3 September 2025
2 min Read

Members, allies unite at CAMH’s annual BBQ

CAMH Bargaining Unit President David Tennant and ONA Labour Relations Officer Chris Petersen at the joint ONA/OPSEU CAMH barbeque.

CAMH Bargaining Unit President David Tennant (left) and ONA Labour Relations Officer Chris Petersen join the festivities at the joint ONA/OPSEU CAMH barbeque this past July.

Solidarity comes in many forms: rallies, petitions and even community barbeques!

Years ago, ONA and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) began hosting an annual cooperative summer barbeque for unionized members at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Now fully funded by the employer, all workers – members or not – are welcome to attend.

The event took place on July 30 this year and was operated by volunteers from both unions and the employer. Chris Petersen, a servicing Labour Relations Officer for CAMH, attended the event with CAMH Bargaining Unit President David Tennant, who’s also one of the organizers and known as the “grill master!”

“The day always ends up fostering a sense of camaraderie between all employees at the hospital and reminds us that we’re all doing this work together,” Petersen shares.

Staff were encouraged to grab a bite from the many food stations (and ice cream truck!), enjoy uplifting music and play entertaining games. The organizers made sure everyone was included that day, even providing pizza and snack bags to the night shift workers.

Petersen deems it another successful annual barbeque, adding, “It was a perfect day for CAMH staff to connect socially over food, drinks and some fun music!”