Resources and Support for Staff

We’re glad you’re here. Every member of the Western Québec team has an important role in the quality education we provide together.

Here on this page, you will find important documents, forms as well as general information regarding your employment at Western Québec. Most of the content on here comes directly from the HR department and your unions.

On this page:

See also:

Employee and Family Assistance Program

The Employee and Family Assistance Program is a confidential, professional counselling program in collaboration with LifeWorks (formerly known as Morneau Shepell and Groupe ProSanté) for employees, commissioners and members of their immediate family.

Life does have its stressful moments. Even though most of us are able to deal with the problems that are causing us stress, sometimes the personal problems we have to face are a little more complicated. In some cases, these problems can compromise our ability to function properly at work or at home.

To deal with these types of situations, the Employee and Family Assistance Program offers a free confidential and professional consultation service by licensed psychologists who have a great deal of clinical experience in solving personal problems.

To access the services of the Employee and Family Assistance Program:

Learn more on the Employee and Family Assistance Program


LifeWorks is responsible for providing the assessment and counselling services. This organization includes a team of professionals (psychologists, social workers, lawyers, accountants) selected for their experience in the art of helping individuals assess and resolve their personal problems.

  • Personal problems:
    • – Divorce, separation
    • – Marital problems
    • – Single-parent family
    • – Difficulty with your children
    • – Emotional problems
    • – Depression or anxiety
    • – Alcoholism, drug dependency
    • – Drug addiction
    • – Compulsive gambling
    • – Harassment
    • – Death of a loved one
  • Legal or financial complications (counselling services by phone)
  • Professional problems:
    • – Stress, fatigue
    • – Communication problems
    • – Problems with interpersonal relationships
    • – Dissatisfaction with your professional life

Procedure – Individuals who are eligible for the program can avail themselves of the services by contacting LifeWorks directly. Simply call 1-877-257-5557 to speak with a representative. A counsellor will then contact you to set up an appointment as soon as possible. The services are strictly confidential. In an emergency, an immediate telephone counselling session can be arranged. You can at call any time and someone will be there to answer.

Eligibility – All employees of the Western Québec School Board who are members of the group insurance plan, commissioners and members of their immediate family (spouse or children) are eligible for a six one-hour psychological counselling sessions, and one hour of over the phone legal or financial counselling. The year resets in January if you wish to seek further counselling. Supply teachers and noon hour supervisors are not eligible for the program.

Cost – If you have group insurance coverage, part of the fees will be paid by your insurance plan and the other part by the Western Québec School Board. In most cases, employees do not have to make any transaction.

In some cases, however, LifeWorks may submit an invoice to you, representing the portion to be reimbursed by your group insurance provider, which you must forward without delay to your insurance company for reimbursement of the % covered under the group insurance plan. As soon as you receive the cheque from your insurer, send payment immediately to LifeWorks. If you have no insurance coverage, fees shall be paid fully by the Western Québec School Board.

Confidentiality – Confidentiality is one of the main characteristics of this personal assistance service. No information is released without the written consent of the person who made the consultation. Confidentiality is further guaranteed by the fact that these services are provided by psychologists who are bound by a code of absolute professional secrecy under Canadian laws and the code of their respective professional orders. Any contact, information or conversations between the consultant and his or her client remain strictly confidential and without prejudice.

Dispute Prevention and Resolution

Our Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DPR) Plan helps coworkers find a win-win solution through effective communication, so that disputes do not escalate into conflict.

An illustration shows 2 superheroes with the words "Don't be a brute; resolve that dispute"

The objective of Dispute Prevention and Resolution is to safeguard the well-being of employees and provide channels to express concerns/issues towards effective solutions without escalation.

In other words, DPR helps coworkers to find a win-win solution through effective communication so that disputes do not escalate into conflict.

Learn more on DPR

Purpose of the DPR plan:

  • Prevent the escalation of problems and disputes between employees
  • Diminish conflicts at the workplace
  • Use organizational resources to guide disputes toward constructive resolution
  • Provide a conflict resolution process that is fair and consistent to express concerns or issues and to find effective solutions
  • Provide WQSB employees with organizational justice and fair outcomes.

Why use the term dispute?

  • Disputes are not conflicts, but they can be the beginning of one.
  • Dispute is a disagreement of differing perspectives, opinions, and/or interests.
  • Conflict is a dispute that has escalated to a point where there is strong opposition or serious disagreement, that leads people to oppose and experience a state of tension or strife.

A poem on DPR!?

With a colleague you feel tension
‘cause you heard your name’s been mentioned

You give them space, there’s no retrace
Now you look away when passing in the staircase

First you wrote the email, then hit backspace
You feel like texting, but in uppercase

No big deal, ‘cause it won’t affect your pension
Yet now at work, pain has got your full attention

Looks like this dispute needs some intervention
Let’s resolve it with some clear communication

Try DPR, a face to face
A one to one in a neutral space

Doesn’t everyone deserve a healthy workplace?

Information for Teaching Staff

Union – You are represented by the WQTA:

Western Quebec Teachers’ Association
183 chemin Freeman (unit 102), Gatineau, QC J8Z 2A7
P: 819-777-1475 / F: 819-777-0016
wqta-aeoq@videotron.ca

PIC – Your union’s Professional Improvement Committee allows you to apply for funding to participate in a course, workshop or other activity, which you feel will be a benefit to you in the performance of your duties at the Board.

Collective Insurance – Contact Industrial Alliance (you are part of group 97000-886) at 1 877 422-6487 or visit IA’s website.

Information for Support Staff

PIC – Your union’s Professional Improvement Committee allows you to apply for funding to participate in a course, workshop or other activity, which you feel will be a benefit to you in the performance of your duties at the Board.

Collective Insurance – Contact Industrial Alliance (you are part of group 28812) at 1-833-730-1431 or visit IA’s website.

Information for Professionals

Union – You are represented by the Professionals of Western Québec, a member of SPPOQA, associated with the CSQ:

Professionals of Western Québec
819-431-7755 / professionalswqsb@gmail.com

PIC – Your union’s Professional Improvement Committee allows you to apply for funding to participate in a course, workshop or other activity, which you feel will be a benefit to you in the performance of your duties at the Board. For more information, peruse the emails sent to you at the beginning of the school year, or email the person responsible.

Collective Insurance – Contact SSQ Financial Group (you are part of group J9999) at 1 888-651-8181 or visit SSQ’s website.

Information for Management Staff

Collective Insurance – Contact SSQ Financial Group (you are part of group Y1870) at 1 800 400-0023 or visit SSQ’s website.

Procedure to Facilitate the Disclosure of Wrongdoings

Provincial Law 87 is an Act designed to facilitate the disclosure of wrongdoings in public organizations. The disclosure of wrongdoings is a fundamental component in ensuring integrity in the public administration. Recognizing that people working within an organization or who work with such people are often best placed to become “whistleblowers”, Western Québec’s By-Law 37 is intended to provide information on the mechanism for facilitating the disclosure of wrongdoings within our school board which complies with the Act to facilitate the disclosure of wrongdoings relating to public bodies (LQ 2016, c 3), hereinafter the “Act”.

The Act, as well as our By-Law 37, provides for the implementation of a parallel disclosure system within public bodies allowing staff the option of reporting wrongdoings either internally or to the Quebec Ombudsman through a secure online form. In all cases, these provide protection against reprisals for disclosers by staff who cooperate in reviews and investigations.

Essentially, at any time, school board staff may disclose information to the Officer responsible, indicating that a wrongdoing has been committed or is about to be committed in relation to the school board.