The Union of Northern Workers, which represents thousands of employees across the NWT, holds its triennial convention – meaning once every three years – in Yellowknife this week.
The convention sets the tone for the union’s leadership, with a president and other executive members being elected.
The 2026 edition runs from Tuesday to Thursday at the Chateau Nova Hotel, including a candidates’ forum on Wednesday afternoon. Elections are expected on Thursday.
Lists of candidates are generally not made public by the union prior to the convention. Candidates for president and other positions can be nominated in the six weeks leading up to a convention but can also be declared from the floor during the event.
Gayla Thunstrom has been the UNW’s president since 2021, when she replaced Todd Parsons in an election delayed by a year because of the pandemic. She was acclaimed to a fresh three-year term in 2023. She didn’t respond to a question about whether she is running this year.
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So far, candidates to have publicly declared they are seeking the president’s office this year include Jeff Groenewegen, the union’s regional vice-president for Hay River, and Bassel Sleem, president of City of Yellowknife Local 345 for the past three years.
This year, the union has told delegates the convention package will be provided on tablets that delegates can then keep afterward, rather than on paper. Roughly 75 people were named on a list of delegates seen by Cabin Radio.
Financial statements included in a copy of that package reviewed by Cabin Radio suggest union revenue has outpaced spending by a total of about $20 million over the past four years combined. Much of that has been transferred to a fund that can be used in the event of members declaring strike action.
Excess revenue like this is common among Canadian unions. For example, UNW parent the Public Service Alliance of Canada has publicly reported $22 million in excess revenue in each of the past two years. The Canadian Union of Public Employees lost $20 million in 2025 but gained $28 million in 2024, while Unifor reported excess revenue of $44 million in 2025.
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The UNW did not answer a question about how its excess revenues are being used and did not confirm the $20-million figure.
The union notes in its convention package that it does not anticipate the same revenue trend continuing in the short to medium term, pointing to rising costs.
In response to a list of questions about the convention, the union replied: “Updates will be posted to the website during the week as events unfold.”
