CLC Ontario Women’s School 2025
When Workers Stand Together, We Win; whether it’s improving workplaces, fighting for political gains, or advocating for social justice – unions and our members make all the difference. This year we are thrilled to be bringing back the highly sought after Canadian Labour Congress Ontario Summer School and Women’s School!
Labour Education builds solidarity and knowledge, and it creates meaningful bonds that last a lifetime. In these exciting weeks of learning, union members will learn valuable skills in order to continue the fights of today’s workplaces, allowing adults of all backgrounds to learn to defend their rights using proven methods. If your union wants to train the next generation of local activists or expand the skills that today’s leaders and activists already have, the CLC Ontario Summer and Women’s Schools 2025 is here to help our labour movement succeed.
Date
Sunday, July 13 to Friday, July 18, 2025
The CLC Ontario Women’s School will be held at The Hamilton Convention Centre.
Registration Fees
Single accommodation: $1950 per student/week
Single accommodation with spouse/partner: $2,350/week
Course and meals only: $1000/week
Children (who require additional hotel rooms): $400
*Standard Registration Includes: accommodation at The Sheraton hotel, meals, coffee breaks, and class materials
** Please note, registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to limited course availability and in consideration of all students, please do not hold spots. Applicants must have the approval of their union before enrolling. Payment for all fees must be made at the time of registration and can be made via credit card or cheque. Cheques should be made payable to: “Canadian Labour Congress – Ontario School” and mailed to: Ontario Women’s School Registrar, 895 Don Mills Road, Building Two, Suite 610, Toronto M3C 1W3.
To change a registration after it has been submitted please contact the Ontario Region office at ontario@clcctc.ca , cancellations with a full refund will not provided after June 20, 2025.
- Accommodations will be booked by the CLC, if you have any questions contact the office at ontario@clcctc.ca
- Check-in will take place on Sunday, July 13 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Hotel rooms at The Sheraton Hamilton will be booked on the student’s behalf once they have registered.
- We will be following all provincial health requirements at the School. As provincial requirements do change on short notice, we encourage all affiliates to remain up-to-date.
Courses Offered
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
is a next step for women leaders, designed to address the real challenges women candidates face. It introduces ways to balance the day-to-day challenges in the face of high stress campaigns. Participants will take away new ways of campaigning, strategic planning, and framing our message. By building on communication and presentation skills, participants will leave with the tools to best communicate their message in on camera interviews, face-to-face debates, and with news media.
Who this course is for: Women leaders
MEMBER ENGAGEMENT – MEMBER ACTION
is designed for experienced shop stewards, local union leaders and union staff who want to transform how members engage with their union and how their union engages with their members. This course trains participants on the three-step approach to effective member engagement (Go, Listen, Build) and connects it to organizing approaches for building an active membership. Participants will leave with new skills and ideas for building and measuring a member engagement strategy.
Who this course is for: Experienced shop stewards, local union leaders and union staff.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LEVEL 1
leaves participants with a solid understanding of the bargaining process and the factors that affect collective bargaining. This course also introduces some of the laws and rules that structure the bargaining process and provides opportunities for hands-on practice and skills development in preparing for and negotiating parts of a collective agreement.
Who this course is for: Union members who currently, or plan to, participate in the bargaining process.
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
is an introductory survey course that helps to raise participants awareness about mental health issues facing workers in today’s workplace. Activists will develop a range of strategies to specifically support, accommodate and represent members with mental health challenges at work. Participants look at the myths around mental illness, challenge stigma and explore what role the union can play in making our workplaces and unions more inclusive of members with psychological disabilities. Participants develop action plans to take on systemic factors affecting mental health through advocacy, bargaining and political action.
Who this course is for: Union activists, stewards, committee members, local officers and union staff.
TRANSFORMING CONFLICT INTO UNION SOLIDARITY
approaches conflict in a novel way. It recognizes that conflict isn’t always negative but that it is the outcome of the conflict that is negative or positive. The course teaches participants how to listen to people involved in a conflict, get to the root causes of a conflict, and how to coach people involved in a conflict to identify shared interests. Participants learn how to use those shared interests to help people involved in a conflict find solutions and turn the conflict and shared interests into union activism.
Who this course is for: Union representatives, leaders, educators, organizers and other active union members.
Register Online