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, January 25, 2026 to Friday, January 30, 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:
Arbitration: To Go or Not to Go?
Participants will learn the law with respect to duty of fair representation obligations, as well as the standard arbitral legal tests in relation to discipline, contract interpretation, and evidence. There will also be a legal research component, which will focus on locating the law and conducting efficient legal research. Participants will present an overview of a grievance with recommendations on whether to proceed to arbitration.
Taught by both counsel and arbitrators, this course will provide the legal knowledge required for unions to determine what the critical issues are in individual grievances and to make informed decisions regarding the progress of grievances. One of the most difficult issues facing unions is whether to advance grievances to arbitration. It can be a legal minefield.
Participants should have some experience in the arbitral referral process. A basic arbitration course is recommended. This course does not focus on preparation or presentation of a labour arbitration case. Participants wanting arbitration skills should take a Labour Arbitration Level 1 or 2 course.
Debunking Myths and Shifting Power: A Worker’s Guide to the Economy
This is an introductory course focused on debunking some of the most common myths we hear about the economy. In this course, participants will learn the basics of how the economy works, how to push back on economic myths, and how to apply this knowledge to core union work like bargaining, member engagement, and policy advocacy. Many activists know these myths to be untrue but lack the language and confidence to push back against the false narratives that are often taken as fact. We must be able to confront the ideas behind bad economic policies and decades of economic mismanagement so that we can promote our vision of a just economy – one that puts people first. We cannot continue to cede economic expertise to the traditional economists whose ideas have undermined the labour movement, empowered the corporations, and enriched the billionaires. Turning the tide begins with building knowledge and confidence to push back on the dominant narratives and propose an economy that benefits everyone.
Who this course is for: Union members and activists looking to understand the economy and improve their communication skills around this issue.
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.
Federal Labour Law
This course presents an overview of federal labour legislation and its impact on the strategies and actions of unions. Among the topics to be explored are: certification and dispute settlement procedures; unfair labour practices; the duty to bargain in good faith; strikes, lockouts, and picketing; the duty of fair representation; management and union rights; and grievance arbitration law.
Students will learn to do legal research using basic text books, annotated statutes, and online research tools. Theory will be put into practice. Using case studies, students will learn how to prepare for a grievance hearing or labour management meeting.
Students who have access to a laptop are asked to bring one.
Labour Arbitration Level 1
This course is designed to introduce participants to the practical skills required to prepare and present a case at an arbitration hearing. Special emphasis is placed on evidence, examination and cross-examination, the opening statement, and final argument. You will also discuss current trends and cases dealing with the arbitration process. This course would be useful for grievance committee members or chairpersons, or union staff or officers who have not yet had extensive experience with the arbitration process.
Labour Arbitration Level 2
As a follow-up course to Labour Arbitration Level 1, this course has an emphasis on necessary verbal and procedural skills. It deals primarily with the conduct of the hearing, for example, with the rules of evidence, examination-in-chief, and cross-examination.
Prerequisite: Labour Arbitration Level 1 or arbitration experience.
Provincial Labour Law
This course presents an overview of provincial labour legislation and its impact on the strategies and actions of unions. Among topics to be explored are: certification and dispute settlement procedures; unfair labour practices; the duty to bargain in good faith; strikes, lockouts, and picketing; the duty of fair representation; management and union rights; and grievance arbitration law.
Students who take this course will attain a good understanding of the basic principles underlying Canadian labour law and the specifics of labour legislation in B.C.
Workers’ Compensation Level 1
This course provides a review of the Workers Compensation Act, how the Board functions, procedures for filing claims, WCB policies for adjudicating claims, and the appeals process. This is a basic course and will interest those union members just starting to handle WCB claims and appeals. This class will observe a hearing presentation to a panel of the Review Division.
Workers’ Compensation Level 2
This course is for union members wanting to improve their WCB advocacy skills. Participants will assist an injured worker in a mock appeal where their injury has been denied by the WCB. The class will review how to seek a doctor’s opinion in support of the injured worker, how to question the worker at an appeal hearing, and how to present argument regarding occupational injury and disability. Participants are encouraged to discuss the specific types of work-related injuries and benefits that their members are having denied or not dealt with properly, and emphasis will be placed on how to apply one’s advocacy skills to those types of cases. At the end of the week, the class will participate in a mock hearing of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal.