Minutes of the Equal Opportunities (EO) Committee

IN ATTENDANCE:

Linda Koenders, Chairperson
Greg Krokosh, Co-Chairperson
Mel Lucier, Elected by the Locals
Lisa Halbach, Aboriginal Peoples
Loree-Ann Huard, GLBT
Lea Serron, Women
Georges Ten, Racially Visible People
Jim Austin, Persons with Disabilities
Andrea Holmes, Technical Advisor
Christiane Pagé, Administrative Assistant

1. CALL TO ORDER

Sister Koenders welcomes the members of the committee.  Each member provides a short introduction of themselves.

2. COMMITTEE WORK/ADMINISTRATIVE

Terms of Reference

The UTE Executive Council met in June 2017 to review and approve changes to the Terms of Reference brought forward by the previous committee. An updated copy will be posted to the UTE website.

Theme of Regional Conferences

The committee has agreed on a theme for the Regional Conferences.

Theme: Awareness – Empowerment - Action

Budget Review for Conferences

The committee reviewed the previous budget for the Regional Conferences that took place in 2015. The previous budget was budgeted for 58 locals. UTE currently has 60 locals. A discussion ensued as to available funds for guest speakers and promotional items for each conference.

Regional Conferences Location/Dates

UTE will be hosting three (3) Regional Conferences.

• Calgary, AB - August 22 to 26, 2018
  August 23 – Registration
  August 24 to 25 – Conference
  August 26 - Departure
  (attending regions: Pacific, Prairies, Rocky Mountains)
   
• Montreal, QC – October 31 to November 4, 2018
  November 1^st – Registration
  November 2 to 3 – Conference
  November 4 - Departure
  (attending regions: Atlantic, Montreal, N.C.R., Quebec)
   
• Toronto, ON – November 28 to December 2, 2018
  November 28 – Committee
  November 30 to December 1^st – Conference
  December 2 - Departure
  (attending regions: G.T.R., N.E. Ontario, S.W. Ontario)

Application for Conferences

The committee reviewed the registration form. A few modifications will be done to simplify the form. The application call letter and application deadlines have been determined. All application must be received by 5:00 p.m. - Easter Standard Time (EST).

Registration for Conferences

The committee agreed that the registrations will take place on:

• Thursday evenings (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) and;
• Friday mornings (8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.).

Guest Speakers

The committee discussed a variety of potential guest speakers. Sister Holmes, Sister Halbach, Sister Koenders, Sister Serron and Sister Lucier will contact the guest speakers to discuss their availability and will share their findings by January 26, 2018.

Workshops

The committee discussed available workshops. The committee agreed that the “CRA Positive Space” workshop would be ideal for the Friday mornings (subject to CRA’s availability). Sister Holmes to confirm and arrange with CRA.

UTE Newsletter

Sister Lucier will compose an article to promote the EO Regional Conferences which will be published in the UTE newsletter (spring 2018).

Vignettes

The committee will gather and share vignettes via email for each equity group.

Hospitality Suite

The committee has agreed that snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be served in the hospitality suite throughout the conferences. No alcohol will be served on Thursday and Friday nights. However, alcohol will be served on Saturday nights.

Participants Kits

The committee discussed the content of the participants kits. A few ideas were suggested for promotional items (i.e. tissue holders, carabiner).

3. FUTURE MEETINGS

The next committee meeting will be held on March 26-27, 2018 at the UTE National Office (pending approval from the National President).

4.  ACTION ITEMS

The Committee agreed on the following action items: