President’s 2022 New Year’s Message

I want to thank you for entrusting me with the great honour and responsibility of being president of our union.

For those of you who don’t know me, I have worked for over two decades in the federal public services as an environmental engineer, and have been active at PIPSC for almost as long. 

Most recently I served on the PIPSC Board of Directors, where I focused my efforts on member engagement, open communication, and representational services. 

As your new president, my priorities include:

  • Safe workplaces, both physical and psychological
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Work-life balance
  • Collaborative but firm approach to bargaining
  • Open communication and engagement with our members

I will base my approach on an overarching principle: that an informed member is an engaged member. 

With this in mind, I want to begin my mandate by:

Listening to and addressing all members’ needs

No matter what job you do or where you do it, you deserve good service. We need to provide high-quality support to every member – whether you work for a big employer or a small one, whether you work remotely, on-site or both.

Giving special attention to the “member experience”

When you contact your union, you should feel heard, empowered, and secure in your knowledge that PIPSC has your back. I will look at how to improve member contact with our union, and how to best address issues to make sure you get the services you need.

Reviewing how we can better support our consultation teams

I will equip our consultation teams to tackle health and safety, discrimination, and harassment issues.

Improving the timely and transparent flow of information

I will make sure you can access all the information you need, when and how you need it.

Please contact me at any time at president@pipsc.ca if I can be of service.

I wish you and your families all the best for 2022.


24 April 2018
Like all Canadians, members of the Institute are shocked by the senseless deaths and horrific injuries that occurred yesterday afternoon in Toronto. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

6 April 2018
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with the National Capital Region Liberal Caucus. I was grateful for the warm reception I received and know that many of the Members of Parliament rearranged their schedules to be able to attend. I used this opportunity to raise PIPSC’s continued concerns with the disastrous Phoenix pay system.

14 March 2018
Following tremendous pressure on the part of public service bargaining agents, the government has finally introduced some much-needed flexibility in the recovery of overpayments caused by Phoenix.

28 February 2018
I am pleased to report that yesterday’s federal Budget committed $16M towards the building of an alternative pay system to replace the disastrous Phoenix.

27 February 2018
With “tax season” fast approaching, the government has recently updated the information available online regarding three types of financial claims linked to the Phoenix pay system: requesting an advance for government benefits; reimbursement for tax advice; and claims for out-of-pocket expenses.

20 February 2018
Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.