Please note that it has taken some time to get this newsletter to print. Since then, we’ve had rounds of WFA, RTO-4 announcements, an extremely successful Bargaining Conference, and a demonstration of about 70 scientists in lab coats on Parliament Hill that garnered significant media attention. At the risk of appearing out of touch with recent events, we decided to send this out as is. It takes a significant amount of time and effort to produce, and the information remains relevant.
A special thanks to Tanya Evans, a long-time member of the SP Group Executive, who has contributed substantially to the benefit of SP members for more than a decade and who puts together these newsletters and other communications materials for us.
All the best to you and yours,
Bryan Van Wilgenburg
SP Group President
Greetings from the SP Group Executive! We hope that you have been engaged with the highlights of the PIPSC National AGM, and the recent SP Bargaining Survey. Your participation gives us confidence that you are with us, and that we can count on you when push comes to shove.
Announcing the new SP Group Executive
We appreciate all members that ran for the SP Executive, and whether elected or not we welcome your participation in the SP Group! The following candidates have been acclaimed or elected to the SP Group executive:
- Enzo Barresi (returning): Ontario Region
- Marcel Beaudoin (returning): National Capital Region
- Sushil Dixit (returning): National Capital Region
- Tanya Evans (returning): British Columbia and Yukon
- Ira Hill (returning): Prairies and Northwest Territories
- Sarah Marcil (returning): Quebec Region
- Leslie Nasmith (returning): Atlantic Region
- Padala Chittibabu (new): Region at Large
Announcing the 2026 SP Group Bargaining Team – by SP Group Member Enzo Barresi
I believe that we have an excellent team this round. We have a well-balanced team in terms of experienced members, ranging from 1 to 4 rounds of bargaining experience to some fresh new members. It is important to establish continuity from round to round and still be able to build for the future. While small, the intent of this team is to provide the best representation possible of the diversity of our membership. I believe that we’ve been successful with the 2025 bargaining team. Here is our 2025 SP Group Bargaining Team:
- Arlene Agno – Health Canada employee in Prairie / NWT
- Enzo Barresi – Environment and Climate Change Canada employee in Ontario
- Marcel Beaudoin – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada employee in NCR
- Sarah Marcil – Environment and Climate Change Canada employee in Quebec (alternate)
- Leslie Nasmith – Fisheries and Oceans Canada employee in Atlantic
- Andrea Raska – Environment and Climate Change Canada employee in BC/Yukon
- Bryan Van Wilgenburg – Environment and Climate Change Canada employee in NCR
- Phil Wang – Health Canada employee in NCR
- Sally Hanna – Health Canada employee in NCR (Liaison – Human Drugs Clinical Review Allowance)
- Yvonne James – PIPSC Negotiator
- Jason Manchester – PIPSC Negotiator
SP Group Representation at the Board of Directors
Did you know that we have not one, but two SP Members providing representation at the PIPSC Board of Directors? We communicate regularly with Katie and Morgan, and it’s great to have the SP perspective reflected in the Board of Directors. What does the Board of Directors do? The responsibilities are diverse, but include governance, strategy, budget approval, financial management and ensuring PIPSC meets its stated mandate.
Katie Francis – Board Member as of January 2025
For those I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Katie Francis and I am an SP member. I am also starting my 3-year term as a board member and Full-Time Vice-President at PIPSC. The Board of Directors are responsible for determining the strategic direction of our union, in terms of both long-term goals and in the face of emerging issues. In my day to day, when the board is not meeting, I work on progressing my portfolios, which include RTO, Phoenix, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
This month, I also had the pleasure of working with the SP Executive to write a carbon offset resolution that will be jointly sponsored by the board and SP group at the AGM. Our hope is to offset the carbon emissions from PIPSC member air travel by purchasing audited carbon credits that meet international standards. I hope that we will have your support in this initiative at the AGM!
I would be thrilled to chat about any concerns, issues, or successes in your workplace and beyond. If you wish to get in touch, please email me at kfrancis@pipsc.ca. PIPSC is here for you!
Morgan Cranny – returning Board member January 2025
I’ve worked for the Canadian Forest Service as a PC within NRCAN for almost 25 years as a remote sensing analyst at the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, BC. Specifically I work for the National Forest Inventory where we provide estimates of Canada’s forest composition on a 10 year cycle. Within the union I have been a steward for 10 years and have served on the executive for several constituent bodies including the Victoria SP Subgroup, Victoria Branch, BC Regional Executive and the SP National Executive. Currently I have the role of Director for the BC-Yukon Region which I started in February of 2023.
I really enjoy this role as it allows me to meet with members all across the region to hear their concerns and victories and to generate interest in and excitement in the union. As director I sit on the Board of Directors for the union. The Board consists of 6 regional directors, 4 NCR directors, 2 part-time VP’s, 2 full-time VP’s and the president. The main role of the Board is to provide broad guidance for the organization. Identifying priorities and helping the institute deliver services to our members through the COO and the talented staff working for PIPSC. My role is to serve all members but also make sure the concerns of the BC-Yukon region are heard. Of course the big issues we face currently are Work Force Adjustment (WFA) related to announced cuts by the government and continued concerns about RTO. The union has links to tools to help people become educated and then navigate the WFA process if affected. RTO is interesting because for some members this is a critical issue and for others, front line workers, it is a non-issue. It’s also a challenge as there is not much we can change but we still advocate for members and try to find reasonable solutions with regard to RTO.
From the SP perspective I think bargaining will be a big issue and while that falls to the group itself I can help by reinforcing messages when I travel the region. I will also support our consultation efforts as best I can also. I am proud to support the joint Carbon Offset Credits resolution at this year’s AGM. We’re excited about the launch of the new website and member portal. This is a big improvement and will provide members with much easier access to their information and information about the union. It will also be a great help to stewards with extra resources at their fingertips. I am also excited to have our new COO, Stan Maclellan on board. I think he will be an excellent fit and help us continue to improve the union. If you have questions I can be reached at mcranny@pipsc.ca.
PC Leave – by Karen Hall
PCs! This is a reminder for you to take your Professional Development Days that are indicated in article 18.04 (c) of the SP Collective Agreement. Many PCs are generalists and often don’t feel like a “scientist”, but these professional development days are an opportunity to get back in touch with what made you a nerdy scientist to begin with! Professional development directly associated with your work should be covered in other parts of Article 18 so the PC days are intended to be used to explore and be curious about the science beyond your day to day. Not sure how to use these days? Some suggestions include using the time to participate in a workshop that you have been wanting to attend outside of work but don’t have the time for or use a day to take a course to maintain your professional designation or to catch up on research and journal articles. Professional Development is more than just what we do at work, it is a form of self-care for you as a professional, past, present, and future!
Subgroup Activities in the Regions – Labour Day Vancouver – September 2025
Across the country we had SP Subgroup members attending and supporting Labour Day. This is an important day to recognize the gains made by unions, network with partner unions and also recognize the work that still needs to be done, and the global attacks on unions. We still have much work to do to protect our hard earned Collective Agreements.
Subgroup Activities in the Regions – Adam Fenwick – May 2025
SP Saskatoon Subgroup Members got together in May for some activity as they learned to play pickleball! A local facility was rented and members were able to learn the ins and outs of the game, followed by pizza and refreshments to refuel afterward!
Subgroup Activities in the Regions – 401 Burrard Beach Kitsilano – Kevin Yang and Amanda Kui – May 2025
The Kitsilano beach cleanup went really well! We had 32 people in attendance, including members from across the Vancouver Branch and their family and friends
Thank you to our members for showing up early and helping to keep our city clean.
Steward Success Corner – “More Than Just an Increment”
A member was placed in a long-term acting role to provide training and supervision. The duration was supposed to be 10 months, with a break for a couple of months, and then resuming. The Member consented to this prior to accepting the role, understanding that it meant they wouldn’t get their acting increment because of the break in acting. The acting started, and their manager (who was not the manager who had come up with the original long-term 10 month plan and wasn’t aware of it, kept on assigning them duties of the acting position during the break in the acting assignment. The Member, not wanting to abandon their trainees, continued to perform the acting duties as assigned.
Later, when the member tried to claim compensation for the actual duration of their acting assignment, Human Resources responded (summarized) “Your Letter of Offer clearly states the start and end-date of your acting. You were on a break in service, therefore you don’t get an increment”.They indicated that providing evidence of the continued work in the acting role was not sufficient, as they continued to point to the Letter of Offer as the ultimate basis for compensation.
The Member reached out to their local steward who spoke to management and their behalf. To their credit Management recognised that this was a “left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing” situation, but claimed their hands were tied. The Steward filed a grievance, providing as evidence the courses and training sessions that occurred daily during the supposed “break in service”. The grievance was accepted and placed on hold while management took the grievance to Human Resources who subsequently changed their position.
The grievance resulted in the member getting their back pay as well as their increment, as well as a commitment from management to try to avoid future issues like this happening by ensuring the person assigning the work is also aware of the terms of the letter of offer.
Reading Corner
A discussion with Patty Hajdu, Jobs and Families Minister about the changing world of work, the Canada Post strike, Air Canada strike, artificial intelligence and productivity.
Reminder to Active Members to join the SP Active Chat
Are you interested in becoming more involved with the SP Group and PIPSC as a whole? We encourage members to create a PIPSC email address and join the conversation. You can request an email address here: https://pipsc.ca/member-tools/email
When you have your unique PIPSC email address, send us an email at Ask_sp@pipsc.ca and we will connect you with the group chat.
Also, you can communicate directly with the SP Group Executive by sending an email to us, we welcome your questions and comments: Ask_sp@pipsc.ca
Conclusion
We recognize this is a challenging time for SP Members. We are here to help each other. Please keep in touch with your local Subgroups, and do not hesitate to get in touch with a Steward for information about WFA, and what PIPSC is doing to support our members. More information can be found here:
If you have information to be included in the next newsletter, please send us an email at ask_sp@pipsc.ca. We would love to highlight local events from across the country such as member engagement, outreach and lunch & learns.
In Solidarity,
SP Group Executive Committee