President’s Message – October 2026
Hello, AESES!
As the foliage shifts from green to yellow and orange we know that autumn has truly arrived in Manitoba. While students settle into their schedules, they will bid farewell to the constellations of the summer triangle as they greet the great square of Pegasus rising over the prairie harvest.
For AESES members, fall brings a new slate of events from both the Activities Committee and the Education Committee. The Education Committee is offering new seminars this Fall, so please look out for that announcement in this month’s insideAESES for the details. The Activities Committee is deeply involved planning this year’s AESES Children’s Winter Holiday Extravaganza for Sunday, November 29. If you are planning to attend, please register before the October 27 deadline so we can plan accordingly.
The University of Manitoba will be hosting the ASE Career Fair on Tuesday, October 6 in the MPR in UMSU University Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity to display one of Manitoba’s post-secondary cornerstones that AESES members support and encourage another generation of students to further their education. Likewise, The University of Winnipeg will be hosting their career fair on January 26, 2027. I will be reminding everyone of that opportunity in December’s insideAESES.
October brings fall convocations at both institutions involving many AESES members in the preparations for and during the ceremonies. The University of Winnipeg will host their Convocation and PACE Graduation Celebrations on October 15. The University of Manitoba will host Convocation Celebrations at the Fort Garry campus on October 20-22.
The UM Bargaining Team has also been hard at work these past few months, caucusing and meeting several times with the employer for subcommittee meetings. As we resolve non-monetary issues, we will soon begin to discuss a financial package with cost-of-living increases, which is primarily on the minds of our membership. Needless to say, we will remind the University of Manitoba of our provincial government’s discussions of catching up and keeping up. Public updates are posted at aeses.ca/aeses-um-bargaining-2026 when available.
Finally, I hope everyone was able to take time on Wednesday, September 30 to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. Our Land Acknowledgements are only a small part of the recognition of the role of Indigenous peoples in building the nation we enjoy today. The legacy of residential schools is a nadir in Canada’s history and something to sombrely reflect upon to ensure that it never occurs again. As union members, we value protection against unfair treatment and discrimination. It is especially important for us to support those same values and work toward rebuilding our relationship with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation communities. At the University of Manitoba, that spirit of healing is demonstrated with the newly renamed L’offis Wiichihihwahk (formerly the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous)). L’offis Wiichihihwahk is a Michif name meaning “the office that helps” and was gifted to them by UM Elder Charlotte Nolin. At The University of Winnipeg, the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre is their bridge to reconciliation and offers educational and cultural programming rooted in Indigenous knowledge to the community. Wii Chiiwaakanak is Ojibwe for “walking together.” Both offices offer Indigenous resources, stories, and education.
In Solidarity,
Will Christie