Members bid goodbye to dedicated Sask Polytech employee and union member Shawna North

Shawna North sadly passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, friends and her devoted cat, Merle on Thursday, March 14, 2019. Shawna was a dedicated employee of the Sask Polytech Library at Campus for her 28-year career. She was an active volunteer and committee member of the Moose Jaw Campus Staff Club for many years. Her devotion to the betterment of all Sask Polytech employees through her SGEU union work and her sincere concern for all individu- al’s well-being will be greatly missed. Sask Polytech staff and friends want to continue on with the good work Shawna has been so devoted to during her career at Sask Polytech. Employees and friends have established the Shawn North Memorial Student Awards Program. Shawna’s legacy will be maintained for many years at Sask Polytech through the provi- sion of students awards named in her honour. A trust fund has been set up and is available for employees wishing to make a donation in honour of Shawna. Donations can be provided to: https://alumni.saskpolytech.ca/giving/growing-tomorrow -Sask-Polytech-Employee-Giving. Non Sask Polytech employees can donate here: https://alumni.saskpolytech.ca/ donate. For both, designate your donation to the fund: Shawna North Memorial.

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SGEU Convention 2019 Hundreds of SGEU members at- tended Convention 2019 in April in Regina. This year’s theme was about being “Educated, Empow- ered, Energized.” Delegates at- tended a social on the first night, hosted by the Public Sector Ser- vice. Day two saw an address by SGEU President Bob Bymoen that emphasized how important each member is. Members also heard from numerous guest speakers, including Julius Brown from OSI-CAN, Jacq Brasseur from the UR Pride Centre, City of Regina Ward 5 councilor John Findura, President of NUPGE Lar- Delegates at Convention 2019 in Regina. ry Brown, and SFL President Lori Johb. In terms of elections, Roseann Strelezki was elected as Secretary Treasurer for a two- year term; Gary Ericson was elected to the Board of Trustees for a two-year term; and Carol Yuzik was elected to the Board of Trustees as an alternate for a two-year term. Delegates also passed around the hat to collect money for various organizations, events and people. Over $880 was raised for the Polytech Student Award, while $600 was raised for a member at .

Congratulations to Jordyn Burnouf A big congratulations to Ile-a-la Crosse resident and Northlands College member Jordyn Burnouf for being recognized with the YWCA’s Nutrien 2019 Women of Distinction - 29 and Under Award on May 14. Jordan is a Nehiyaw/Cree woman and a proud member of the Black Lake First Nation. Youth advocacy and a commitment to breaking down barriers for Indigenous women and youth are a few passions that drive Jordyn to create pos- itive change. She is a founding member of the non-profit organi- zation Aboriginal Track and Field (SaskATF), and is currently leading the develop- ment of a cultural awareness initiative at North- lands College, as well as an avid volunteer.

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ORANGE SHIRT DAY

Great Plains College partnered with Warman High School and the City of Warman for Orange Shirt Day. Staff and students were encouraged to wear orange to help raise awareness of Orange Shirt Day and participated at noon in a Round Dance at the Warman High School.

What is Orange Shirt Day? • Way to raise awareness of the impact residential schools had on Indigenous people • Acknowledges the harm that Canada’s residential school system had on genera- tions of Indigenous families and their communities • September 30 was chosen annually as Orange Shirt Day as it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools The event grew out of Phyllis’ story of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the Mission (www.orangeshirtday.org)

Education Sector members - we want your stories of interest for our newsletter…

Information can be news of bargaining updates (only information that can be public knowledge), new courses, changes in programming, successes, challenges, things other members might want to try in their facility, relevant photos, SGEU scholarships, etc. If a location has an initiative or event happening we could put that in as well as union information that all members would find useful. Don't worry about editing and if you are not sure if the material you have is relevant, no worries, the communications department will take care of that for you. Please forward stories of union interest, pictures, etc. to Colin McGarrigle, SGEU Communications Officer at [email protected].

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International Women’s Day March 15, 2019

More than 150 came to celebrate Inter- national Women’s Day Dinner on March 15 in Regina. The sector members in attendance very much enjoyed the event. As you may have heard, there was a strong youth voice at the dinner. We heard from Barb Byers, who was introduced by young activist Kaitlyn McNeil, whose mom is an SGEU mem- ber in Regina. We also heard from 12-year-old Etta Love from . Etta is a strong feminist who spoke at the Women’s March in January. We also raised a significant amount of money for the Moose Jaw Transition House with our Silent Auction. Thank you everyone for your support. (L-R) Tanya Turner, Lindsay Demchuk and Jennifer Sveinbjornson.

Smashing Good Time Raising Funds for Health Care Students

Southeast College hosted a Greek Feast on March 9 at the Knox Hall in , raising $8,000 for post- secondary students pursuing health care studies at the College. Over 100 people in attendance were treated to a delicious Greek meal and entertaining performances from the Daughters of Penelope dance group. The traditional smashing of plates was definitely the highlight of the night. After a brief demonstration, plates were auctioned off and smashed with delight throughout the evening. The Greek Feast kicked off ’s new Health Studies Fund initiative, supporting students pursuing post-secondary training in health care- related programs at Southeast College. For more in- formation, visit https://www.southeastcollege.org/ event/greekfeast/

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SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Anand Vaid Memorial Bursary – Bryant Mills-Sackney (dependent of Darrell Sack- ney, , Prince Albert) $1,000 Tracey Kurtenbach Memorial Bursary – Justin Mills-Sackney (dependent of Darrell Sackney, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Prince Albert) $1,000 Scholarship Dependent Graduating Grade 12 – Kierra Buddecke (dependent of Brenda Buddecke, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon) $1,000 Scholarship Dependent Continuing University Secondary Studies – Jared Price (dependent of Jody Molnar, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Regina) $1,000 Scholarship Dependent Continuing University Secondary Studies – Connor New- ton (dependent of Margie Newton, ) $1,000 Scholarship Member in Good Standing – Sheena Robinson $500 (Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Saskatoon) Scholarship Member in Good Standing – Gabriel Olver $500 (Gabriel Dumont Insti- tute)

EDUCATION SECTOR: WHO WE REPRESENT

Gabriel Dumont Institute – Beauval, Ile-a-la-Crosse, La Loche, Meadow Lake, Nipawin, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton

Northlands College – Buffalo Narrows, Creighton, La Ronge

Regina School Division

Regional Colleges

Carlton Trail College – Humboldt, Watrous, and Wynyard

North West College – North Battleford and Meadow Lake

Cumberland College – Melfort, Nipawin and Tisdale

Parkland College – Yorkton, Melville, Kamsack, Fort Qu’Appelle

Great Plains College – Warman, Biggar, , Rosetown

Southeast College – Weyburn, Estevan, and Moosomin

Saskatchewan Polytechnic Professional Services

Administrative Offices

Moose Jaw Campus, Prince Albert Campus, Regina Campus, Saskatoon Campus

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Endless Savings & More (ESM) Discounts on your smart phone for SGEU

Download the SGEU or SGEU Public Service version of the ESM App to save on every day purchases from hundreds of businesses including national chain retailers, service and travel providers.

To get the ESM App, go to your app store (Google or Apple). When you first download the ESM App, you will be asked for an “organization code”.

For SGEU, it’s: sgeu

For SGEU PS, it’s: psge

For complete details, view the

SGEU Welcome Letter or the

SGEU PS Welcome Letter

List of Current Savings Costco – Receive a $10 Costco Cash Card when you sign up for a new Costco Mem- bership at any Canadian Costco location. For details, tap the ESM App.

Back to School Savings – When in the mall or your shopping district, tap the ESM App to view nearby savings and discounts. Typically, you just show a digital coupon on your smart phone at payment to redeem. It’s a convenient, fast way to save money.

Co-operators Group Rate Home Insurance – SGEU members qualify for a minimum 20 per cent discount from regular broker rates for home, condo, tenants, seasonal and revenue property insurance. Regular broker rates are the rates you would receive from one of the many Co-operators retail locations or any retail insurance broker. Home owners typically save hundreds. To get a quote and see how much you can save, call a Co-operators licensed insurance representative directly in our contact centre at 1-800- 387-1963. When calling, mention you are an ESM Customer and name of your organi- zation (SGEU). Please note these discounted direct rates are only available through our contact centre and are not available in retail Co-operators locations. The Co- operators is now rated number one for claims service in Western Canada for 2017.

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