CLC Ontario Women’s School 2026
As Canada’s unions, we know who we are: we build, we care, and we fight — for everyone. From shop floors to hospitals, warehouses to classrooms, working people are confronting challenges. They are facing rising costs, precarity, and mounting pressure, even as corporate profits reach new heights. But together, we have the power to fight back, protect good jobs, and strengthen the communities we call home.
Date
Sunday, July 12 to Friday, July 17, 2026
The CLC Ontario Women’s School will be held at The Hamilton Convention Centre.
Registration Fees
Single accommodation: $2050 per student/week
Single accommodation with spouse/partner: $2,550/week
Course and meals only: $1100/week
Children (who require additional hotel rooms): $500
*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.
Last day to register is June 15, 2026. 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 be provided after June 20, 2026.
- 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 12 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
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, AI, and other new technology? How do we prepare our membership and the union to deal with concession demands in pension and health benefits, and how do we strategize to manage spikes and trends of inflation and cost of living?
Who this course is for: This is a course for students who have taken Collective Bargaining Level 1 and have some experience on a bargaining committee.
CANDIDATE DEVELOPMENT FOR WOMEN
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 new media.
Who this course is for: Women leaders.
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
offers an opportunity to develop and enhance participants’ leadership skills and knowledge around current and emerging labour issues. A major component of the course will cover communication and motivational skills that are important for women activists. Participants will explore ways of building on their skills and drawing on their experiences as they advance along the path to leadership and consider running for an elected position or supporting others who run.
Who this course is for: Leaders who identify as women
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.
LABOUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATE TRAINING LEVEL 1
Our members are facing unprecedented challenges with soaring costs of living, financial insecurity, housing worries, political tensions and harmful policies. Levels of stress and anxiety continue to rise and are having a negative impact on workers and their families. The Labour Community Advocate Training Program is a Canadian Labour Congress program delivered by Labour Programs and Services staff and funded through United Way. This training program will provide participants with information about the social issues faced by working people and the resources available in their community to support them.
Participants are trained in communication skills and interviewing and referral techniques so they can assist union members find appropriate resources. The program also allows participants to explore the ways in which unions and other labour bodies can help build resilient and respectful communities and provides an opportunity for Labour Community Advocates from different unions affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress to discuss their experiences and share ideas. It also provides training on community involvement and how to become an effective advocate on social issues.
Who this course is for: All union members
Register Online