Nominations for the position of representative to the HSA Board of Directors in Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 closed Thursday February 19 with nominations submitted for one candidate in each of the regions. No elections will be required.
 
Returning to the board are:
 
Anne Davis, Region 1. Davis is a Program Coordinator at the Comox Valley Transition Society with an extensive background as a community activist, having served on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations in her area, and has also been involved in local electoral politics.
 

This year, Regional Director elections will take place in Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.  All HSA members in these regions are encouraged to put their name forward for these important positions.

The Board of Directors meets quarterly, and directors take an active leadership role in representing the union.  They receive wage replacement at their regular rate of pay for the time they spend in official meetings.  Part-time and casual members are reimbursed as if they were at work during the meetings they attend.

HSA’s 2015 Annual Convention will include an election for the position of president, a full-time position that carries a two-year term.

All members in good standing are eligible to run for president when nominated in writing by six members.

Nominations for president are open until the final call for nominations takes place on the last day of convention Saturday, May 2, 2015.

Candidates for president may submit a statement of up to 400 words and a photograph for inclusion in the union’s Annual Report, circulated electronically to members prior to the convention.

 HSA has embarked upon a process to update and renew our strategic plan. This process will span several months, culminating with presentation of the new, Board of Directors-approved plan to the Membership at our Annual Convention in May 2015.

HSA members will soon be preparing for the 2015 HSA Convention, to be held May 1 and 2, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver.

Convention is the union's annual meeting where chapter representatives from around the province determine the union's future direction. Policies, actions, constitutional amendments, and structural changes are all discussed and debated at convention.

Delegates to the 56th convention of the BC Federation of Labour have elected Irene Lanzinger as President. She is the first woman to ever hold the position.

Lanzinger was  the Federation's secretary-treasurer for the past four years and is a past president of the BC Teachers' Federation. She is a high school math and science teacher in Vancouver.

Aaron Ekman was elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer.

Ekman is the founding president of the North Central Labour Council and is a staff person with the BCGEU.

HSA REPORT, DECEMBER 2014

By Val Avery, President

HSA's first office was a little place on Kingsway.

As the number of members grew steadily, so did the need to find new space. We soon moved to an office on Hastings at Boundary, staying there until 1994, when we moved to Metrotown. Only a few years later, in 1998, we moved to the offices many of you know on Joyce Street.

Now, it's time to move again.

Please make a note of our contact information effective Jan. 5, 2015:

Health Sciences Association of BC
180 East Columbia Street
New Westminster, BC
V3L 0G7

New Phone: 604 517 0994 / toll free 800 663 2017
New Fax: 604 515 8889 / toll free 800 663 6119

The Health Sciences Association of BC has joined the growing list of leading BC unions to endorse Irene Lanzinger for President of the BC Federation of Labour.

"As secretary-treasurer of the BC Federation of Labour, Irene has demonstrated that she is a strong advocate for the services our members deliver in health care and social services," said HSA President Val Avery.

In the next few days, you'll receive an invitation to participate in a process that is crucial to the future success of your union. Are you ready to take part?

As announced earlier this month, HSA has launched an inclusive and comprehensive planning process to create a five-year strategic plan. The plan will be presented to membership at HSA's Annual Convention in May 2015.