The Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA) is the certified bargaining agent representing a defined group of employees at the University of Saskatchewan.
ASPA consists of more than 1,600 members working in a wide range of roles across campus. These positions include administrative assistants, computer programmers, student counsellors, coaches, project directors, veterinarians, research officers, family physicians, and instructors of second languages, among others.
ASPA’s Vision
To effectively represent its members while serving as a positive force for progress within the University.
History of ASPA
The origins of ASPA trace back to 1945, when the University of Saskatchewan Employees’ Union was established as a federal local of the Canadian Congress of Labour. This organization later became CUPE Local 1975 and was certified to represent all non-teaching and administrative staff at the University.
In 1976, CUPE Local 1975 sought to amend its certification to include all employees except professors, teaching staff, and senior managers. The Labour Board approved this change, extending CUPE’s representation to previously unorganized administrative and technical officers.
However, 169 of these newly included members objected to being incorporated into CUPE without a vote. The University challenged the Labour Board’s decision, but the Court of Appeal upheld it. The case was then taken to the Supreme Court of Canada, which ultimately allowed the appeal.
Following this decision, the affected employees formed the Administrative and Supervisory Personnel Association (ASPA). In 1978, ASPA was granted its own certification.
The certification order defines ASPA’s membership as including “all administrative and professional personnel and all technical officers employed by the University of Saskatchewan,” without limiting the general scope of this definition.
ASPA presidents 1973 to present
| Year of presidency | Name |
|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Iain McLean |
| 1974–75 | Bob Johnson |
| 1975–76 | Jock Anderson |
| 1976–77 | Don Lefebvre |
| 1977–78 | John Scappaticci |
| 1978–79 | Iain McLean – Certification Order October 31, 1978 |
| 1979–80 | Bob Elliott |
| 1980–81 | Don Steponchev |
| 1981–82 | Emily Farnham |
| 1982–83 | John Milani |
| 1983–84 | Kurt Tischler |
| 1984–85 | Elaine (Von Oder) Dermott |
| 1985–86 | Doug Clark |
| 1986–87 | Terry Payne |
| 1987–88 | Grace Milashenko |
| 1988–89 | Gord Snell |
| 1989–90 | Stu Dawson |
| 1990–91 | Greg Melvin |
| 1991–92 | Hugh Stearn |
| 1992–93 | Mike Sander |
| 1993–94 | Terry Summers |
| 1994–95 | Rick Jamison |
| 1995–96 | Jan Smith |
| 1996–97 | Kevin Fuglerud |
| 1997–98 | Brad Steeves |
| 1998–99 | Tim Archer |
| 1999–00 | Rob Schultz |
| 2000–01 | Bill Wallace |
| 2001–02 | Margot Buckley |
| 2002–03 | Curtis Larson |
| 2003–04 | Ruth Thompson |
| 2004–05 | Mike Grevers |
| 2005–06 | Cheryl Sedgewick |
| 2006–07 | Kirk Blomquist |
| 2007–08 | Dave Bocking |
| May–Dec 2008 | Trent Kolbe |
| Dec 2008–10 | Kim Baryluk |
| 2010–11 | Tyler Salloum |
| 2011–12 | Chloe Corcoran |
| 2012–13 | Glen Hauser |
| May 2013 | Glen Hauser |
| May 2013–14 | Ken Glover |
| 2014–15 | Paola Chiste |
| 2015–16* | Dawn Giesbrecht |
| 2016–17 | Dawn Giesbrecht |
| 2017–18 | Peter Krebs |
| 2018–19 | Joanie Crandall |
| 2019–21 | Curtis Larson |
| 2021–23 | LaVina Watts |
| 2023–24 | Paul Jacob |
| 2024–25 | Aditya Manek |
| 2025–26 | Robert Procyk |