80th BC/Yukon Regional Council – Meeting Minutes – PIPSC

Meeting Minutes, Friday, June 13th and Saturday, June 14th, 2025 Tigh-Na-Mara, Parksville

Published April 30, 2026 | Last updated 2 hours ago

80^th British Columbia / Yukon Regional Council

Minutes

Friday, June 13th and Saturday, June 14th, 2025

Tigh-Na-Mara, Parksville

Delegates at the bottom of the document

Friday, June 13, 2025

1. Welcome and Introductions

The 80^th BC/Yukon Regional Council meeting began at 2:00 pm Pacific Time.

Morgan Cranny read the Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, expressed support for First Nations, and encouraged all participants to actively support reconciliation.

Introductions were made for Sean O’Reily, President of PIPSC; Robert MacDonald, Chair; the regional staff, the regional executive; and Philip Mantler, serving as parliamentarian.

Robert provided an overview of general council procedures, emphasizing that the rules are intended to facilitate honest and frank discussions within a welcoming and inclusive space, not to restrict participation. Philip Mantler was introduced as the parliamentarian, responsible for monitoring proceedings and providing guidance on the rules of order.

A motion was made to approve the procedure and election process for the BC/Yukon Regional Executive Election.

m/s Pete MacDougall/Alan Messner

THAT the motion is carried.

A call for volunteers to serve on the election committee. The volunteers included Terri D’Souza, Karen Hall, Cynthia Denman, and Michael Langlet.

m/s Karim Changgani/Chris Perry

THAT the motion is carried.

2. First Call of Nominations

There were 5 positions available, each serving 3 years.

Terry D’Souza nominated Alex Jaworski, who accepted the nomination. Lauren Kunimoto nominated Soodittee Auchoybur, who also accepted the nomination. Peter MacDougall nominated Lauren Kunimoto, who accepted the nomination. Kai Hong Cheung nominated Amanda Hong, who accepted the nomination. Davy Chiu nominated Jennifer Munro, Bryan Chen, and Emadur Rahman, all of whom accepted the nominations.

3. Equality Statement

Terri read the statement on equity, encompassing the principle that all union members are equal and deserve mutual respect.

4. BC/Yukon Chief Steward

Morgan proposed to create a regional chief steward role to support and mentor stewards, liaise with regional and national leadership, and assist with grievances and recruitment. The discussion emphasizes the need for clear role definition, strong leadership and communication skills, bilingual capacity, and ensuring the role complements rather than overlaps with ERO responsibilities.

5. Charity

Jennifer Fowler from Inclusion Parksville introduced the organization, its roots in the Community Living Movement, and its programs supporting people with disabilities. She highlights employment, life skills, and self-advocacy services, notes ongoing collective agreement negotiations, and mentions the partnership with Clay Tree Society and the importance of donations.

6. Guest Speaker – Advisory Council Overview (Karen Hall)

Karen Hall began her presentation by drawing on her extensive union experience to explain the purpose and importance of the Advisory Council. She outlined its structure, composed of group and consultation presidents, and described its role as a forum for advocacy, communication, relationship-building, and advising union leadership. Embedded in the union’s bylaws and meeting regularly in Ottawa, the Council supports bargaining, implementation of agreements, and major issues such as Phoenix and return-to-office, while fostering solidarity and assisting in the resolution of unresolved member concerns. The presentation aimed to increase awareness of the Council’s function in addressing ongoing and emerging issues for union members.

7. Guest Speaker – Workforce Adjustment Presentation (Christine Poirier)

Christine Poirier explained the National Policy Office’s role in consultation support and national representation, focusing on the Workforce Adjustment (WFA) process. She outlined when WFA is triggered, key employee options, and the importance of understanding collective agreement language. She also highlighted alternation, surplus determination, and employer obligations to consult unions, maximize employment, and plan transparently with support from consultation officers and WFA committees.

Saturday, June 14, 2026

8. PIPSC President’s address – Sean O’Reilly

Sean O’Reilly reviewed the recent federal election, supports the minority government outcome, and stresses the need for strong political lobbying at all levels to address issues like RTO, Phoenix, and WFA. He highlighted ongoing efforts to engage government leaders, push back on policy implementation, improve collective bargaining outcomes, and prepare members for potential strike action through solidarity and education. Sean also addressed financial stability and dues increases, underscores the importance of better communication and member engagement, and emphasized inter-union solidarity, including support for CUPW.

9. PIPSC Legacy Foundation – Soodittee Auchoybur

Soodittee Auchoybur explained the donation process and tax receipts, highlighting the Legacy Foundation’s scholarships and the region’s goal to win the Legacy Cup again. Scholarships will increase this year, both in number and in the amounts awarded. Donors are encouraged to give, with a chance to win a prize.

10. Adoption of Agenda

m/s Karen Hall/Marie Bassey

THAT the agenda approved.

11. Second call for nominations

Michael Langet confirmed that no further nominations had been received and outlined the election process, including delegate numbers and the requirement for regional representation on the executive. He also detailed the election rules, including secret ballots, recounts, and tie-breaking procedures.

12. Adoption of Previous Minutes

m/s Ingrid Tan/Terry D’Souza

THAT the minutes of the 2024 BC/Yukon Regional Council be approved.

CARRIED

13. Business Arising

No outstanding business.

14. Third call for nominations

No more nominations.

15. Regional Director’s Report – Morgan Cranny

Morgan highlighted the launch of a new BC Yukon Instagram account to boost member engagement and emphasized outreach beyond email. He discussed attending branch AGMs, member events, and labour meetings across the region, noting strong interest in training and steward recruitment. He stressed the need for more stewards, the value of training and engagement, the importance of funding for events and education, and encouraged members to get involved.

16. Regional Office Report – Kris Hawkins

Kris provided a regional update, noted the addition of two indeterminate EROs, Saba Mossagizi and Dave Saba, and Kevin Jacobs as a one-year ERO, with Dulce Cuenca continuing as Regional Team Lead and one additional ERO requested in a future budget.

Active cases rose from 237 to 333, with an average caseload of 68, including 92 complex CSC cases; human rights issues, including duty to accommodate and return-to-office matters, are now the largest category.

The region secured hundreds of thousands in member payouts, including recent retroactive pay wins, and 29 cases are under adjudication review.

Stewardship now includes 194 stewards; 33 new stewards joined through Basic Steward Trainings, eight will attend a National BST, and a spring Advanced Labour School received highly positive feedback.

She thanked the Regional Executive, Training Committee, and stewards, emphasized recruiting new stewards, and reaffirmed that the union belongs to its members.

17. Candidate speeches and voting for the election

The candidates included Soodittee Auchoybur, Bryan Chan, Nikhil Gandhi, Amanda Hong, Alexandra Jaworska, Lauren Kunimoto, Peter MacDougall, Jennifer Munro, and Emadur Rahman. They gave their speeches, highlighting their experience and reasons for running.

The election committee distributed the ballots and instructed members to write the names of five candidates. The ballots were then collected, and the committee began tabulating the results.

18. Election results – Election Committee Chair

Election results were read alphabetically and displayed on the screen:

Soodittee Auchoybur – 41 votes

Bryan Chan – 21 votes

Nikhil Gandhi – 60 votes

Amanda Hong – 42 votes

Alexandra Jaworska – 40 votes

Lauren Kunimoto – 14 votes

Peter MacDougall – 56 votes

Jennifer Munro – 26 votes

Emadur Raham – 41 votes

The five winners were highlighted on the board. Ballots will be held until the end of the day before being destroyed. No appeals were raised.

m/s Marie Bassey/John Trofymow

THAT the motion is carried.

19. Resolutions

Proposed changes to By-law Definitions Resolution

m/s Katrina Johnston/Terri D’Souza

Amendment – to remove six point 1.1 and six point 2.1

Amendment accepted by mover.