Kari Jefford

Kari Jefford is the president of Unifor Local 229 in Thunder Bay, Ont., where she has held the presidency since 2010. Local 229 is Northwestern Ontario’s largest local trade union, encompassing 5,400 kms across the region, consisting of 44 workplaces and thousands of members primarily in healthcare, social services, education, public sector services, private sector services and manufacturing.

Jefford is the president of Unifor’s National Healthcare Industry Council. She previously represented the Ontario Regional Council, as a member at large from 2013 through 2017. Her formal education includes human resources management, law clerk and early childhood education.

Jefford is a trade unionist with strong community involvement. She tirelessly advocates for activism in leadership, education, women’s issues, social justice, workers issues and a staunch proponent of good jobs for all. Her employment history includes working with the hard to serve community members and youth, social work, heavy machine operations and transportation as a licensed AZ operator and as a skilled trades worker in the Canadian Navy for the Department of National Defense.