It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news Doug McFarland, our friend and former colleague, passed away on May 29, 2022.
Doug was an MGEU staff representative who advocated for members in a career that spanned 33 years before his retirement in 2009. As The Pas rep since 1989, he was dedicated to the North, serving Area 1 members to help with their workplace issues, grievances, and negotiations at the bargaining table. He was also a champion of workplace safety as a long-time member of the union’s Safety & Health Committee.
Before joining the MGEU (then known as the MGEA) as an Employee Relations Officer in 1976, he worked for the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. in Snow Lake and became an active member of his United Steel Workers Local. Doug served on numerous committees in the labour movement and was Area Vice-President on the Manitoba Federation of Labour Executive.
Our condolences go out to Doug’s family. He will be greatly missed by everyone here at the MGEU.