Welcome

In this edition of CEC’s newsletter, we provide an update on academic part-time and sessional bargaining, sector news, and a benefits update.

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What's going on?

Canadore College Ranks Second Globally in 2026 Sustainable Campus Index

Canadore College has been recognized as a global leader in campus sustainability. The ranking was published in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's 2026 Sustainable Campus Index. Canadore earned a score of 66.97 and a Gold rating in associate and short cycle institutions. The Sustainable Campus Index recognizes top-performing colleges and universities by country, institution type and across 13 sustainability impact areas. Rankings are based on STARS, a transparent, self-reporting framework used by institutions around the world to measure and improve their sustainability performance.

Benefits Update

Reminder: Time to Update Records for Over-Age Dependents

As we settle into the new academic year, employees’ records for over-age dependents must be updated to ensure that these dependents meet the eligibility criteria for coverage under the group insurance plans for the 2026-2027 academic year.

For dependents over the age of 21 (but under age 25) proof of full-time student status is required for their coverage to continue. If you haven’t done so already, please advise your Benefits Administrator by providing proof that your dependent qualifies as an overage dependent.

New Online Counselling Service Available through My Sun Life

We are pleased to announce that CEC is partnering with Sun Life to offer Online Counselling by Dialogue, a new virtual mental health support service available to eligible plan members and their dependents aged 14 and older.

This service is accessible through the my Sun Life mobile app (and later this year through mysunlife.ca), and provides convenient access to licensed mental health professionals for support with stress, anxiety life transitions, and other mental health-related issues.  Key features of online counselling include:

·       Appointments available within days.

·       Access to practitioners matched to members’ individual needs and preferences.

·       Secure virtual counselling sessions by video or phone.

Bargaining Update

Part-time Academic and Sessional Bargaining (CAAT-A PT/SL)

On September 28, 2026, the OPSEU CAAT-A PT/SL and CEC Management bargaining teams met at the bargaining table.

We reaffirmed our request for the Union’s comprehensive non-monetary package so that we can meaningfully engage in the collective bargaining process for this first collective agreement. OPSEU continues to provide its proposals piecemeal, which we cannot productively respond to because of the interconnected nature of proposals and the absence of an existing collective agreement. The Union’s newly presented U8 and U9 proposals underscore our concern in this regard. These proposals refer to “Articles” that OPSEU has not yet tabled, e.g. “Workload”, “Expedited Arbitration”, “Staffing” and “Job Security”.

Management is committed to negotiating a collective agreement in a timely manner. All documents exchanged at the table are available on the CEC website here.

Our next bargaining date is October, 28 2026.

Meet the CEC Team

The CEC supports Ontario’s colleges with essential services in labour relations, benefits, governance, and human resources. Behind that work is a team of experienced and deeply committed professionals who support colleges and their employees every day.

Through this profile series, we invite you to get to know the people behind the work and the roles they play in assisting colleges.

Rob Day - Human Resources Consultant, Academic and Francophone Affairs

Rob Day is the CEC's Human Resources Consultant for the academic bargaining units. As a member of the academic bargaining team, Rob plays a leading role in the collection and analysis of data that informs bargaining strategy and decision-making, while also participating directly in the bargaining process. He also provides advice and guidance to human resources professionals and management teams at Ontario's colleges on the interpretation and application of collective agreement provisions and other HR matters. Rob is bilingual in English and French and serves as a resource to the CEC and Ontario's colleges on Francophone affairs.

Prior to joining the CEC in 2022, Rob spent 11 years working in human resources with the federal government, most recently at the Immigration and Refugee Board. There, he led a team of Human Resources Advisors and administrative staff responsible for providing staffing and labour relations advice to management. In this role, he also contributed to a number of organizational initiatives including spearheading the drive to double the headcount of the Board's largest division, significantly expanding its capacity to render decisions on refugee claims.

Rob completed a Certificate in Human Resources Management from the University of Toronto and holds the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Western University.