEB meetings, national committee meetings and branch meetings, in 2023 CUPE will be hosting a Women’s Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre, in March. Our National Convention will be held in Quebec City from October 23 to October 27, 2023. CUPE staff are hard at work planning and preparing for these future events. 2022 was an incredibly busy year, and 2023 will be as eventful, with many opportunities for members to gather.

PENSION ADMINISTRATION

The Joint Board of Trustees held its last scheduled meeting of the year on November 29, 30 and December 1. The Trustees discussed, amongst other things, the assumptions and methods for the Actuarial Valuation of the CEPP as at January 1, 2023. The Trustees also met with three Investment Managers of the Plan with the main objective of reviewing the investment activities of the year and the strategies for the coming year.

Since the beginning of 2022, the market value solvency ratio has increased from 86.7%, after considering the 2022 indexation, to an estimated ratio of 94.4% as at November 1, 2022. This compares to a solvency ratio of 85.2% as at the previously filed actuarial valuation effective January 1, 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Pre-Retirement Planning Seminars continued to be delivered by Zoom.

The fall 2022 CEPP newsletter Pension Connection will be sent to all participants in December and will be available on the CEPP website at: www.cepp.ca.

On a final note, Samtou Tchamdja has been appointed as new the Administrative Officer in the Pension Department effective January 16, 2023.

Retirements

Sandra L. Lenuik, Kelowna Area Office – October 1, 2022
Gilles Hamelin, Quebec Regional Office – January 1, 2023
Pierre Handfield, Quebec Regional Office – February 1, 2023
Michelle A. Miller, Ontario Regional Office – February 1, 2023
Melina Etienne, Ontario Regional Office – February 1, 2023
Kimberley A. McCaffrey, Maritimes Regional Office – February 1, 2023
Linda R. Crump, Lethbridge Area Office – February 1, 2023
Michel Constantin, Quebec regional Office – March 1, 2023
Kevin McConnachie, Prince George Area Office – April 1, 2023
Shawn Kilborn, Alberta Regional Office – May 1, 2023
Russ Armstrong, Peterborough Area Office – June 1, 2023
Kevin Skerrett, Research, Job Evaluation and Health & Safety Branch – February 1, 2024

CONCLUSION

As 2022 closes, also marking the end of my first year as your National Secretary-Treasurer, I want to emphasize how very proud I am of CUPE members and staff in our union. CUPE members continue to show up every day, for their communities and for each other, and for our union. You are going to work under the most difficult circumstances, in a pandemic that is still not over and in an economic climate that is punishing, and your activism and stamina and commitment to build our union and the labour movement inspires me daily. I wish you all a safe end of year, and offer my gratitude for your faith in me. It is an honour to be National Secretary-Treasurer.

Respectfully submitted,

CANDACE RENNICK
National Secretary-Treasurer