Thursday, December 05, 2019
Back Row - left to right: Cesar Furtado; Chris Harper, Treasurer; Damian Suffoletta; Glynn Robinson, Secretary; Frank Tang; and Peter Dewar. Front Row - left to right: Immaculate Nevis; Larysa Andrusiak; Angela Freeman; Dave Bulmer, President; Cynthia Watt, Vice-President; Kevin Giddings; Maryanna Lewyckyj; and Rocco Fasano. (Absent: Jason Gartshore and Scott Gothard)
AMAPCEO’s Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC) concluded its three-day conference today. Over 200 Delegates representing each of AMAPCEO’s 12 Districts, 8 bargaining units and a membership base of over 14,000 workers gathered in Toronto at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto.
Delegates convened to vote on a variety of policy issues, honour outstanding activists, heard from inspiring speakers, and participated in a number of educational workshops.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Strength in Community”. President Dave Bulmer opened the conference by thanking the delegates for placing trust in him and for believing in the strength of our community. He encouraged all delegates to see themselves as leaders in their community, as vanguards for their colleague’s livelihoods but also for workers across Ontario, and everyone who relies on public services.
On the first day, delegates listened to the panel, “For the People – a Midterm Report Card”. Panel participants included Irwin Elman; former Ontario Child Advocate, Jeff Gray, Queen’s Park Correspondence for the Globe and Mail; Caroline Pinto, Managing Principal of Counsel Public Affairs; and moderated by Katrina Miller, Publisher of PressProgress.
Plenary speakers for this year’s conference were Senator Tony Dean, OOnt, and Dr. Cindy Blackstock, OC. Tony Dean spoke on the changing nature and the future of the public service, and Dr. Cindy Blackstock spoke on the history of First Nations child welfare discrimination in Canada. Recordings of the plenary speakers and panels will be available on the AMAPCEO website shortly.
New Board of Directors sworn in
Chief Operating Officer Rob Smalley administered the oath of office to 14 of the 16 members of the new AMAPCEO Board of Directors, which takes office on January 1, 2020.
ADC Committee election results
Members were elected to two important committees at the Annual Delegates’ Conference. Bryan Card, Harold Haynes and Nancy Saunders were elected to sit on the Elections and Credentials Committee and three members were elected to the ADC’s Resolutions Committee: Maribeth Christensen, Ani Hovnanian and Dan Shultz.
2019 Activist Award recipients announced
The recipients of this year’s Activist Recognition Awards were announced at the Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC). This year’s recipients include:
Member Services – Builder Award:
Kathy DeGrace (Eastern Ontario)
Member Services - Outstanding Member Services Award:
Sarah Jeffrey-Hampton (Ferguson/Whitney)
Lifetime Achievement Awards:
David Lockie (Mowat/Hearst)
Linda Poirier (Ferguson/Whitney)
Sophie Georgas (Ferguson/Whitney)