Supporting Mental Wellness Through Union Advocacy & Care

Supporting Mental Wellness Through Union Advocacy & Care

At Local 70008, we believe that mental health is a workplace issue—and a union issue. Stress, burnout, harassment, workload pressures, restructuring, and job insecurity can all take a serious toll on our well-being. No member should have to face these challenges alone.

Our goal is to create workplaces where people feel safe, respected, and supported, and where mental wellness is treated with the same seriousness as physical health and safety.

Why Mental Health Matters to Our Union

Mental wellness is directly connected to:

  • Health and safety at work
  • Workload and staffing levels
  • Harassment, discrimination, and conflict
  • Job security, WFA, and organizational change
  • Access to accommodations and flexibility

When these issues are not addressed, they don’t just affect productivity—they affect people. As your union, we advocate for fair treatment, respectful workplaces, and systems that prevent harm, not just respond to it.

How Local 70008 Supports Mental Wellness

Local 70008 promotes mental wellness through a combination of advocacy, support, and connection to resources:

  • Confidential Support from Local Volunteers
    Trained Local 70008 volunteers are available to listen, help you think through what’s happening, and connect you with options and resources. Conversations are confidential and focused on your well-being.
  • Representation and Advocacy
    When mental health is impacted by workplace factors—such as harassment, bullying, discrimination, unreasonable workload, or unfair treatment—we can:
    • Help you understand your rights under the collective agreement
    • Support you in raising concerns with management
    • Assist with complaints, grievances, and accommodations where appropriate
  • Support for Accommodations
    If you need workplace adjustments related to mental health (e.g., flexibility, modified duties, schedule changes), we can:
    • Help you navigate the process
    • Support you in discussions with your employer
    • Ensure that your rights and privacy are respected
  • Promoting Respectful Workplaces
    Local 70008 works to:
    • Challenge stigma around mental health
    • Encourage respectful communication and behaviour
    • Push for policies and practices that support psychological health and safety
  • Connecting You to Help
    We can help you find and access:
    • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services
    • Community mental health supports
    • PSAC and UHEW resources and tools

The union does not replace professional clinical care—but we can stand beside you, make sure your rights are respected, and help you navigate work-related aspects of your situation.

You’re Not Alone

Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Whether you’re:

  • Feeling overwhelmed or burned out
  • Experiencing conflict, harassment, or discrimination
  • Struggling with changes at work or WFA-related stress
  • Worried about how personal issues are affecting your job

Local 70008 is here to support you, listen, and help you explore next steps.

To reach your Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Call 1-800-268-7708

Health & Safety Complaints

Internal Complaints Process for resolving workplace health and safety complaints.

This process has to be used before other recourses available under Part II of the Code, except for the right to refuse dangerous work and the right of pregnant or nursing workers to temporarily withdraw from dangerous work.The process includes the following steps:

  • Step 1: A worker who reasonably believes that there has been a contravention of the Code or that there is likely to be an accident or injury to health makes a complaint to the supervisor (s.127.1(1));

  • Step 2: The worker and the supervisor must attempt to resolve the complaint between themselves as soon as possible (s.127.1(2));

  • Step 3: Either person can refer an unresolved complaint to a chairperson of the workplace committee (s.127.1(3));

  • Step 4: The persons who investigate the complaint must inform the worker and the employer in writing of the results of the investigation (s.127.1(4));

  • Step 5: The persons who investigate the complaint may make recommendations to the employer about the situation that gave rise to the complaint, whether or not they conclude that the complaint is justified (s.127.1(5));

  • Step 6: If the complaint is justified, the employer must without delay inform the investigators - in writing - how and when it will resolve the matter and take appropriate action (s.127.1(6));

  • Step 7: If the persons who investigate the complaint conclude that a danger exists, the employer must ensure that no worker is exposed to that danger (s.127.1)

  • Step 8: The worker or employer may to a health and safety officer circumstances (s.127.1(8)):

    1. the employer does not agree with the results of the investigation;

    2. the employer has failed to take action to resolve the matter or to inform investigated the complaint of how and when it intends to proceed; or

    3. the persons who investigated the do not agree as to whether the justified.

  • Step 9: The health and safety officer must investigate the complaint (s.127.1(9));

  • Step 10: After the investigation, the officer (s.127.1(10)):

    1. can issue directions to an employer or worker;

    2. can recommend that the employer resolve the matter between themselves;

    3. if the officer concludes that a danger she must issue directions.

Hazardous Occurrence Investigation Recording and Reporting -Canada.ca

Hazardous Occurrence Investigation Report (HOIR)

Emergency Distress and Crisis Support Lines

Local Crisis Lines (Ottawa & Gatineau Region)

For immediate emotional support in the local region:

  • Ottawa Distress Line: (613) 238-3311

  • Gatineau Distress Line: (613) 238-3311

  • Provided by: Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region

  • Affiliate: Canadian Mental Health Association

Hope for Wellness Helpline (Indigenous Support)

This helpline provides immediate, culturally competent counselling and crisis intervention for all Indigenous peoples across Canada:

  • Toll-Free Phone: (855) 242-3310

  • Online Chat: www.hopeforwellness.ca

  • Availability: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

  • Languages Offered: English and French.

  • Indigenous Languages: Support available upon request in Cree, Ojibway (Anishinaabemowin), and Inuktitut.