There will be 2 award winners selected. One for 2020 and one for 2021. Please allow one form per nomination. Nominations for 2020 and 2021 will be accepted by the April 15th deadline. Nominators should note on their form for which year the nomination is being submitted.

In 2007, the CUPE Ontario Convention approved a resolution, submitted by the Ontario Women’s Committee, to create the Sisters in Solidarity Award to recognise the contributions of women in CUPE Ontario. The award seeks to honour and publicly celebrate a CUPE sister, group of sisters, or a women’s committee within a Local or District Council who has done outstanding work on women’s issues in the Union and whose leadership and activism has demonstrated a deep commitment to equity and social justice by breaking down barriers and increasing women’s participation in the Union.

This award will be given out annually at each Convention.

The Sisters in Solidarity Award will be presented to an Ontario affiliate CUPE sister, group of sisters, committee, Local Union or District Council in Ontario who has:

  • demonstrated through actions a deep commitment to women’s issues, equity, and social justice;
  • worked to break barriers and increase women’s participation within CUPE;
  • worked to strengthen and support CUPE sisters in the Union, the workplace, or in the community;
  • helped CUPE demonstrate leadership in women’s issues and women’s participation in CUPE and the labour movement

To be considered for the award the recipient must be a woman from an affiliate of the Ontario Division at the time of both being nominated and upon receiving the award at the Ontario Convention.

Information about the Sisters in Solidarity Award will be included in sector conferences and calls where possible and in mailings of the Division, including any mailing that is distributed for Convention. Information and nomination packages will also be available on the CUPE Ontario website and at as many CUPE Ontario events organised by the Division or a Local as possible.

All applications will be forwarded to the Women’s Nomination Committee that is selected on an annual basis from amongst the members of the Women’s Committee. Final decisions for nominations will be made by the Committee. Composition of the nominations Committee will include: two (2) committee members to be appointed and determined by the CUPE Ontario Women’s Committee, one woman appointed from the CUPE Ontario Executive Board as the CUPE Ontario Women’s Committee Board liaison, the CUPE Ontario Campaigns Coordinator and the CUPE National Equality Rep.

NOTE: Members of the Nominations Committee are not eligible to be recipients of the award. The committee will also accept self-nominations.

The Sisters in Solidarity Award will take two (2) forms:

  • a plaque to be mounted in the CUPE Ontario office which will list the names of each year’s award recipient. The plaque will feature the Sisters in Solidarity graphic, and
  • a gift to be presented to the recipient, preferably at the CUPE Ontario Convention as determined by the Nomination Committee. The gift should be prepared by a woman artist who is either from the recipient’s area or from the area where the convention is taking place.

The Nomination Committee will make appropriate arrangements for the gift to be presented at the CUPE Ontario Convention and CUPE Ontario will make appropriate arrangements for the plaque to be produced and maintained in a public area of the CUPE Ontario office. There is no monetary gift to be presented to the recipient and the gift shall not exceed a total cost of $200.00.

Do you know someone in your local who you believe should be nominated for this award?

Nominate them using the form below.

Download the nomination form.

Please email/mail completed forms to:
CUPE Ontario Sisters in Solidarity Award
CUPE Ontario
80 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Suite 1
Markham, Ontario  L3T 0B2

E-mail: [email protected]