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The B.C. Regional Council held it’s inaugural meeting during February 7-9, 2014 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver.
Nearly 200 elected delegates, guests, and staff met to strategize about national and local campaigns. Throughout the weekend, local Unifor activists debated resolutions that will shape the work of the union during the next year:
- Support Unifor’s campaign to defend the Rand formula as our top political priority over the next year, including participation in our leadership tour underway this month, and a full commitment to symbolically re-sign all our members as a symbol of the strength and solidarity of our union.
- Affiliate to the BC Federation of Labour and that the locals commit to playing an active role in the Labour movement in their communities
- Providing information to the council to facilitate building a “Unifor-made” list and that local union and members buy Local unifor products and services whenever possible.
- In conjunction with the political action committee and the executive committee, local unions shall develop a strategy and action plan for the upcoming municipal elections.
- Participate in the Unifor Good Jobs Summit, to occur in Toronto in October 2014, including sponsoring pre-summit forums and other events in their communities, engaging with youth and social partners, and sending delegates to participate in the Summit itself.
- Support the concept of a national energy and environmental strategy for Canada, including the following principles:
- Binding and ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Strict limits on any future expansion of bitumen production, consistent with those greenhouse gas caps;
- Prohibitions on the export of raw bitumen, and requirements for upgrading and processing of petroleum in Canada;
- Efforts to match Canadian energy production with Canadian needs, and reduce imports of oil;
- Completion of a Canada-wide energy grid (including pipelines and electricity transmission) to improve Canadian energy security and independence;
- An ambitious green energy investment plan, including investment in alternative and renewable energy sources, energy conservation, urban transit; and,
- Systematic efforts to ensure more Canadian content and Canadian value-added at all stages of the energy supply chain, including machinery, services, extraction, upgrading, processing, and manufacturing.
- Opposition in BC to the Enbridge Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan pipelines and support for the broad campaigns organized by environmental organizations and First Nations people to stop their construction.
BC delegates also adopted bylaws to govern the Regional Council.
Unifor President Jerry Dias was on hand to deliver a rousing speech to delegates about the issues facing young workers and workers in the resource sector.
“Canadians don’t benefit from pipelines that ship unrefined oil to other countries, plain and simple,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias told the union’s BC Regional Council in Vancouver. “Keystone XL, Northern Gateway, and the new Kinder Morgan pipeline all have one thing in common: they take Canada’s natural resource wealth and leave us with nothing to show for it.”
Unifor delegates elected their 2014-2015 BC Executive Board and selected members to sit on standing committees and committees for equity-seeking groups:
Chair: Andrea MacBride, Local 2000
Vice-Chair: Nathan Woods, Local 111
Secretary-Treasurer: Bill Gaucher, Local 114
Members at Large: Reg Meisner (Local 1115), James Monks (Local 433), Jamie Ross (Local 2002), Jean Van Vliet (Local 3000)
Political Action Committee: Don Rheaume (Local 1119), Ben Williams (Local 333), Barbie Zipp (Local 114)
Health & Safety and Environment: Gavin Davies (Local 111), Gord McGrath (Local 114), Melissa Moroz (Local 467)
Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender: Desiree Gill (Local 111), Ron Mill (3000), Fred Whiting (Local 2002)
Aboriginal & Racialized Workers: Hopeton Hague (Local 1997), Carlos Moreira (Local 111), Margaret Olal (Local 3000)
Workers with Disabilities: Paramjit Birak (Local 3000), Scott Hodge (Local 2182), Don Haug (Local 114)
Women’s Committee: Tracy Ingham (Local 603), Brenda Mason (Local 525G), Ranjit Rai (Local 3000)
Young Worker’s Committee: Cody Crick (Local 1115), Simon Lau (Local 2002), Ashleigh Rennie (Local 111)
Other stories related to the February 2014 BC Regional Council:
Good Jobs Summit is about young people
Canadian resources for Canadians
Jim Sinclair inspires BC Regional Council
Jerry Dias reiterates Unifor opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline
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