Political Wins

One-to-One Ratio

This is a clear win for our members, our apprentices, and the future of the electrical trade. Ensuring that every apprentice is paired directly with a journeyperson strengthens mentorship on the job, improves safety, and upholds the high training standards that our union has always stood for.

This victory reflects the power of collective action and strong advocacy. By standing firm on the importance of proper supervision, skill development, and quality training, IBEW 2085 helped deliver a policy change that benefits workers and the industry as a whole. This is what union leadership looks like — protecting standards, investing in apprentices, and building a stronger, safer, and more skilled workforce for generations to come.

Anti-Scab Legislation

IBEW Local 2085 is proud to recognize the passage of anti-scab legislation as a major victory for working people — and a win that came from years of persistent advocacy by unions like ours. By standing up for fair bargaining and workers’ rights, we helped push forward legislation that protects the integrity of collective bargaining and ensures that workers are not undermined during a lawful strike or lockout.

This legislation strengthens the balance of power at the bargaining table, promotes labour peace, and reinforces the principle that workers should never be punished for exercising their democratic right to stand together. Anti-scab laws are about respect, fairness, and accountability, and this win demonstrates what can be achieved when members are engaged and unions lead with purpose. IBEW 2085 will continue to fight for policies that protect our members, raise standards, and build a stronger labour movement for the future.

Card Check

Card-check certification as a hard-fought win for workers and unions across Manitoba. This change reflects the strong advocacy of our members and leadership, who pushed for a fairer, more democratic way for workers to choose union representation without intimidation or unnecessary barriers. Card check restores a straightforward process that respects workers’ voices and their right to organize.

By supporting card check, we helped strengthen collective bargaining and remove tactics that too often delay or discourage unionization. This is a meaningful step toward empowering workers, growing union membership, and ensuring that working people have a real say in their workplaces. This victory shows what’s possible when unions lead, members stay engaged, and we continue to fight for labour laws that put workers first.

Manitoba Jobs Agreement

This agreement prioritizes local Manitoba workers, fair wages, benefits, and strong labour standards on publicly funded projects, ensuring that Manitoba jobs are built by skilled, qualified tradespeople under fair and transparent conditions.

By supporting the Manitoba Jobs Agreement, we helped reinforce the value of union labour, apprenticeship training, and community benefit on major infrastructure projects. This win strengthens local economies, protects good-paying jobs, and ensures public investments deliver long-term value for Manitobans. It’s a clear example of how union advocacy and a listening provincial government leads to real results — building safer workplaces, stronger careers, and a more resilient construction industry across the province.

Events

Tinkertown Family Day

Bringing together members and their families for a great day of food, fun, and connection. With a strong turnout, families enjoyed a relaxed BBQ, shared laughs, and made memories while kids explored the rides and attractions that make Tinkertown such a special place. It was great to see so many members able to slow down, spend time together, and enjoy the summer weather.

Events like this remind us that our union is more than just the work we do on the job — it’s a community. The picnic was a chance to celebrate our families, strengthen relationships, and enjoy the camaraderie that makes IBEW 2085 strong. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the day such a success — we’re already looking forward to the next one.

Golf Tournament

Last year’s golf tournament was a strong success and a highlight of our annual activities. Thank you to Emil Norberg, the Motorcycle Committee, and our staff for organizing this event. The event brought together members, retirees, contractors, and community partners for a day of friendly competition and camaraderie, reinforcing the relationships that strengthen our organization year-round. Thanks to strong participation and generous sponsorship support. We are grateful to the volunteers, sponsors, and participants whose time and commitment made the event possible, and we look forward to building on this momentum in future years.

65th Anniversary Celebration

IBEW 2085 proudly organized its 65th Anniversary celebration—an unforgettable and successful event where members came together in true Brotherhood. During the evening, we held a recognition ceremony honoring members for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of service, presenting commemorative service pins. Members reaching 30 years of service were also awarded the traditional IBEW watch in appreciation of their dedication.

Thank you to all who attended and helped make this milestone event so meaningful for IBEW 2085.

Kids Christmas Party

Our 2025 Kids Christmas Party was a wonderful and memorable event filled with joy, laughter, and excitement for all the children who attended. We were delighted to welcome a magician who captivated the kids with an amazing show. Many children also enjoyed our face-painting stations and the fun balloon-animal art, which added extra colour and smiles throughout the celebration. Of course, the highlight for many was the photo with Santa, making this event truly unforgettable. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the members who joined us and helped make this celebration even more special with their presence. At the end of the event, each child received their Christmas gift, family picture with Santa, bringing the day to a perfect close. A big thank-you also goes out to our volunteers, our NextGen members, who supported us with the lunch service, setup, and overall coordination of the event. Your dedication helped make this celebration a great success. Thank you all for being part of this wonderful Christmas tradition!

Membership Christmas Party

We shared a great moment with our brothers and sisters as we gathered together to celebrate Christmas and the spirit of our membership. We would like to sincerely thank all the members who attended and helped make this event a success. A special thank you goes out to our volunteers for their time, dedication, and hard work in organizing the celebration. Everyone enjoyed great food, exciting prizes, and plenty of good company. Events like this remind us of the strength of IBEW 2085, and we hope that next year we can continue to host even more gatherings that bring our membership together and strengthen our local.

Training

The Training Center has had an extremely busy year, delivering almost 900 courses across a wide range of disciplines; these include pipe bending, AWP, winding, pyro terminations, and First Aid, to name just a few. Pre-employment classes also continue to be a popular option for those starting their career. 

Collaboration with First People Development and Southern Chiefs is an important component of our apprenticeship training, as many apprentices intend to return to their respective home communities to contribute their skills and experience.

I have received several questions regarding safety training requirements for dispatch. The following courses are required for dispatch and can be located in Article 21:02 of the collective agreement. First Aid, WHIMIS 2015, Member Orientation, and Code of Excellence. 

After many consultations with Apprenticeship Manitoba, numerous meetings with ministers at the legislature, it is with great excitement that we can offer our first-ever Level 2 Construction Electrician course in April 2026. This will allow apprentices to attend their training at the Training Center to complete their Level 2 training without having to go to Red River. 

Please reach out to the Training Center if you have any ideas for new courses in 2026. We'd be happy to discuss opportunities and explore what we can create together.

Committees

Motorcycle Committee

The Motorcycle Committee had another action‑packed year, proudly representing IBEW 2085 at major charity rides, including Ride for Dad, Ride for Breast Cancer, and the Ride for a Child's Wish. Along with charity rides, the committee made the trip out to Hinton, Alberta, to meet up with brothers and sisters from locals across Canada and the US. The 2026 Solidarity Ride is scheduled to take place in Brandon, Manitoba July 10-12. Their community presence continues to elevate our Local’s visibility and commitment to giving back.

 

Hinton Alberta

Pitstop at IBEW Local 2038 Regina for a BBQ

NextGen

Christmas Cheer Board basket drive

Upcoming social events: wing night, bowling nights, and other engagement activities

IBEW NextGen and their successful Christmas Cheer Board basket drive showcased their dedication to both service and mentorship. With wing nights, bowling events, and other social gatherings on the horizon, the committee continues to foster engagement and brotherhood across the Local.

Women's Committee

The Women’s Committee advanced several initiatives aimed at supporting women in the electrical trades and promoting diversity across the Local. Their work included outreach efforts to apprentices, networking activities, and representation at union events. By creating inclusive spaces and championing visibility, the committee continues to elevate the voices of women electricians and foster a stronger, more welcoming work environment for all members.

Organizing

Last year, our Local has continued to make strong progress in both top-down and bottom-up organizing efforts. Throughout the fall, we gained access to several key non-union sites, allowing us to gather valuable information on manpower levels, work practices, and upcoming projects. These visits also helped us identify members working without agreements in place, strengthening our ability to protect our jurisdiction and uphold our policies. In the last few years we have successfully signed DF Barnes, 42 West, a PLA with Forbes, Micheals, and Andritz.

Salting continues to be one of our most effective tools. This year saw a significant increase in member participation, highlighted by 19 new salts joining our list in November alone.

We also maintained a strong focus on outreach and recruitment, receiving and filing a steady stream of resumes throughout the year and supporting the hiring of several new COE graduates. While enforcing our policies sometimes difficult decisions had to be made, such as dealing with members working on hot jobs—these actions remain essential to protecting our work, our standards, and our Local. In the new year, we will continue building on these efforts to strengthen our presence, expand our influence, and support our members across every jobsite.

In closing, our membership continues to grow, our apprentices continue to advance, and our work picture for 2026 is looking positive. Over the last few years, we have managed to build a dedicated, hardworking team that this membership deserves. We have also built a very transparent and honest system of dispatch, continued reporting of our responsibilities as your administration, both out of our hiring hall and our Code of Excellence Training Center, along with Business Manager reports, union work messaging, emails, and surveys. This is all done to be sure members are heard, informed, and see the value of membership with IBEW 2085.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office by phone, email, text, or letter if you have suggestions or concerns that need to be addressed.

Looking forward to a great year,

Your Business Manager,

Dave McPhail