Glen Johnston Reports

At the end of the 2017 Prairie Region Triennial Convention I assumed the position of the WMAC Representative to the PRC and took the Oath of Office along with the rest of the Council members and Alternates.

The first meeting of the WMAC after Convention was held on the 20th of Jun 2017 but I was unable to attend due to illness.

As the Treasurer of the Council I had submitted a question regarding the bank statements and how the Regional Office was going to deal with missing statements. As the bank is sending all statements to the Winnipeg RO is it incumbent upon the WMAC to retrieve the missing statements and if there is a cost who would be responsible to reimburse the bank.

As the WMAC Rep to PRC I will be bringing these questions to the Council meeting in Saskatoon to seek answers.

There was also a Pride Parade held in Brandon on the 17th of June, unfortunately the Council was not aware that this event was talking place until a couple of days prior to the event. Last minute attempts to get participants did not pan out but the Council hopes to be participants in future events.

Respectfully submitted,

Glen Johnston

WMAC Rep to the PRC

Report submitted after the deadline

The Council held our third meeting of the year in August at which we held discussions and eventually passed three resolutions to send to the PSAC Triennial convention in 2018. A fourth resolution was discussed but after much debate the submitting member withdrew the resolution.

Minutes of this meeting can be found on the PSAC Prairies website.

As in past years the Westman Area Council participated in the Labour Day event held at the UFCW hall in Brandon, MB. During this event I, along with other members of the Council discussed the ongoing Phoenix fiasco with the people who came out to enjoy the festivities. We also set up a prize wheel for the kids and a few adults to hand out PSAC merchandise and promote the Council in the region.

This year was a little different for our fourth meeting, held in October, in that the Council held an AGM to elect officers, present financials and elect a delegate to PSAC National Triennial Convention. Usually the Council holds it AGM’s in the first quarter of the year but in order to comply with the PSAC Constitution the change was made.

There was no change in Officers as both Br Kaminski (VP) and Sr Grant (Secretary) were acclaimed to their positions. Br Weisgerber was elected to attend the Convention on behalf of the Council. As at all meetings, discussion on organizing training events in the Westman region were held with a commitment made from all members to try and mobilize members to take some Union training. Minutes of this meeting can be found on the PSAC Prairies website.

The Brandon & District United Way Christmas Tree Auction took place at the end of November this year and again the Council played a big role in the festivities. Collectively over $34,000.00 dollars was raised in support of families in need in the Westman area. Local & retired members along with spouses and friends helped make this event a fun occasion for all involved.

In December, I attended the Leadership training in Ottawa. My main interests for this round were the discussions on Mental Health in the workplace as this is an area that has gone for too long without recognition for our members. With the ongoing Phoenix boondoggle, more and more pressure is being put on our members and their families and friends.

In Feb, Council President Br Sexton and I will be attending the United Way Kickoff Luncheon to receive an award from the United Way to recognize the Council’s continued support of the Auction and United Way activities in the area.

There will also be Steward Advocate training taking place in Brandon on the 6th of Feb. I will be attending the training along with members from my home Local and other members in the Region.

Respectfully submitted,

Glen Johnston

WMAC Rep to the PRC

In March the WMAC held its Annual General Meeting, at which the Council’s financial statement was reviewed and passed along with the 2019 budget. As elections for the Council’s executive had been conducted at our October AGM, no elections were held at this meeting.

From this meeting I was able to submit the Council’s financial package to the Winnipeg RO in order to begin the process of getting approval for our budget and eventually our yearly allocation.

Two events were brought to the Council, for this budget cycle, that we had not participated in before but we hoped we could rally our members and show some support to our community.

The first event was sponsored by The Women’s Resource Centre and was held from May 7 – 11, 2018 and called the Team Challenge.  This event included team activities/ team building exercises in the evenings for registered teams while learning about the Women’s Resource Centre and the needs they address and resources they provide for the WestMan Area. Unfortunately we could not rally our members but we are hoping to get a head start and have a group ready to go should this event be held next year.

The second event was the Brandon Pride Parade. While there was interest shown by our members we could not get members organized to attend on behalf of the Council. There were however PSAC members marching in the parade.

The Brandon & District Labour Council Labour Day Picnic was a success as usual this year. The Council was again able to participate by setting up a table and handing out some PSAC swag and information on the Phoenix fiasco.

During this period the Council met three times, in March, July and October. Our fourth meeting is being planned for early December to close out the year and debrief from the Brandon & District United Way Christmas Tree Auction which is scheduled for 23 November.

Along with the Council meetings I also participated in the following:

PRC Conference Call on the 20th of Mar 2018

PRC Conference Call on the 17th of May 2018

Area Council Conference Call on the 4th of July 2018

PRC Conference call on the 11th of Oct 2018

As part of my duties on the Council I also sit on the PRC Finance Committee. This has been a bigger challenge than I had expected as for all previous mandates I had sat on the Bylaws Committee. As part of the Finance Committee I participated in the finance related conference calls and attended a meeting in Winnipeg in May to review the PRC Council and Committee financial packages along with budget submissions from each group. The Finance Committee reports can be found with the PRC Minutes posted to the Prairie Region Website.

Respectfully submitted,

Glen Johnston

WMAC Rep to the PRC

As I had missed submitting a report to the last PRC meeting, a brief synopsis follows from the WMAC AGM held in March 2019.

In March the WMAC held its Annual General Meeting, at which the Council’s financial statement was reviewed and passed along with the 2019 budget. Elections were held at this AGM and Brother Jeff Sexton was acclaimed as President and Sister Jennifer Grant was acclaimed as Treasurer. Minutes for this meeting can be found on the PSAC Prairie Region website.

The WMAC held its second meeting of the year in June 2019. Discussion included the Council’s attempted participation in the Women’s Resource Centre Team Challenge event. While support for this event is high the Council still struggles to field a team to participate. Further discussions need to take place to ensure the Council continues to support this event by participation. The Council also supported the Brandon Pride parade however more involvement by PSAC members is needed. At this meeting Brother Michael Weisgerber was acclaimed to the vacant Secretary position. Minutes for this meeting can be found on the PSAC Prairie Region website.

As in past years, the Brandon & District Labour Council Labour Day Picnic was a success. The Council was again able to participate by setting up a table and handing out some PSAC swag and information on the Phoenix fiasco.

The WMAC had planned a meeting in early October but because of inclement weather the meeting had to be postponed until later in October. Discussions were held regarding bargaining, resolutions to Prairie Region Convention in June 2020 and the Council’s participation in the United Way Christmas Tree Auction. Minutes for this meeting should be posted to the PSAC Prairie Region website in the near future.

Along with the Council meetings I also participated in the following:

PRC Conference call on the 9th of May 2019.

PRC Meeting 24 – 26 May 2019

PRC Conference call on the 19th of Sep 2019

Respectfully submitted,

Glen Johnston

WMAC Rep to the PRC

This report covers my activities as the Westman Area Council Representative to the Prairie Region Council from November 2019 to Feb 2020.

The highlight of this period was the Brandon & District United Way Christmas Tree Auction held in late November of 2019. Once again the WMAC was front and center at the auction, with WMAC members, family and retired members gathered together to show our continued support for families in need in the Westman area. This year thirteen families were the recipients of Christmas trees and presents and the auction raised just over $34,000 for the area.

The WMAC held its fourth meeting of the year in December 2019. Two resolutions were discussed and adopted by the Council. These resolutions will be forwarded to the PSAC Regional Office for consideration at the Prairie Region Triennial Convention in June 2020. Brother Michael Weisgerber was acclaimed to the position of Westman Area Council Rep to PRC. He will assume the position at the conclusion of the regional convention. Minutes for this meeting can be found on the PSAC Prairie Region website.

Along with the Council meeting I also participated in the following: PRC Conference call on the 30th of Jan 2020.

Respectfully submitted,
Glen Johnston, WMAC Rep to the PRC