Our executive.
Local 79 is run by its members, for its members. The Executive Committee, which makes day-to-day decisions that affect the union, is elected by the membership through a mail-in vote every three years.
Meet our current Officers.


President
Casey first became a Local 79 member in 2002 when she began working for the City of Toronto’s Facilities Management Division. While working for the City, Casey received her Bachelor of Arts Honours from Queen’s University. She went on to complete the Aboriginal Justice Program, Native Law Program and her law degree (JD) at the University of Saskatchewan. Casey articled with RBC and is now a licensed lawyer and member of the Law Society. Her passion for the union stems from her dad, who is a longtime steward of CUPE Local 416. Casey enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially at a hockey game. “Go Leafs go!”

Avaline Miller
Avaline Miller first became a Local 79 member in
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First Vice-President
Avaline Miller first became a Local 79 member in 2001 after her position as a senior collections officer at the Metro Toronto Housing Authority (MTHA) was downloaded from the Province and became part of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC). At MTHA, Avaline was an active member of OPSEU 592 and helped organize TCHC members in joining CUPE Local 79. She was elected Local 79 Vice-President Equity in 2017. Avaline first became involved in Local 79 as a member of the Joint Health and Safety Committee and the Joint Health and Safety Coordinating Committee. She was on the Bargaining Committee for the first Collective Agreement signed between CUPE Local 79 and TCHC in 2004 and has been on each Bargaining Committee ever since. She is a member of the Local 79 Education Committee, Health and Safety Committee, and has also been a member of the Grievance Committee. Avaline is passionate about health & safety and advancing social justice in the workplace. She has worked to advance anti-harassment awareness in the workplace through Bill 168 provisions and has represented several members at the Human Rights Commission. Avaline is a wife, a mother and a grandmother — and says that family always comes first.

Aimee Carnell
Aimee has worked for the City for over 15
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Vice-President — Chief Steward
Aimee has worked for the City for over 15 years in several roles in the Shelter, Support & Housing Division — most recently as a Client Service Worker. She has a background in Social Work and worked in the hospital sector for over 20 years.
Aimee has been a Steward for approximately 10 years, chaired Local 79's Emergency Measures, Education and Social Committees, and been an active member of several other committees. Aimee has also previously been appointed as Local 79 Acting Treasurer and Part-Time Unit B Officer.
She brings a focus to her work on improving work environments, including workloads, shifts and facilitating the shift to full-time employment, and is proud of her most recent project on addressing workplace violence in the shelter system.
As Local 79's Chief Steward, Aimee aims to support Local 79's Unit Officers and Stewards to help them make positive change within their workplaces.



Sofia Reno
Sofia, who hails from the City of Toronto’s Children
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Recording Secretary
Sofia, who hails from the City of Toronto’s Children Services Division, was elected once again to the position of Recording Secretary. She has been proudly serving members of Local 79 since 2001 in various roles over the years including Union Steward, Workplace Health and Safety Representative, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Long-term Disability (LTD), and Employee Benefits portfolios. Sofia enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

Caroline Ambrose
Caroline started working for the City in 1992 for
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Membership Secretary
Caroline started working for the City in 1992 for the Parks, Forestry & Recreation Division. She moved to the Shelter, Support & Housing Division in 1999. In 2019, she served as Local 79's Auditor Trustee and served as an Executive Board member from 2019-2020. In 2021, Caroline was elected as a City of Toronto Full-Time Unit Officer after having been appointed to the position from 2018-2020.
In 2022, Caroline was nominated as Acting Chief Steward, where she moved numerous grievances to arbitration and increased Steward recruitment. She is the Health & Safety Co-Chair at Seaton House and a member of the Health & Safety Coordination Committee, as well as a member of numerous other Local 79 Committees.

Shannon Berseth
Shannon first became a Local 79 member in 2013
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Treasurer
Shannon first became a Local 79 member in 2013 when she began working for 311 Toronto. She became active in the Local when asked to be on the 2015 Bargaining Committee representing the Part-Time Unit B. Since then, Shannon has filled many roles at Local 79 including Steward, Duty Officer, Acting Unit Officer, Executive Board member and WSIB Representative. She co-chairs both the Local 79's Education and Environment Committees. Shannon lives in downtown Toronto with her rescue pup Pepper and loves to travel, having (so far) visited 63 countries!
Unit Officers







Florence Mwangi


Yasmin Makani

Executive Officers at Large
Local 79 also has 14 Executive Officers at Large. Like the Executive Committee, they’re elected by the entire Local 79 membership rather than specific bargaining units. Their job includes reviewing and approving recommendations from the Executive Committee as well as approving expenditures, which occurs at monthly meetings of the Executive Board. Approved recommendations and expenditures are brought forward to General Membership Meetings for approval by the membership. Executive Officers at Large also contribute significantly to Local 79’s many Standing and Special Committees.
Dulice Benjamin
Shannon Berseth
Carleen Blissett
Glorina Bordonaro
Lloyd Campbell
Jennifer Farrell
Anthony Fernandes
Zachary Fraser
Rosemarie Edwards
Valerie Joseph
Sheila McGregor
Mekhi McKenzie-Jones
Sonia Moodie
Garth Peters
Cheryl Robb
Betty Wu-Lawrence