Labour education builds solidarity and knowledge. It teaches the skills unions need to represent their members and defend their rights using proven methods that allow adults of all backgrounds to learn. 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 Winter School 2026 is here to help your union succeed.
The CLC Pacific Region Winter School is the largest labour school in Canada and we take pride in offering the very best in labour education.
Date
Sunday, February 1, 2026 to Friday, February 6, 2026
Location
Harrison Hot Springs, 100 Esplanade Ave., B.C. V0M 1K0
Fees
Single Accommodation: $2,315.00
We will not be offering Shared Accommodation for the 2026 Winter School.
To change or cancel a registration after December 17, 2025, you must contact the Pacific Region office at pacific@clcctc.ca
Cancellations received after January 1, 2026 will be subject to a $350.00 cancellation fee.
Registrants must have the approval of their union before registering.
Community Savings Credit Union Scholarship
Kim Manton Memorial Scholarship
One Movement Threads “Movement Builder” Scholarship
CUPE BC 2026 Young Workers Scholarship
Child Care:
Free child care is provided at Winter School for eligible delegates with children ages 12 months to 12 years. An eligible delegate is a single parent, a parent not accompanied by a spouse/companion, or where both parents are delegates. While the CLC will pay the actual childcare costs at the school, students will be responsible for any additional hotel charges for their child. Delegates having additional childcare costs as a result of leaving their children at home should apply for reimbursement from their own union.
There is a limited number of spots available in the childcare program. Spots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Delegates requiring child care must pre-register and indicate child care on their registration form. Requests for child care do not constitute guaranteed spots in the childcare program. The deadline for childcare registrations is December 4, 2025. Requests received after this deadline will only be accommodated if there is room in the childcare program. Cancellations are required and must be received 14 days in advance of your attendance at Winter School. Failure to cancel booked childcare space(s) will result in a “no-show fee” of $350.00.
*Childcare arrangements may not be able to accommodate special needs, but please contact the Pacific Region office for more information.
Please be aware that should unforeseen circumstances arise due to staffing issues, there is the possibility that childcare coverage may be cancelled without advance notice. Participants wishing to utilize the childcare program should keep alternate arrangements in mind, just in case.
COVID Policies & Requirements:
We will be following all provincial health requirements at the 2026 Winter School. As provincial requirements do change on short notice, we encourage all affiliates to remain up-to-date. We will provide updates on our website regarding any changes to health requirements for the school. All participants should be prepared to comply in the event a mask and/or vaccine mandate is reintroduced in B.C. If changes to the COVID requirements make a participant unable to attend, the standard cancellation policy will apply. At this time, we are strongly encouraging all participants to be fully vaccinated, to help protect themselves and others.
Courses Offered:
Collective Bargaining Level 1
Participants will leave 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. Level 1 is aimed at new bargaining committee members and local union officers. You may want to bring a calculator for this course.
Collective Bargaining Level 2
Bring a copy of your collective agreement and a calculator as we work with different strategies and tactics for effectively facing today’s challenges at the bargaining table. How do we deal with workplace change – restructuring, automation, or new technology? What language best protects workers against unfairness in drug and alcohol testing or electronic monitoring? How do we prepare our membership and the union to deal with concession demands in pension and health benefits? This is a course for students who have taken Collective Bargaining Level 1 and have some experience on a bargaining committee.
Facing Management Effectively
This course will look at economic, political, and social forces at play between union and management. It will examine the roles and rights of each group and the different types of union/management relationships and styles. We will look at the power, bias, and privilege dynamics between union and management and how we can communicate effectively. We will focus on problem solving – understanding issues, developing strategies, finding and presenting facts and argument, finding areas of agreement, building solutions, implementing and maintaining solutions. Participants can expect lots of participation, interaction, and role-plays along with practical skills and tools for communication, analysis, strategy, and critical thinking.
ILWU Leadership
The five-day ILWU Leadership course is part of a long-term education strategy to identify and educate leaders in our Union.
The course will cover some of the basics which include: ILWU history and structure of our union, public speaking, building blocks of a meeting, arbitration, ethics, and strategies for building worker power from within our Union.
Prerequisite: Applicants must be a member or casual of ILWU.
Labour Community Advocate Level 1
The Labour Community Advocate (formerly Union Counselling) Program is a Canadian Labour Congress training program delivered by Labour Programs and Services staff and funded through the United Way Centraide. This program provides participants with information about the social issues faced by working people and the resources available in their community.
Participants are trained in communication skills, interviewing, and referral techniques so they can assist union members to find the appropriate resources. The Labour Community Advocate Training helps workers to find effective solutions and community support for issues outside the scope of their collective agreements. Labour Community Advocates are often the first contact for co-workers with problems and are a valuable resource within any union.
Labour Council Officer Development
This course is for labour council officers only and is by invitation only. Please contact your CLC regional representative to register.
Organizing for Safer Workplaces
This workshop explores what organizing can look like in the context of health and safety using proven strategies and workers’ stories that have improved and advanced health and safety in workplaces.
Participants in this workshop will:
• Develop strategies to build solidarity and engagement around health and safety issues within the Union, including the local executive, stewards, joint committee(s), equity-deserving members, and precarious workers.
• Gain confidence in utilizing OH&S legislation, resources, and tools as health and safety activists to affect change in the workplace through direct action, campaigns, and collective bargaining.
Parliamentary Procedure & Public Speaking
This is a two-part course. Parliamentary Procedure covers how to run a meeting effectively, the duties of a chairperson and secretary, and how the rules of order can provide a democratic and fair process to get the business of the union accomplished. Public Speaking covers how to speak persuasively to various groups and how different formats are used to speak at convention, debates, and impromptu gatherings.
There is a scholarship available for this course through the CLC Pacific Region office. Please see the Frank Wall Leadership Development Scholarship information on page 18 of the Winter School brochure for details or visit our website at: www.winterschool.ca/registration.
Transforming Conflict into Union Solidarity
This course is designed to help you see conflict through a transformative lens. While many view disputes as challenges, this course teaches you to recognize them as opportunities. Delve into the nuanced world of conflict, understanding that its nature isn’t inherently negative – it’s the outcomes we craft that define the experience. Explore your personal conflict style, the nuances of power and privilege, and the intricate dynamics that arise in group confrontations.
Through immersive exercises, learn the art of deep listening, the strategy behind pinpointing root causes, and the finesse of coaching individuals to unearth shared interests. Move beyond mere conflict resolution and empower yourself to transform disagreements into proactive union activism, using shared passions as a catalyst.
Violence and Harassment at Work: Training for Union Representatives
This training will introduce shop stewards, health and safety representatives, and other union representatives to crucial aspects of violence and harassment in the world of work. The course will closely examine what constitutes violence and harassment, why it happens and the ways workers experience it, including domestic violence.
Participants will learn how unions and employers can prevent violence and harassment at work by addressing workplace culture, working conditions, and other underlying causes through occupational safety and health and other mechanisms. Participants will learn about the principles of being trauma-informed and survivor-centred. Participants will also have an opportunity to apply these principles to member support and workplace violence and harassment policies.
Register Online