The Conflict Management Certificate Program is pleased to support the newly established Labour Relations Academy of Canada, led by Gary Furlong, with whom Grebel has maintained a longstanding collaboration. Gary and Agree Inc. played a key role in the original design of the Conflict Management Certificate Program in 1998 and have collaborated on various initiatives over the past 25+ years.
This new collaboration with the Labour Relations Academy of Canada introduces valuable learning opportunities that address the evolving needs of the labour relations field. It represents an exciting expansion of the Conflict Management Certificate Program.
This page outlines upcoming workshops, which may be applied towards elective requirements for both the Conflict Management and Mediation Certificate.
Mastering Collective Bargaining
(in-person)
Skills and tools for delivering results at the table
Dates:
October 26 - 30, 2026
Times:
8:30 am - 5:30 pm (Monday - Thursday)
8:30 am - Noon ( Friday)
Facilitator:
Gary Furlong with LRAC leaders and coaches. (See LRAC website for further details)
Location:
In Person,
The Old Mill, The Kingsway, Toronto, Ontario.
Rates:
Introductory Rate $4,585 + HST (15% discount)
Register before September 25, 2026 for an additional 5% discount $4,316 + HST
REGISTRATION - Mastering Collective Bargaining
For full details check out the website for the Labour Relations Academy of Canada
A Synopsis of the Program
Collective bargaining can either be one of the most stressful experiences leaders undertake, or it can be a critical enabler of both your organization’s strategy and an effective way get far better results for both the union and management. What determines this will be the skills, tools and approach of the bargaining teams that go to the table. This five-day workshop will bring your bargaining team into the 21st century with a comprehensive approach to bargaining that creates and maximizes value at the table – for both parties.
This experiential workshop is taught by facilitators and coaches who have been to the bargaining table hundreds of times in leadership roles for both management and union teams. Our professionals have experienced every type of bargaining -- every tactic, strategy and approach at the table – and know what works and what doesn’t. The collective bargaining process is organized into a clear, systematic and repeatable process you can successfully apply for the rest of your labour relations career.
Centred around a detailed simulation, every participant will spend a full day, hands-on, negotiating a collective agreement in real time.
For more detail visit the Labour Relations Academy of Canada's website.
Leading and Managing in Unionized Environments (Online)
Critical Skills for Managers, Supervisors & Union Stewards
Dates:
October 14-16, 2026
or
December 1-3, 2026
Times:
10 am - 5:00 pm
Facilitator:
Gary Furlong with LRAC leaders and coaches (see LRAC website for further details)
Location
ONLINE (Zoom)
Rates:
Introductory Rate $2,630 + HST (15% discount)
Register four weeks early for an additional 5% discount, $2,476+ HST
REGISTRATION LINKS:
Online - October 14-16, 2026
Online - December 1-3, 2026
For full details, check out the website for the Labour Relations Academy of Canada
A Synopsis of the Program
All workplaces, and especially unionized ones, develop a culture that either promotes performance and collaboration, or descends into friction and conflict. Often, this is because the people critical to leading at the front lines – managers, supervisors and union stewards – have never been trained in how to work effectively together, especially in unionized settings. Unions, employees and managers have vastly more common interests in every workplace than they have competing interests – yet a great deal of time, energy and resources are wasted every day through poor engagement, poor communication and an adversarial relationship. It doesn’t need to be this way.
This workshop will bring together all parties in the workplace to help create an environment where everyone has the respect, tools and training to be the best they can be. It will teach parties how to raise difficult issues and resolve them long before needing grievances or arbitration to get an answer.
Centred around an exercise-based learning environment led by a facilitator and coach with decades of practical experience, participants will leave with a clear plan for building a healthy and strong culture in any unionized (or even non-unionized) environment.
Gary Furlong
As Director of LRAC and principal at Agree for over 30 years, Gary has an extensive practice in mediation, negotiation, labour relations, conflict resolution and training.
Gary is past president of the ADR Institute of Ontario, and is the author of “The Conflict Resolution Toolbox”, Second Edition, John Wiley and Sons, 2020, the co-author of “BrainFishing: A Practice Guide to Questioning Skills”, FriesenPress 2018, and co-author of “Strategic Negotiation: Building Organizational Excellence,” published by Routledge in 2023, among other books and articles.
Gary was awarded the McGowan Award of Excellence in ADR by the ADR Institute of Canada, and has been guest instructor and adjunct professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School LL.M. program for over 20 years. holds a Chartered mediator (C. Med.) designation, and is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators and an invited member of the Canadian Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.