Wednesday, December 06, 2023
Last week, more than 200 AMAPCEO Delegates, staff, speakers, and guests gathered in Toronto for the union’s Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC).
Delegates reviewed and approved the union’s 2024 annual budget, considered amendments to the AMAPCEO Constitution and several By-laws, while also recognizing and celebrating this year’s Activist Award Winners.
Opening Ceremony and Remarks
The conference started with a grounding ceremony and land acknowledgement led by Dawn T. Maracle, a dynamic, award-winning speaker and Indigenous educator.
President Dave Bulmer followed with opening remarks listing AMAPCEO’s 2023 accomplishments:
- Welcoming four new bargaining units in 2023, and boasting 17,000 members to date.
- Leading six OPS unions in the successful legal challenge of the Ontario government’s callous refusal to observe National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR).
- Negotiating a tax-free healthcare spending account of $525 per year that affords members an additional 0.8% of value during a time of austerity.
- Successfully pushing back on the government’s return to the office process for more than 18 months. Something that has permitted members the quality of life and cost saving benefits of working for at least two days per week from home.
- Incorporating an anti-racism statement into AMAPCEO Constitution and an action plan that demonstrates clear intention to be champions of anti-racism, diversity, inclusion and equity – in all its forms.
"2023 has seen us grow – in size with the addition of more bargaining units and more members." said Dave.
"2023 has seen us strengthen and expand our AMAPCEO community and our presence and influence within the greater labour community, and the year has seen AMAPCEO take on an increasingly greater leadership role with our closest allies.”
ADC Business
Delegates reviewed and approved the union’s 2024 annual budget, and considered amendments to the AMAPCEO Constitution and several By-laws. These included an in-depth discussion on the Ratios of Delegate Representation as well as a thorough walkthrough review of By-law 1: Elections Process. A select number of Delegates also attended workshops a day before the official start of the ADC.
The conference recognized recipients of the 2023 AMAPCEO Activist Awards, a yearly award going to activists making meaningful contributions through their individual or team role. Having diverse experiences, roles and qualities, the activist award recipients were nominated by fellow activists in five award categories and selected by this year’s Activist Recognition Committee.
The full minutes of the conference will be available on the Annual Delegates’ Conference page of your Member Dashboard (sign-in required) in the new year.
Elections
This year’s ADC saw three elections: for AMAPCEO’s Vice-President, Secretary role within AMAPCEO’s board of directors, and two positions within the Elections and Credentials Committee.
Two candidates competed for the role of AMAPCEO Vice-President and Secretary respectively, with Cynthia Watt being re-elected to the Vice-President role and Tim Sim being elected to the Secretary role. Both Cynthia and Tim were elected with strong majority support from the Delegates.
Three candidates competed for two positions within the Elections and Credentials Committee with Bryan Card (OPS, Western Ontario) and Harold Haynes (OPS, Western Ontario) being elected to the committee by the Delegates.
President Bulmer paid tribute to outgoing Secretary, Angela Freeman.
Guest Speakers
Mohammed Fakih C.M. is the founder of Paramount Foods. He is also an Order of Canada recipient who is known for his philanthropic work helping to raise donations to the families of victims impacted by the Iranian plane crash (2020) and the explosion in Beirut Lebanon (2020), while also travelling to the frontlines in Syria to better understand what relief efforts were needed to support refugees. In 2019, he hired over 150 refugees to work at Paramount foods.
Coined as one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Maclean’s as well as one of the “most influential” and top “women of influence in Canada” by Toronto Life, Jennifer Keesmat is a renowned urban planner who spent five years as Toronto’s Chief City planner where she was celebrated for her forward thinking and collaborative approach to city-building. She is a founding partner of Markee Developments, an organization focused on creating new communities and sustainable, livable places across the GTA. Jennifer is also the CEO of The Keesmat Group, where she provides inspiration through public speaking and delivers impact though her consulting services.