Last year, SEIU created a survey for members about climate change and the impact on your lives.
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June is National Indigenous Peoples Month. This is a time to honour the rich history, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. It is an opportunity to reflect on historical and current injustices and commit to true reconciliation in Canada.
The First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee would like to share some events and resources with you and encourage you to participate in events in your area.
SEIU-West is hosting our first Asian Pacific Islander Summit in Saskatoon on September 24-26, 2026 — an event to bring together workers from across Canada and the U.S.
Being an API member in Canada or the U.S can sometimes feel isolating. You might not have seen yourself in leadership. You may not have always felt seen or understood. But you can find a home with us. We believe in you. We see you. And most importantly, you belong.
Welcome home.
There is currently a vacancy on the SEIU-West Executive Board for members that work for the Community Based Organizations Sector.
You may have noticed there hasn't been an announcement about bbqs for the summer yet.
The SEIU-West First Nations, Métis and Inuit Committee (FNMIC) is hosting a contest to design an image for orange shirts that the committee provides yearly to members. Submit your design to enter to win a $100 Co-op gift card.
The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) will hold its annual convention virtually on October 20-22, 2021.
The SFL represents over 100,000 hard working union members in Saskatchewan, from 37 national and international unions. Its goal is to improve working people’s lives throughout the province, whether organized or unorganized, and regardless of affiliation to the SFL.
We are leaving a dark, ugly and hateful world behind us for our children and grandchildren to live in if we don’t stand up and speak up against the realities in our world.
As the virus embedded itself in the province, our health-care system immediately began to suffer. Elective procedures were postponed, non-critical services closed, and the brutal short-staffing issue, which existed long before COVID-19, was compounded. Patients coming into hospital who would have otherwise been admitted are being treated on an outpatient basis, leaving the patient’s health potentially at risk.
Are you outgoing, friendly, approachable, and energetic? Are there social and political issues you are passionate about sharing? If so, Activist Training Camp may be for you!
The goal of this one day course is for participants to learn, understand and engage on:
• Anti-oppression and building an inclusive front
• Skills-share opportunities with other activists around the Union
• Strategic thinking/planning about your activism
• Activities to enhance your organizing, communication, and leadership skills
You will be reimbursed for lost wages or will be provided with an honorarium for your attendance on days not scheduled to work. If restrictions permit the training to proceed ‘in-person’, your union will cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses. Otherwise, the training will be online and understandably these three costs would not be required.
The deadline for applications is July 16, 2021 at noon.
Political Action and Awareness Committee (PAAC) member, Janine Lazaro, engaged with the CLC (Canadian Labour Congress) campaign, Jobs and economic recovery for working families by writing her Member of Parliament, (MP) Brad Redekopp as a constituent.
If you want to join an of the CLC campaigns click here.
Below is Janine's letter and Brad's response.
SEIU-West is in the process of recruiting up to four facilitators for our internal membership training programs. The successful applicants will excel in communication and leadership skills and will gain valuable knowledge around their union’s practices and the greater labour movement.
Are you outgoing, friendly, approachable, and energetic? If so, this facilitator training opportunity may be for you!
The facilitator training, which is tentatively set for the fall of 2021, is a four day workshop that will deliver on several components that are key to creating a well-balanced and engaging learning environment for SEIU-West members, such as:
- popular education
- public speaking
- active and unbiased listening
- understanding class/group dynamics
- diffusing situations
- time management and agility
- acquiring resources and basic online training skills
- quality session prep
Applicants must be available to attend all four days of training (dates TBD).
You will be reimbursed for lost wages or will be provided with an honorarium for your attendance on days not scheduled to work. If restrictions permit the training to proceed ‘in-person’, your union will cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses. Otherwise, the training will be online and understandably these three costs would not be required.
Applicants will need to fill out the online Facilitator Training Expression of Interest Form by July 30, 2021.
Date: June 21, 2021
Greetings Sisters and Brothers at Extendicare,
Your Extendicare Bargaining Committee met on Friday June 11, 2021. The committee membership has changed. The members now are Lynette Pinfold – Moose Jaw unit chair; Colleen Watson – Elmview unit chair; Lisa Virtue – Sunset unit chair; Marlene Thomson – Parkside unit chair and Lori Klus – Preston unit chair. Union representatives are Tracy Goodheart and Katelyn Almen. Chief spokesperson will be Bob Laurie, director of Contract Bargaining & Enforcement for SEIU-West.
SEIU-West is looking for three members to volunteer to be our representatives on the Joint Regional SEIU-West/former Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) DTA/RTW Committee (Duty to Accommodate/Return to Work).
You must work within the former SHR.
For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near the summer solstice, marking its significance as the longest day of the year. Since 1996, Canada has celebrated June 21 as National Indigenous Peoples Day, to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, distinct languages, spiritual beliefs and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
While there is so much to celebrate, we must also acknowledge the collective grief and anger of Turtle Island after the recent discovery of the remains of hundreds of children in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops) residential school, as well as other former residential school sites across Canada. While that grief and anger cannot be ignored, we can collectively work to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and other efforts to recognize the rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Saskatchewan.
These rights have been internationally codified in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
We acknowledge that before reconciliation, there must be truth. Truth is critical.
We know we must do better, every day of the year.
We must commit to continuing to learn, and unlearn, as much as we can about the culture, heritage and true history of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Listen to their voices. Build connections with Indigenous Elders, colleagues, leaders and communities. Engage in meaningful dialogue. And do your homework, if you have not already:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
A few of today's events:
The Office of the Treaty Commission has posted a list of virtual and in-person events being held across Saskatchewan.
The City of Regina is hosting its ninth annual celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day through a livestreamed event on its Regina National Indigenous Peoples Day Facebook page. Running from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the event includes a lineup of drumming, song, spoken word, a powwow performance, greetings dancing and more.
The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is celebrating Indigenous culture and art through a livestream from its ethnology collection. At 1:30PM join Indigenous programming specialist Theresa Walter, conservator Victoria Kablys and Métis artist Holly Aubichon as they walk through the items in the museum’s Indigenous Studies Collection, including beadwork, quillwork and leatherwork.
SaskMusic and FACTOR Canada are presenting a special online concert in honour of National Indigenous History Month, airing 7 p.m. on Thursday June 25 on SaskMusic’s Facebook and YouTube pages. More than a local dozen artists from different musical styles have been paired with video mentors to create unique music videos over the past weeks. Following June 25, the concert will also be available to watch on SaskTel maxTV Local on Demand.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is premiering Kevin Settee’s four-part series of short films, The Lake Winnipeg Project, at Indigenous Cinema, the NFB’s online collection of Indigenous-made films.