Convention 2020 Bulletin #1, June 2019

Convention 2020 Bulletin #1, June 2019

The 8th Triennial Prairie Region Convention will be held in Regina June 12-14, 2020 at the Delta Regina Hotel. 

In accordance with Resolution CS-51A, which was passed at the 2018 National Triennial Convention, all PSAC Regional Triennial Conventions will be fully funded (including hotels and transportation). This is a significant departure from past practice. While we are excited for this change, it will require a strict set of timelines and clear procedures in order to be successful.

There will be a full Convention Callout in December of 2019, with full online registration. The registration deadline will be March 1, 2020 – this will be a firm deadline as logistics will need to be put in place to handle the high interest we expect for this convention.

Branches and Locals

We expect there to be a high interest in attending convention due to these changes. Therefore, we advise you to act quickly to hold elections for delegates according to the bylaws of your local or branch.

The formula to be used for delegate entitlement is as follows: Each branch or local will be eligible for one (1) delegate per 215 members, or portion thereof (not including RANDs). This will be based on the best month of the last twelve (12) months, going back from December 2019.

Please note – if there are any discrepancies in terms of member counts due to problems with the Phoenix pay system, please contact the REVP’s Office. We will work together to ensure that the Phoenix pay system does not prevent any local or branch from getting their full entitlement of delegates to the convention.  Also, all delegates must be members in good standing so if Phoenix issues exist, we will work together to ensure that members can participate.

Travel and Accommodation

All travel and accommodation for delegates will be booked by the Region. Because we have moved to a fully-funded convention, it is critically important that delegates register by the March 1st, 2020 deadline. Travel and accomodation will be booked in accordance with the PSAC Travel Policy. This policy will be strictly adhered to for all delegates.

Regional Committees/Councils (AC, HRC, RWC, YWC, RIPC)

Committees will have received a memo from National President Chris Aylward dated March 6, 2019 in regards to what constitutes an active committee. Only committees which meet these criteria will be eligible to send delegates to the 2020 Convention:

• Meeting a minimum of four times per year
• Minutes of committee meetings forwarded to the appropriate REVP within thirty days of the meeting;
• Annual budget and financial statements prepared and submitted to the appropriate REVP for approval;
• Committee has a realistic but engaging plan of action;
• Committee engages in regular communications regarding their meetings and activities, informing and inviting members to join their events;
• Active within PSAC, broader labour movement, and community campaigns and actions;
• Active on their Area Council and allied with their Regional Council, other regional committees (PSAC and the broader labour movement), labour councils, and coalition groups. It should be noted that attendance by regional committee member(s) at meetings of another committee/group does not count towards the requirement of that regional committee to meet four times per year.
• Active to their applicable regional and national PSAC conferences and events.

Delegates shall be allocated as follows to those committees and Area Councils which meet the criteria above:

• Each active Area Council shall be entitled to elect one (1) delegate;
• Each active Regional Women’s Committee shall be entitled to elect one (1) delegate;
• Each active Regional Human Rights and Equity Committee shall be entitled to elect one (1) delegate;
• Two (2) elected regional National Aboriginal Peoples’ Circle representatives shall be delegates;
• Each Regional Young Workers Committee shall be entitled to elect (1) delegate.

National Officers

Component National Officers shall be delegates in the region in which they live or work.

Members of the NBOD and full time Component Vice-Presidents shall be entitled to delegate status in the caucus in which they have elected to participate.

Registration Fees

Locals and branches will be responsible for a $150.00 registration fee per delegate, and $150.00 registration fee for observers.

Observers

A limited amount of observer seats will be available depending on the convention space.  Observers must register online by the deadline.  All expenses (travel, accommodation, etc.) will be the responsibility of the observer as well as the $150 registration fee.

A Green Convention

As part of our efforts to be more environmentally sustainable, Convention 2020 will be a paperless convention. We will be moving all convention materials online. This has already been done at our National Triennial Convention in 2018.

Further Questions

Please contact Alison Davis with any questions. She can be reached at 204-956-4625 or by email at davisa@psac.com.