Region 4 Representatives on PSAC Ontario Council

Neil Wood and Thu Trinh, your Region 4 Representatives on PSAC Ontario Council, have included introductions and contact information so you might reach out to them on matters related to your membership in the Region.

My name is Thu Trinh, I am your Southwestern Region 4 Rep and 2nd Alternate Regional Executive Vice President for PSAC Ontario. I am a proud Vietnamese woman who came to Canada at the age of 11. From a young age I have been passionate about social justice and throughout my life I have been advocating for equity, equality, fairness, respect and inclusion for all. I have been involved in our union since 2014 and some of the roles I have held are: Steward, Chief Steward, Local President, and Chair of various committees including Women’s Committee, Racialized Action Committee and Health and Safety Committee. Any immigrant can tell you they’ve struggled all their lives to live up to societal expectations and the expectations of families that have sacrificed so much for a chance to start anew in the land of opportunity. Despite the obstacles I’ve faced, I can acknowledge that I have been very privileged. I have my freedom, my education, my family and my union. But I also know there are many other who are less fortunate and rely on folks like me to be their voice. I enjoy using my lived experience to be the voice of the voiceless and a beacon to light the path of others. I believe in Thu things: to achieve change is not waste our effort on fighting the old, but we must focus on building the new and to do all that we must start with care!

Contact: trinhthu@hotmail.com

From Neil: My name is Neil Wood. I am one of your Southwestern Region 4 reps on PSAC Ontario Regional Council. I am1st Vice President of CEIU Local 647 and a national representative for members with a disability. A bit about me. I am from Chatham, and I started working for the government in 2016. Prior to working for the government, I worked at a call center. Outside of my roles with the Employer and the union, I volunteer as a team lead and crisis responder with Victim Services, an organization that helps victims of crime and tragedy. In these roles, I have completed training in mental health first aid, crisis response, supporting victims of domestic violence, and human trafficking identification and response. While we are all many things and I continue to explore my intersectionality, it is my experiences in the call center, along with my lived experiences with mental health and addiction that have become defining factors of my labour activism. As an activist and your Southwestern rep, I want to maintain/increase accessibility in the workplace, decrease stigma around mental health and addiction, and leverage art as labour activism. I look forward to meeting the members within the Southwest, listening to their concerns and what is important to them, and empowering them.

Contact: nawood3@gmail.com