Chris Beaton Reports

February 2018

It has been an honour to be working in this role as the Edmonton Area Council Representative. It has been a learning curve and has brought with it some challenges but, my labour experience has helped me to adapt into this role as well. I am excited for what is to come for me on the Prairie Region Council.

The main focus of the Edmonton Area Council over the last while was a solidarity brunch. This has become an annual event in Edmonton bringing together locals and their activists to come together and network whilst listening to guest speakers and enjoying brunch. With the hard work of the Area Council organising the event and rallying the locals, we ended up having 18 locals who sent participants. We were also very fortunate to have Maria Fitzpatrick of the NDP and MLA for Lethbridge East as well as Perri Garvin, Labour Programs Coordinator for the United Way as our two guest speakers for the event.

As well as this, I worked at the Regional Office with other Area Council members and staff helping compile an election mail out to the Edmonton membership. It was a laborious effort but well worth it and very valuable.

I must say, though, that the highlight for me since the last PRC meeting has to be the PSAC National Leadership training that I was able to attend. As well as attending workshops on Duty to Accommodate for members with Mental Health issues and Communication Strategies for member engagement, I got to listen to some amazingly inspirational and articulate speakers. As much as the value of all of these aspects was immeasurable, the most significant experience for me was to be able to network with my PSAC brothers and sisters and to share our knowledge and experiences.

I am thoroughly looking forward to the next few months in my role on the council and, in particular, the PSAC National Convention. I thank you all for your time and the support I get from all sides.

In solidarity,

Chris Beaton

Edmonton Area Council Representative

Report submitted after the deadline