SFL OH&S Conference 2026
The SFL Occupational Health and Safety Conference is held annually for unionized workers in Saskatchewan to learn about the latest issues surrounding occupational health and safety.
The conference is open to all SFL affiliates and non-affiliates, and non-unionized workers are welcome to attend as well.
This year, our conference will be held September 17-18 at the Ramada Plaza at 1818 Victoria Avenue in Regina.
A block reservation is available until Monday, August 31 at a corporate rate of $141 for a room. You are responsible to reserve and pay for your accommodation separately. Reservations can be made online or by contacting the Ramada at 1-306-569-1666.
Registration will begin on Wednesday, September 16. Courses begin Thursday, September 17 and the conference runs until the afternoon of Friday, September 18. We do our best to ensure you are registered in the course of your choice. Included with registration fees are lunches on Thursday and Friday.
You will be registered in only one course, based on a first registered, first preference basis. Register early as there are limited seats available in each course.
Please contact your union should you require childcare while attending this conference. Exceptions may apply and requests must be submitted to the SFL no later than August 1.
Course details are shown below and online registration is now available.
Please contact the SFL at 306-525-0197 or email event@sfl.sk.ca should you require additional information.
Agenda
Wednesday, September 16
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Registration
Thursday, September 17
8:30 am – 9:00 am Welcome, Land Connection Acknowledgement, Opening Plenary
9:30 am – 12:00 pm Course Time
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm Course Time
Friday, September 18
8:30 am – 11:45 am Course Time
11:45 am – 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm – 3:00 pm Course Time
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Report Back from Courses
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm Closing Remarks
Courses
1. Prevention of Violence in the Workplace - Workplace violence can take the form of physical aggression such as hitting, biting or kicking. Violence in the workplace also includes verbal threats, swearing, name calling and bullying. Violence is not part of your job and the repercussions for workers can be devastating, affecting their physical and mental health and job satisfaction. For employers, it means reduced productivity and increased losses. This course is intended to assist joint OH&S committees to identify the potential hazards in the workplace, conduct a risk assessment and recommend corrective action as they pertain to violence. Participants will learn the process to put a violence policy in place at their workplace.
2. Occupational Health and Safety for Women - Healthy and safe workplaces are a basic right. This course will provide women activists with tools, materials, and processes to address this key area of work life. You will develop an understanding of how workplace stress and other psychosocial hazards can affect us and how to deal with them. The course will help identify stressors that affect women such as job demands, job control, lack of support, and violence/bullying, resulting in a lack of work life balance. We will discuss health and safety issues important to women and work on solutions and prevention strategies to reduce stress and eliminate hazards.
3. Workers' Compensation - WCB is based on the Meredith Principles, to ensure fair compensation for injured workers in Saskatchewan. This workshop is intended to help guide workers through the Workers’ Compensation Act. It will communicate and promote an understanding of workers' compensation and provide information on how to apply, appeal, use and complete forms, etc. We will look at the current trends in Workers’ Compensation and new developments in the system (return to work/mental health claims, etc.). We will examine how these changes impact/benefit workers.
4. Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations - The purpose of this course is to provide activists with a working knowledge of how the OH&S Act and Regulations apply. The course will also address how committees are intended to work, their responsibilities and the individual’s role as a union member. This course will show you how to use this legislation as a tool to advance OH&S in your workplace. You will be provided with information relevant to the updates and changes to the OH&S Regulations.
5. Bullying and Harassment - Through participatory theater, participants will learn, understand and engage on: the definitions of inappropriate behaviours that constitute harassment as defined in legislation, the difference between harassment and bullying, the effect of workplace bullying, the role of the Union in these situations, and the importance of note taking throughout all steps of the Complaint process.
6. Building Psychologically Healthy Workplaces - Mental health in the workplace is an issue impacting all workplaces and can no longer be ignored. Keeping the workplace healthy and productive is simply smart business and good for the bottom line. The vision for a psychologically healthy and safe workplace is one that actively works to prevent harm to workers’ psychological health, including negligent, reckless or intentional ways, and promotes psychological wellbeing. Participants will gain an understanding of the new CSA standard, review the current workplace psychological landscape and learn strategies for implementing an effective psychological healthy and safe workplace program.
7. Union OH&S Activism and Advocacy - It’s our time to advocate for Occupational Health and Safety Legislation in Saskatchewan. We will explore how OH&S came to be in Saskatchewan and the groundbreaking legislation that forever changed workplaces for the better, making them safer, and giving workers the rights they need to be safe and healthy. There are three legislated rights in Saskatchewan: the right to know, the right to participate, and the right to refuse unsafe work. This course will give participants the tools needed to put these rights into action. We’ll learn how to navigate OH&S concerns and how to advocate for safer workplaces and encourage workers to become champions for safety at work. Participants will leave this course with a deep understanding of the importance of OH&S legislation and how to put the rights into practice on the shop floor and create safer workplaces.