The Toronto IT Sub-Group Newsletter - Winter 2026 Edition
Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2026.
At the 24th of September 2025 Annual General Meeting, your new Executive was elected. 5 positions were up for election. We are happy to introduce our new Executive for 2025-2026:
Karla Yelland (President), entered second year of a 2-year term
Judy Chow (Vice President), was re-elected for another 2-year term
Mathan Mahalingham (Secretary), Andrea Agh (Treasurer), Robert Mertens, Dave Darling, Roy Philip entered second year of a 2-year terms
Bill Sukloff - re-elected for another 2-year term
Big welcome to newly elected Executive members (2-year term): Basil Ho, Yashwinie Shivanand and Dinesh Kandasamy.
Thank You to Yvonne Snaddon and Nuşin Brown for their many years of volunteer work with the Executive.
Work Force Adjustment, Return to Office etc.
We are in very challenging times and the IT Toronto Sub-group is looking ahead to meaningful engagement with members in order to share information, tools, and available resources.
WFA
We held our first Workforce Adjustment Virtual Information Session on January 15th with IT Toronto Sub-group Members. Thank you for attending.
You can access the information that was shared through the recordings and presentation deck available on the PIPSC site:
Webinar recording: Work Force Adjustments in the public service – January 13, 2026
PIPSC has held a number of Workforce Adjustment virtual webinars focusing on specific stages of the WFA process, explaining your rights under the Collective Agreement and outlined the support available to you before decisions are made. Be assured that more information is coming on this very important topic. We need to support each other.
Recordings are in the link below along with a useful flowchart on the WFA processes.
https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/understanding-work-force-adjustment
Please reach out to us through these platforms if you have ideas for events, training sessions or other support:
TorontoITSubgroup Facebook group or reach us through email at it-ti-toronto@pipsc.ca.
RTO
Recently, the Employer has announced in Departmental Communiques an increase of on-site presence in the public service with a requirement to work on-site 5 days a week for Executives (by May 4, 2026) and 4 days a week for all other employees (by July 6, 2026). PIPSC has issued a press release: https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/press-releases/press-release-return-to-office-government-order-defies-pms-own-remote
PIPSC is conducting a survey for members to voice their concerns. You can find it in your email or linked here: https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/return-to-workplace/return-to-office-survey-voice-your-concerns
IT Group Bargaining Update #2
https://pipsc.ca/groups/cs/it-bytes-bargaining-update-2
The IT Group agreed with the Treasury Board to exchange proposals on January 20, 2026. Please find below the link to both proposal documents.
Virtual information sessions were held on Jan 27th, 28th and 29th
Your Bargaining Team met with the employer for the first session of negotiations on February 11 and 12, 2026.
IT Bytes email updates will be sent after each bargaining session and whenever an important matter arises. Your interest and feedback are always appreciated.
Show your support to the bargaining team by visiting the following page and accessing the virtual link to join a rally. They were held February 11, 12, however there will be more in the future. Check your emails for notifications, Stand with your IT Group Bargaining Team
Reminders of Articles in our Collective Agreement (CA) that have been negotiated by our bargaining teams. There are many important agreements or “articles” in our CA that document exactly what our rights and obligations are. We advise you to take time to familiarize yourself with it to understand what is available to you. This is just a tiny fraction of the Articles.
- Article 17.7, Personal Leave. Remember to book and take your 15 hours before March 31, 2026; it can be taken in 3.75 hour increments. They are not accumulated and reset every fiscal year.
- Article 15.07, Your maximum carry-over of holiday leave is 262.5 hours at fiscal year.
- Article 15.02, denotes how at what rate you earn your holiday hours, based on your anniversary date.
- Article 16.01 Your sick leave is earned and accumulated at 9.375 hours after every 10 paid days of work.
- Appendix A:Information Technology Group annual rates of pay (listed by every year that we are granted adjustments, by Group level, and steps.
- Appendix E: Workforce adjustment
Navigar Learning Platform and IT Training Fund
Don’t forget about this learning platform that is still available for members to take advantage of. You can take courses for free, Technology courses and Language learning. That also includes vouchers for exams. Find out more here. https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/it-training-fund-and-navigar with the next orientation session on Feb 25, 2026
The IT Training Fund is an educational initiative secured in the IT Group's latest Collective Agreement to support member development. Although the fund explicitly allocates a specific amount per member, it utilizes the Navigar platform to deliver training value to each user.
=> The fund provides training through two distinct streams:
Navigar (PIPSC): Offers self-paced, asynchronous learning through partners like Pluralsight, Skillsoft (Percipio), and goFluent.
=> Talent.Canada.ca (TBS): Offers instructor-led training (e.g., Learning Tree, Global Knowledge) and vouchers for industry-recognized certifications.
Here is a brief guide on how to get started with Navigar and access your training benefits:
1. Create Your Navigar Account
Go to the Portal: Visit https://app.navigar.ca/login and click "create account".
Use Personal Email: Sign up using your personal email address (not your work email).
Verify: Look for an email with the subject line "Verify your email address" and click the Verify Email link.
2. Activate Pluralsight (Tech & Dev Training)
Check Your Inbox: After logging into Navigar, you will receive a second email with the subject: "PIPSC has invited you to join Pluralsight! Open for Fresh Skills".
Accept Invite: Click on Accept Invite in that email to be redirected to the Navigar Pluralsight Homepage, where your account will be ready for use.
3. Activate Percipio & goFLUENT (Leadership & Language)
Select Training: Inside Navigar, click on any Percipio training material.
Set Up Login: You will land on the Percipio page, but your password will not work yet. Click on "Need help login in?".
Finish Setup: Percipio will send you an activation email. Once activated, you can access all Percipio and goFLUENT content.
Troubleshooting
Error Message: If you get an error saying your email is not linked to PIPSC, email membership@pipsc.ca to update your file with your preferred personal email.
Expired Links/Issues: If a link is expired or you have other access issues, contact support at Navigar.ca/support.
Important Links
Sign up for membership https://pipsc.ca/member-tools/application
Find your membership number https://pipsc.ca/member-tools/find-your-membership-number
Address change https://pipsc.ca/member-tools/change-of-address
Request a PIPSC Email Address
https://pipsc.ca/member-tools/email
Upcoming Events
3rd Annual Bowling Networking Event
Planned for early April 2026. We are switching up locations. Our first year was held in North York and the second year in Richmond Hill. Watch out for the official invitation.