UNW Conventions

2023 UNW Convention Page

Convention Forms

• Delegate Credential Form (fillable PDF)
• Alternate Credential Form (fillable PDF)
• Observer Credential Form (fillable PDF)
• Release of Personal Information Form (fillable PDF)
• Convention Resolution Form (fillable PDF)

DAY 3 of UNW 19th TRIENNIAL CONVENTION

Thursday, November 30, 2023:

Convention began at 9:15am.

Elections for the UNW President and two Vice Presidents were held and all three candidates were acclaimed. The results of the Regional Vice Presidents and Equity Vice President elections, which were conducted in the months leading up to Convention, were also announced. 

PSAC Regional Executive Vice President North, Josée-Anne Spirito, presided over the UNW Executive elections as well as the election of 12 delegates and 5 observers to PSAC National Convention, to be held in 2024. 

UNW Full Executive:

• UNW President: Gayla Thunstrom
• UNW 1st Vice President: Melvin Larocque
• UNW 2nd Vice President: Annette Thompson
• Regional Vice President Beaufort Delta-Sahtu: Maria Amestoy
• Regional Vice President Dehcho: vacant – election will be re-run
• Regional Vice President Fort Smith: Lauraine Armstrong
• Regional Vice President Hay River: Jeff Groenewegen
• Regional Vice President Kimberlite: Mike Critch
• Regional Vice President North Great Slave: Todd Parsons
• Regional Vice President Somba K’e: Randy Thompson
• Equity Vice President: Brad Brake

Convention adjourned at 11:30 am.

During a Full Executive meeting immediately following the close of Convention, RVP Todd Parsons was presented with a UNW Life Membership, in recognition of his many years of dedication and service to the NWT labour movement. Todd served as UNW President from 2002 to 2021, and prior to that was an executive officer of Local 10.

DAY 2 of UNW 19th TRIENNIAL CONVENTION

Wednesday, November 29, 2023:

Convention began at 9:00am.

The Finance Committee presented the budget for the next three years; the delegates passed the budget and voted on resolutions.

The Bylaws/General Committee presented resolutions to Convention. Delegates voted on all 20 resolutions, which included a resolution to send to the PSAC National Convention regarding an Anti-Privatization in Healthcare campaign.

There was a presentation by Louise Casselman, Social Justice Fund Officer at PSAC, on the work of the PSAC Social Justice Committee.

Convention business concluded for the day at 3:15pm, and will reconvene on the morning of Thursday, November 30.

DAY 1 of UNW 19th TRIENNIAL CONVENTION

Tuesday, November 28, 2023:

Convention began at 1:30pm.

The delegation heard a presentation from special guest speaker Linda Silas, President of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU), as well as Chris Aylward, PSAC National President and Josée-Anne Spirito, PSAC Regional Executive Vice President North Region.

This was followed by convention business which concluded for the day at 4:00pm, and will reconvene on the morning of Wednesday, November 29.

NEW DATES for 19th Triennial Convention

Thursday, October 12, 2023:

Due to the disruptions caused by multiple wildfire evacuations in the NWT this summer and fall, the 19th UNW Triennial Convention has been postponed until November.

The new Convention dates are: Tuesday, November 28 - Thursday, November 30.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kim Bailey, UNW Director of Finance and Administration via the UNW Convention email.

RVP Election Results

Tuesday, June 27, 2023:

The UNW has completed the confirmations of all nomination received following the April 25 Nomination call for RVP/EVP positions.

The results in the 3 regions currently vacant are as follows and, in accordance with the by-laws and regulations, the remainder of the Executive positions will be announced at Convention in October:

RVP Deh Cho – no nominations received
RVP Kimberlite – one nomination – Michael Critch
RVP North Great Slave – one nomination – Todd Parsons

In accordance with UNW By-Law 13, Election of Officers, Section 4.5, the candidates for RVP Kimberlite and RVP North Great Slave have been acclaimed to their positions, will take office immediately, and carry the office through to the UNW 20th Triennial Convention in the fall of 2026.

The new Executive Officers can be reached on their UNW Email addresses:

Michael Critch – critchm@unw.ca
Todd Parsons – parsont@unw.ca

PSAC North Training Opportunity: Writing Resolutions

Wednesday, June 7, 2023:

If you would like to learn more about writing an effective resolution to make changes about the things you care about in your union, please consider registering for this training opportunity.

Course duration is approximately 2.5 hours.

Date: Thursday June 15th 2023
Time: 5:30 PM MDT
Registration link: Resolution Writing Virtual Training

Once registrations are received, an email will be sent to those registered with the link to this virtual training session. 

Should you require any additional information please contact Ian Brown, Regional Education Officer PSAC North.

RVP Elections

Tuesday, April 25, 2023:

In accordance with UNW Regulation I. Executive Affairs, 4. Election of Executive Officers b. ii.: For the election of Executive Officers, six (6) months prior to Convention, UNW Headquarters will notify the members of the nomination call by mailing a nomination call, nomination form and nominating instructions to each member.

The following nomination packages (link to downloadable PDF) have been mailed to the home address on file for all UNW members, subject to Region in which your worksite is located (and, in the case of Equity Vice President, those members who have self-identified as belonging to an Equity group).

The deadline for all nomination packages is 3:00 PM on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

• Equity Vice President
• Regional Vice President for Beaufort Delta Sahtu
• Regional Vice President for Deh Cho
• Regional Vice President for Fort Smith
• Regional Vice President for Hay River
• Regional Vice President for Kimberlite
• Regional Vice President for North Great Slave
• Regional Vice President for Somba K'e

Results of these elections will be announced during the 19th UNW Triennial Convention.

Convention Call Out

Wednesday, January 25, 2023:

As per By-Law 14, Section 2; “at least nine (9) months before the date of Convention, the official convention call shall be issued”. This is your official Convention Call for the UNW 19th Triennial Convention.

• 2023 UNW Convention Call

Convention will be held from October 25-27, 2023 in Yellowknife, NT.

This call is to provide you with the By-Law imposed deadlines for the election of Convention Delegates for your Local and also for the submission of resolutions to Convention:

• April 25, 2023 - All names for delegates and alternates must be submitted to the Director of Finance & Administration by this date. (NOTE: Delegate and alternate names must be submitted on the prescribed forms and supporting minutes must be included with the submission).
• June 25, 2023 - Resolutions from Locals must be submitted to the Director of Finance & Administration by this date. (NOTE: Resolutions must be submitted on the prescribed form and supporting minutes must be included with the submission).

Local Election of Delegates
For rules governing the election of Convention Delegates and Alternates see By-law 14, Section 5.

Delegates are elected by their Local, therefore, each Local President is charged with the responsibility of ensuring delegates and alternates are elected in accordance with the By-laws and Regulations.

Subsection (2) of this By-Law empowers Locals to elect delegates and alternates at a Local General Membership Meeting, provided the meeting is advertised publicly for 30 days and is called for the sole purpose of electing Convention Delegates.

Local Presidents are responsible for advising the Director of Finance and Administration of these meetings and providing details on the date and method utilized for advertising. UNW Communications is happy to assist, upon request, by distributing meeting posters through our usual email channels, as well as website and social media posting.

Each active Local is assured at least one (1) delegate to Convention.

Local Delegate Entitlement

The following formula determines the entitlement for delegates:

• Locals with 1-75 signed members - 1 delegate
• Locals with 76-175 signed members - 2 delegates
• Locals with 176-325 signed members - 3 delegates
• Locals with 326-475 signed members - 4 delegates
• Locals with 476-625 signed members - 5 delegates
• Locals with 626-775 signed members - 6 delegates
• Locals with more than 775 signed members - 7 delegates

Signed members are based on the number on record at the UNW registration roll at the date of the Convention Call. The Convention Call document posted above contains the number of signed members on record for each active Local at the UNW registration roll effective the end of the day on January 24, 2023.

It is advised that you elect at minimum as many alternates as your Local is allowed delegates, to ensure that you still have a full slate of delegates once Convention rolls around.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Kim Bailey, Director of Finance and Administration at the UNW office.

Please contact your Regional Vice-President and/or the 1st or 2nd Vice President for assistance with anything Convention related, including setting up Local General Meetings.

18th Triennial Convention:  October 15 - 17, 2021 in Yellowknife, NT - "Celebrating Our Successes - Strength for Tomorrow"

The UNW 18th Triennial Convention will take place from October 15-17, 2021. It was originally scheduled for October 2020, but had to be rescheduled due to pandemic restrictions.

In this section:

• Convention Call Out
• Important Dates and Deadlines
• Delegates to Convention
• Alternates
• Observers to Convention
• Resolutions
• Regional Vice President Elections
• Important Documents and Forms
• Bylaws

Convention Call Out

Friday, January 15, 2021:

The Convention Call out for the re-scheduled UNW 18th Triennial Convention has been sent to all UNW Local Presidents.

Important information on the election of delegates, delegate entitlement, and resolution deadlines is included in the Call Letter:

• 2021 Convention Call Letter

Important Dates and Deadlines

Deadline for Local Alternate elections - April 15th

Deadline for Locals to submit Resolutions – June 15, 2021

• Note: Resolutions will only be accepted from Locals, not from individual members

Deadline for Locals to submit names of Local-funded Observer - July 15th

Delegates to Convention

Delegate elections completed by Locals in 2020 will stand and do not need to be redone.

If you were elected as a delegate and are no longer able or eligible to attend, please contact your Local President ASAP to ensure that an alternate can take your seat.

Alternates

Alternates are members who are elected to attend convention in the event that an elected delegate is no longer able to attend:

• alternates must be elected at a general membership meeting
• the meeting must be advertised publicly for 30 days in advance
• the meeting must be for the sole purpose of electing delegates and/or alternates

Alternates should be elected at the same time as delegates. However, if necessary, they can be elected up to 48 hours before Convention starts. Check with your RVP.

Locals can elect any number of alternates, and must prioritize the elected alternates by way of number of votes; Locals must include the prioritization when submitting names to HQ. 

It is recommended that Locals elect at least as many alternates as delegates.

Elected alternates must be members in good standing a minimum of 30 days prior to the election.

Locals may choose to elect their alternates as Local-funded observers (see section below). This must be part of the motion electing the alternate/observers.

Observers to Convention

Fully Funded Observers

Fully funded observers are those who the Local has agreed to pay for their expenses to attend the Convention (i.e. travel, accommodations, lost wages, Convention fee, etc.)

If Locals wish to send fully funded observes to convention:

• members must be elected at a general membership meeting
• names (with meeting minutes and/or written confirmation from the Local President) must be provided to the UNW Director of Finance & Administration no later than July 15.

Self-Funded Observers

Any signed UNW member in good standing is entitled to attend the UNW Convention as a regular observer, dependent on venue capacity.

If you wish to attend as a self-funded observer:

• You are responsible for your own expenses (i.e. travel, accommodations, lost wages, Convention fee, etc.)
• If you wish to receive Convention matierals, you must register with the UNW Director of Finance & Administration and pay the your convention fees no later than July 15.
• If you have NOT pre-registered, we cannot guarantee you entry to the Convention

Resolutions

• Letter to Locals Re: Reminder about Submission of Resolutions - April 29, 2021 
• UNW Bylaw 14 - Sections on submitting Resolutions
• 2021 Convention Resolutions Form 

Only Locals can submit resolutions to Convention.

Deadline to submit resolutions: June 15th, 2021.

All resolutions must be individually moved/seconded, fully debated, and passed at a Local General Membership meeting with appropriate advertising notice.

Regional Vice President elections

RVP elections concluded April 2020.   

Candidates elected from this election will continue their term until 2023 Convention. The following RVP positions are vacant, will be up for election, and successful candidates will fill the position immediately, with their terms ending at 2023 Convention:

• RVP Kimberlite
• RVP Beaufort Delta-Sahtu
• RVP North Great Slave

Important Documents and Forms

• 2021 Convention Resolutions Form (pdf)
• 2021 Alternate Credentials Form (pdf)
• 2021 Observers Credentials Form (pdf)
• 2021 Release of Personal Information Consent Form (for Delegates and Alternates) (pdf)

See section on deadlines above. 

By-Laws

Please see the UNW Bylaws and Regulations for more information on rules governing Convention and elections.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your RVP or UNW HQ

Please see the Convention 2021 section above for information about the rescheduled Convention.

May 11, 2020:

The UNW 18th Triennial Convention, originally scheduled for October 2020, will be rescheduled to 2021 (dates to be announced).

• Delegate elections will stand and do not need to be redone, and each Local’s delegate entitlement will not change.

• Locals can still run elections for Alternates closer to the 2021 convention to fill seats if some delegates are no longer be able to attend.

• Locals have additional time to determine if they wish to send paid Observers. 

• Timelines for submitting Resolutions are now extended.

  • Local Resolutions must be submitted 4 months before Convention, and must be fully debated and voted on at a Local general membership meeting.

  • It is recommended that the Locals save this work for 2021.

• Terms of office for UNW Executive (UNW President, VPs, RVPs, and EVP) are extended by one year, up to convention 2021.

• As RVP elections have already started, the results will stand; newly elected officers will start their terms following the announcement of the successful candidates at Convention 2021, as per UNW By-laws.

Elections of Regional Vice Presidents

April 2020

Nomination packages for the elections of Regional Vice Presidents have been mailed to all UNW members who are signed and in good standing.

More information and copies of the documents, as well as deadlines, can be found here:  Your Executive

Election of Delegates and Alternates

April 20, 2020

The following Locals have received more nominations than delegate spots and will require members to elect delegates:

Local 01, Local 06, Local 09, Local 11, Local 12, Local 13, Local 16, Local 28, Local 30, and Local 38.

Elections for Delegates and Alternates will be carried out online using electronic ballots. Eligible Members from each Local holding an election (listed above) will be provided an electronic ballot and instructions via email.

Ballot emails were sent to all eligible members of the above Locals on April 20 at 12:44 pm MST, via the personal email address on file at UNW HQ. 

To be considered eligible to vote, you must be a signed member in good standing of the UNW.

If you are a member of one of the above Locals and do not receive the ballot email, check your spam folder for "vote@simplyvoting.com" or contact pr@unw.ca to confirm your eligibility and email information BEFORE voting closes.

Voting opens at 1:00 PM MST on Monday, April 20 and closes at 11:59 PM MST on Thursday, April 23.

To vote online, you will be required to provide:

• Your UNW Membership Card Number (not your PSAC #)
• Your PIN (provided in the ballot email)

If you do not know your Membership Card Number, please contact UNW HQ at hq@unw.ca or phone 867-873-5668, (toll free 1-877-906-4447) by 5:00 pm on April 23, 2020. You may be asked to provide information about yourself or your employment to verify your identity.

Nomination Call for Delegates and Alternates

This Nomination Call has been emailed to all UNW members who have a personal email address on file at UNW HQ; posted in the UNW Facebook Group; and posted here on the UNW website:

• 2020 Call for UNW Convention Delegate Nominations 

• 2020 Delegate & Alternate Nomination Form

For more information on UNW Convention, please see the UNW By-Law 14 Conventions.

NOMINATIONS

All nominees and nominators MUST be:

• signed members in good standing 
• members of the Local entered on the Nomination form.

To encourage the recommended practice of social-distancing, and in consideration of anyone who is currently self-isolating, UNW HQ is accepting emails or faxes from nominators instead of original signatures.

1. Make sure you fill out the names of the two nominators on the form

2. Have each nominator email or fax you written confirmation that they support your nomination (see example below)

3. attach copies of the emails or faxes from each nominator to your form (if sending by email, ensure all documents are attached to the email)

Example of fax or email:

"I, [nominator's name] am a member in good standing of Local [x] and I nominate [nominee's name] to stand for election for Delegate for the UNW 18th Triennial Convention"

Return completed Nomination forms by 5:00pm on Saturday, April 18.

FORMS MUST BE RETURNED BY EMAIL OR FAX:

email: pr@unw.ca and Cc: hq@unw.ca

fax: 867-920-4448

PLEASE DO NOT SEND BY REGULAR MAIL!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

On April 19, if there are more nominees than delegate seats, an election will be conducted electronically.

The electronic ballot will be emailed to the members of each UNW Local conducting an election who:

• are a signed member in good standing, and
• the UNW has a home personal email address for

Deadline to complete and submit ballots: April 23, 2020, 5:00 pm

Membership applications can be found here:

• Join the UNW

Convention Call Out

The Convention Call Out for UNW's 18th Triennial Convention has been sent to all UNW Local Presidents by mail and by email. 

Important information on the election of delegates, delegate entitlement, and resolution deadlines is included in the Convention Call Letter:

• 2020 Convention Call Out - January 21, 2020

Important Dates and Deadlines

April 23, 2020- All names of delegates and alternates must be submitted to the Director of Finance and Administration by this date.  

June 23, 2020 - Resolutions from Locals must be submitted to the Director of Finance and Administration by this date.

Visit the Events Calendar page for information on dates, times and locations of Local General Meetings.

Important Documents and Forms

• Delegate & Alternate Nomination Form
• Delegate Credentials Form
• Alternate Credentials Form
• Observers Credentials Form
• Convention Resolutions Form
• Release of Personal Information Consent Form (for Delegates and Alternates)

See section on deadlines above. 

By-Laws

Please see the UNW Bylaws and Regulations for more information on rules governing Convention and elections.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your RVP or UNW HQ.

17th Triennial Convention:  October 27 - 29, 2017 in Yellowknife, NT - "Solidarity through Perseverance"

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

Check out the daily bulletin  highlights from the UNW Convention

Sun. Oct. 29 - President Todd Parsons re-elected.  1st VP Gayla Thunstrom re-elected.  2nd VP Nicole Tews newly elected.  Stay tuned for the Convention Highlights bulletin.

• Sat. Oct. 28
• Fri. Oct. 27

Information for Delegates and Observers

The following has been sent by email and mail to UNW registered delegates and observers.

• Delegate Information Letter
• Observer Information Letter
• Administrative information attachment

Accommodation & Childcare

The UNW is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. If any delegate, observer, or guest should require an accommodation to ensure they can participate fully, please contact Melissa Pohajdak, Director of Finance and Administration by August 31.

For delegates to attend Convention, the UNW will reimburse any child care expenses (upon submission of receipt)  if such these expenses should exceed the member's normal child care expenses.  Please contact the DFA for further information.

The Delegate Series 

Information flyers for delegates on the proceedings of Convention.  These are emailed and mailed to delegates.

1. Introduction
2. The Convention
3. The Convention Delegate
4. Convention Business
5. The Convention Resolution
6. Convention Chairperson
7. Convention Committees
8. Convention Debate
9. Priority of Procedural Matters
10. Elections
11. Convention Observers

Important Documents and Forms

• Delegate Credentials Form - see deadline below
• Alternate Credentials Form - see deadline below
• Observers Credentials Form- see deadline below
• Convention Resolution Form - see deadline below
• Delegate nomination form
• Resolution Form - see deadline below

RVP/EVP Elections

RVP/EVP nomination forms have been mailed out to members in all the Regions.   See deadlines below.

RVP North Great Slave info and nomination form - Election is being re-run because the original acclaimed member is no longer a member.  

• Deadline for nominations: Oct. 15, 2017 at 5:00 pm

RVP Kimberlite info and form - No nominations were received, so the election is being re-run.  

• Deadline for nominations:  Sept. 20, 2017 at 5:00 pm

RVP/EVP Information and Forms

• EVP Nomination info and form
• RVP Beaufort Delta-Sahtu nomination info and form
• RVP Deh Cho nomination info and form
• RVP Fort Smith nomination info and form
• RVP Hay River nomination info and form
• RVP Kimberlite nomination info and form
• RVP North Great Slave nomination info and form
• RVP Somba K'e nomination info and form

Important Deadlines

April 28, 2017 - All names of delegates and alternates must be submitted to the DFA by this date.  See a list of Local General Meeting dates HERE.

May 29, 2017 - All RVP/EVP nominations must be submitted to the DFA by this date.

June 28, 2017 - Resolutions from the Locals must be submitted to the DFA by this date.

July 28, 2017 - All names of observers must be submitted to DFA by this date.

July 28, 2017 - Resolutions from the Executive must be submitted to the DFA by this date.

Convention Call Out

The Convention Call Out for UNW's 17th Triennial Convention has been sent to all UNW Local Presidents by mail and by email. Click the link below to see the call out letter.  Important information on the election of delegates, delegate entitlement, and resolution deadlines is included.

Convention Call Out Jan. 27, 2017

By-Laws

Please see the UNW Bylaws and Regulations for more information on rules governing Convention and elections.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your RVP or UNW HQ.