Close to fifty people attended the official opening of the new CUPE PEI office in Charlottetown on Thursday, September 13, 2012. CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury addressed the members at the event: “You can now feel at home in this new beautiful building. The space is yours to use as you please.”
The members celebrated with cake and were shown around the premises. The general consensus is that the new office space is much better suited to the members’ needs.
The 3,600 square-foot building spans one level and has a large conference room designed for meetings and training sessions. The office is LEED certified, meaning it respects environmental norms for sustainability and energy efficiency. What’s more, the space is easily accessible for people with reduced mobility. Supporting PEI’s economy was a priority throughout the building process. Construction was done by local workers, supervised by a local contractor and manufactured with local materials and equipment.
Construction was completed last June and Lori MacKay, the president of CUPE’s PEI division, and the staff (two union representatives and one secretary) are already working there. CUPE’s Prince Edward Island division is 3,300 members strong.