She/Her
Terry Downey is currently a Labour Relations and Conflict Resolution Specialist, Negotiator, Workplace Advocate, a Professional Misconduct/Standards Investigator, and a Community Social Justice Advocate.
Terry works as a Union and Labour Relations Representative at a leading healthcare union and her primary responsibility is serving employees in the long-term care sector. Previously she worked as a Human Rights Investigator/Mediator for the Ontario Human Rights Commission for 17+ years. She is a licensed investigator, as part of her professional portfolio. For a number of years, Terry conducted investigations for a number of government regulated professional colleges. She has also conducted numerous investigations into allegations of professional misconduct and/or unethical behaviour specifically in the healthcare and social services sector as well as professional misconduct and resident/patient abuse claims as required under the Ontario Long-Term Care Home Act. Terry has conducted workplace investigations in response to allegations of workplace harassment, discrimination, and violence including investigating alleged race-based discrimination in a Not-for-Profit Agency where there was findings of systemic discrimination stemming back 18+ years. She is very well known and respected by the work she does predominantly in unionized workplace environments.
Notably, Terry was elected executive vice-president at the Ontario Federation of Labour’s (OFL) 8th Biennial Convention in 2005. Downey was the first African-Canadian to serve as an OFL Executive Officer. Terry was a member of the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU) for 19 years, where she held a number of local and provincial leadership positions. As an OPSEU leader, she promoted the values of equity for all person and used her human rights training to improve the policies and practices of her union and helped members seeking justice and fairness from employers. Terry has also led a number of lobbying initiatives including advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities; campaigning against needle stick injuries; opposing Local Health Integration Networks and the ongoing work of pushing the provincial government to act on a chronically understaffed and under-resourced health care system. Terry convened the first-ever OFL Aboriginal conference; participated in the Canadian Federation of Students Task Force on the needs of Muslim children; and campaigned for high quality accessible childcare, employment equity, and end violence against women. Terry was privileged under the portfolio of her position as vice-president of the OFL, to represent the Canadian Delegation, held in Geneva, Switzerland, at the International Congress of Human Rights conference, in her position regarding Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, and Disability Rights.
As a progressive community and labour activist, Terry participated in her housing cooperative and continues to support many community groups. She was instrumental in uniting her west Toronto neighbourhood after the murder of an 11-year-old and founded the Junction Triangle Action Committee that is committed to fostering community awareness, involvement, and safety.
Terry holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Dalhousie University and a post-graduate degree in Human Resource Management at George Brown College. She also has completed a number of Canadian Labour Congress programs. Terry is a member of the Human Resource Professional Association and has received her CHRP designation. She is a member of the Canadian Association for Workplace Investigators (CAWI) and the Workplace Investigators Think Tank (WITT) that has developed national standards for assessing risk of harm. Terry also is an Adjunct Professor for the Labour Management Certificate Program offered by the Human Resources Professionals Association and the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Labour Management Relations. She also develops and delivers Human Rights, Equity, and Cultural Inclusivity training for a number of unions and their bargaining representatives and directly to the workplace parties.
