The District 3 School will be taking place Sunday, Sept. 13 – Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at St. Eugene Resort in Cranbrook, B.C. on the traditional unceded territory of the Ktunaxa Nation. St. Eugene is proudly reclaimed and owned by the Ktunaxa Nation.
Ktunaxa (pronounced ‘k-too-nah-ha’) people have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay, Columbia Rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years and covers approximately 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) within the Kootenay region of south-eastern British Columbia and historically included parts of Alberta, Montana, Washington and Idaho.
The following courses will be offered this year:
- Mental Health: Understanding, Representing and Supporting Our Members NEW
- Discrimination and Harassment: Trade Union Values and Legal Obligations
- Globalization: Bargaining in a Borderless World
- Facing Management
- Leading with Union Principles
- Arbitration: Prepare and Present
The cost for each delegate this year is $2,100.
2026 Courses
Mental Health: Understanding, Representing and Supporting our Members *NEW*
This course examines mental health as a crucial issue in our workplaces and what our roles is as the union. The curriculum will cover what we can do to support our members and encourage psychologically health workplaces.
In addition, participants will receive two days of training from the Canadian mental Health Association “Mental Health First Aid.” This provides the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to support a person who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being, a mental health or substance use crisis until professional help is available, and you will receive official certification in Mental Health First Aid.
Please come with your current collective agreement and any relevant workplace polices.
Discrimination and Harassment: Trade Union Values and Legal Obligations
This course will broaden members understanding of the union’s obligations around harassment and discrimination. Topics covered will include impacts, root causes and the union’s responsibilities in the workplace and union.
Because we will be covering more advanced concepts such as legal frameworks, case law and strategies for locals, we recommend that participants have some knowledge of the grievance process and are active in their local.
Globalization: Bargaining in a Borderless World
Steelworkers confront the destructive consequences of globalization everyday. From forestry and mining, to manufacturing and telecommunications, our members are negotiating with massive multinationals for which Canadian workplaces are but a small part of their global operations. We’re often confronted by job losses due to unfair trade agreements, environmental degradation from reckless resource extraction and the weakening of laws and regulations intended to protect workers and communities. Meanwhile, new workers arriving in Canada hoping to build a better life often face exploitation, such as widespread abuses of the wage-suppressing Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Yet, recent events and trends, including the pandemic, geopolitical rivalries, problems in global shipping, the climate crisis and a green transition, and popular frustration with deindustrialization and the corporate-led race to the bottom, could also challenge or put limits on globalization as we know it. This course will look at the tactics and tools used by employers and governments to spread and sustain this model of globalization, the response from unions in collective bargaining and politics, as well as alternatives for a model of development rooted in global justice.
Facing Management
This course offers an opportunity to learn new skills and strategies for Steelworker activists to use in joint labour-management committees and as shop stewards. Designed for both new and seasoned activists, it covers union-management relations, traditional and modern management theories, and the history of work organization.
Emphasis will be on communication, group dynamics, and conflict resolution. Through hands-on practice, you’ll gain confidence in both the boardroom and union meetings.
Leading with Union Principles
Steelworkers are leaders inside and outside of our workplaces, protecting workers’ rights, speaking out for change, and motivating and encouraging the participation of members at work, in our communities, and through political action.
Leading with Union Principles will help you develop leadership and communications skills to build solidarity and will help you support future leaders in our union.
Arbitration: Prepare and Present
This course is designed to give participants who have previously completed Stewards in Action I, II & III, the practical skills required to prepare and present a case at an Arbitration hearing. Special emphasis is placed on collecting evidence, effective techniques in examination and cross-examination, development of an opening statement and final arguments, as well as discussion of current trends and emerging issues at arbitration.
Robbie Kilbride Scholarship
In memory of Brother Robbie Kilbride, District 3 is offering a scholarship to a local union member who wants to participate in the District School.
To apply for this scholarship, you are asked to write a 300-word essay on: “Factors to consider when making the decision to move forward in advancing a grievance”.
The essay is to be sent to the District 3 office no later than August 15, 2026, along with a completed registration form and registration fee. The local of the successful applicant will be reimbursed the registration fee.
Robbie passed away on June 7, 2004, leaving behind a long legacy of participation in the District 3 Summer Schools. His years of dedication to the Arbitration course have left his mark not only on the course but also on the hundreds of students who witnessed Robbie at his finest in the classroom. When it came to instructing others and mentoring Shop Stewards, Robbie was an accomplished teacher.
Robbie started his career at IPSCO in Port Moody, B.C. as a member of Local 5404 in 1974. Robbie held many positions in his local, including President. When IPSCO closed its operation in 1989, Robbie became an Organizer for the Steelworkers.
In June of 1990, Robbie became a staff representative and was assigned to service in Kimberley, B.C. His skills at the bargaining table and before an Arbitration Board assisted him to carry the local unions in the area through some difficult times. His passion was doing arbitrations and he was widely known and respected for his abilities by trade unionists, as well as employers and the lawyers he went up against.
In June of 1995, Robbie was assigned to the Trail, B.C. office where he remained until 2000 when he was transferred to the Winnipeg office and became the Area Supervisor. He was also the District 3 Health and Safety Coordinator and a member of the National Health and Safety Committee. Robbie was an active member of the NDP and sat on the Manitoba Federation of Labour.
Registration
Please note that we have updated our registration system. For security purposes, you will now need a password to access the registration page. The password is: 2026D3School.
If the embedded registration is not working or displaying correctly below,click here to launch in a new window.