After long and dedicated service as a CMG staff representative, Glenn Gray has announced his decision to retire. We wish Glenn well.

As you may know, this departure comes on the heels of several other staff changes, some expected, and some of which have been forced on the union by a loss of revenue caused by declining membership.

As we work to serve you, while balancing our budget without increasing dues, we want  to assure you we do not anticipate any interruption in service.  We continue to have long-serving staff representatives and administrative employees and will be filling both the Western and Eastern staff representative openings, either through transfers or new hires.

Things have been in a state of flux while we have been working through these issues and remain so to some extent. As an employer, we have to ensure our collective agreement with staff is honoured. However, you should know we are facing the same challenges many unions are struggling with. Besides the increasingly challenging working conditions for members along with the loss of union members and subsequent financial pressures, we share a common need to respond to growing expectations from members about transparency, accountability and communication.

There is an evolution underway in what union representation means. Some members may have been disappointed in past years with some of our practices at the CMG. We have acknowledged a need to rethink the way we do things to cope with our changing environment.

We believe we are now in a unique position to shape the CMG of the future and with your help will emerge stronger and more united to be effective in these challenging times. For example, we are in the early stages of developing a five-year strategic plan to help guide our actions toward that end. You will hear more about that in the future and about how you can participate.

Your national executive team:

Carmel Smyth, CMG National President
Lise Lareau, National Vice-President
Calum Mcleod, National Treasurer