- Following our September NEB meeting I flew to Fredericton to participate in a march and rally for Local 1418 on September 28th.
- I then flew to Winnipeg on September 30th where Claude and I interviewed for the position of Manitoba Regional Director.
- On October 1st I attended the Manitoba staff meeting in Winnipeg and flew to Saskatoon to take part in a rally for library workers that evening.
- On October 2, I attended the Saskatchewan staff meeting.
- I flew to Toronto on October 2nd to attend the CEP convention on October 3rd.
- On October 5th, I spoke in Ottawa as part of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) Campaign against for-profit Health Care, along with Maude Barlow and Brother Michael Hurley. The campaign involves a series of community meetings on health care organized by CUPE-OCHU, the Council of Canadians, and the Ontario Health Coalition.
- I attended the HEU convention on October 8th followed by the BC staff meeting in Vancouver and a rally for social service workers on October 9th.
- On October 9th, I traveled to Calgary for the Alberta staff meeting and town hall meeting on privatization, as well as a meeting with Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) President John Schmall on October 10th.
- On October 12th, I flew to South Africa where I took part in an intensive series of visits to workplaces and communities, and meetings with union members, community activists and government officials, as well as a tour of Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years in prison.
- I attended the CLC Executive Committee and Council on October 28th and 29th.
- I traveled to Collingwood the next day to participate in the Ontario staff meeting on October 30th and 31st.
- On November 1st, I met with the President of the Power Workers Union, Local 1000.
- We held a special one-day National Executive Board meeting on November 6th followed by the Budget meeting on the 7th and the Regional Directors meeting on the 8th of November.
- During the noon hour on November 7th, the entire National Executive Board and group of Directors and many many staff members attended an incredible rally for the Carlingwood Mall employees, Local 4266.
- I flew to Sudbury on November 12th to participate in the Campaign against for-profit Health Care community meeting there.
- From November 18th to the 20th, I took part in the Altantic staff meetings in Halifax and the Maritimes staff meeting in Moncton. I also attended town hall meetings in both these cities which are featured in our Annual Report on Privatization (ARP).
- I was unfortunately not able to make it to the Quebec staff meeting since my throat and voice gave out on me. A major occupational hazard in this job.
- On the 22nd we sought to make history once again with the release of a Canada Health Act legal challenge in collaboration with the Council of Canadians, CEP, Canadian Health Coalition and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.
- I attended a Public Sector Working Group meeting for the Public Services International in Geneva from November 25th to the 27th.
- I then flew home overnight to be in Ottawa for the long awaited release of Roy Romanows Report on the Future of Health Care in Canada, and took part in several media interviews.
- On December 3rd, I traveled to Hamilton to meet with members of L. 5167, to discuss the results of the recent municipal workers representation vote (no union has a majority of votes cast) and to discuss the steps we must take to turn this around.
- On Friday, December 6th Claude and I met with the CUPE Ontario Division Executive Board.
- On December 10th, I took part in a lobby of federal Ministers and MPs around health care.
- During the last few weeks I have taken part in numerous meetings with Claude and senior staff at National Office to discuss the 2003 CUPE budget.
- And, on a personal note, I celebrated my 25th anniversary with my partner Gary on December 10th. Well, we didnt actually celebrate on December 10th because there was a medicare lobby that day thats life in CUPE! But we will be celebrating believe me!
