Welcome

In this edition of CEC’s newsletter, we provide an overview of bargaining and labor updates, College news, CEC member profile, and the most recent CEC webinar.

Follow the CEC on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay informed in between newsletters.

What's going on?

Five Ontario Post-secondary Institutions Unite To Form Canadian Clean Energy Workforce Consortium

Centennial College, Durham College, Georgian College, Humber Polytechnic, and Ontario Tech University collaborate to address Canada's clean energy and nuclear workforce needs. The consortium will collaborate on a coordinated workforce development strategy, including the design, delivery, and scaling of education and training programs to prepare learners for careers across the nuclear and renewable energy sectors.

Upcoming Webinar: Completing the Article 14/15 Survey

CEC will be hosting a webinar for HR administrators on completing the article 14/15 survey on May 27, 2026. Attendees will get an overview of:

• How to complete the survey
• Tips and tricks for making the survey faster and easier
• Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Bargaining Update

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

Last month, the OPSEU CAAT-A PT/SL and CEC Management bargaining teams met at the bargaining table. Both teams provided introductions, made opening statements, and exchanged ground rules.

At this point, we have not reached an agreement on important ground rules, such as OPSEU rejecting the request that “Neither Party shall publicly misstate the position of the other and all communications shall be respectful”.  We don’t understand the rejection and expect to revisit the ground rules when we return to the bargaining table.

We look forward to working with the OPSEU CAAT-A PT/SL bargaining team to explore issues relevant to the bargaining unit members and co-create solutions that will both support the needs of college employees and contribute to the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges.

The CEC Management bargaining team is committed to negotiating a collective agreement in a timely manner and has provided the OPSEU team with 9 additional potential bargaining dates, one of which has been agreed upon.

Future bargaining dates currently agreed to include May 27, June 2, and August 19, 2026.

All documents exchanged at the table are available on the CEC website here.

CEC Responds to OPSEU Unfair Labour Practice Filing

On the first day of meetings with the CAAT-A PT/SL bargaining team, OPSEU served the CEC (along with Fleming and St. Lawrence College) with an unfair labour practice (ULP) application. The ULP claims a failure to disclose the potential integration of the two colleges not only for this round of bargaining but also for two prior rounds with other bargaining units, which concluded in 2025.

CEC and the Colleges have filed a full response. The ULP is unfounded as the proposed integration was contemplated shortly before being announced in April 2026 and did not have any impact on the earlier bargaining rounds. The announcement occurred before the CEC met with the Part-Time Academic bargaining team and therefore does not hinder the team from making demands accordingly.

OPSEU also mischaracterizes the scale of information CEC disclosed during prior rounds of collective bargaining for other college bargaining units in 2024 and 2025. Each of OPSEU’s bargaining teams received clear and consistent messaging from CEC regarding the financial state of the college sector, the confidentiality terms under which sensitive information may be provided, and that much of the information sought by the Union at the bargaining table was available publicly or had already been disclosed by colleges at the local level in accordance with provisions of the applicable collective agreements.

The CEC has at all material times bargained in good faith and will continue to do so.

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.

Yuliya Gopaul - Director, Benefits & Compensation

As Director, Benefits & Compensation at CEC, Yuliya provides strategic leadership and expert guidance to Ontario’s colleges on the governance, design, and administration of the CAAT Group Insurance Plans. She advises on the interpretation and application of benefit provisions within group insurance contracts and collective agreements for unionized and non-unionized employees, ensuring consistency, compliance, and alignment across the sector.

Yuliya collaborates with colleges, insurers, consultants, and other stakeholders to support plan sustainability, manage financial risk, and optimize benefit offerings. She also contributes to policy development and plays a key role in addressing emerging issues, legislative changes, and market trends.

With over 20 years of experience in the employee benefits field, Yuliya’s background spans consulting, human resources, and benefits administration. Prior to joining CEC, she spent more than 7 years at Seneca Polytechnic (College), where she oversaw the administration of the College’s benefits program and ensured compliance with group insurance provisions, legislation, collective agreements, and institutional policies.

Yuliya holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson University) and a Human Resources Diploma from George Brown Polytechnic (College). She also holds a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation.