The Report

HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 I am deeply honoured to have been elected your president at HSA's 43rd convention in April. I've been a member of this union for 31 years, and I've served at every level – as an activist, steward, a committee member, a director on the board, as vice-president and most recently as president, appointed under the constitution...

HSA REPORT, jUNE 2014 Over 300 delegates from around the province gathered in April to vote overwhelmingly in favour of continuing the fight to defend public health care, the work of the Committee on Equality and Social Action, and to work to protect and improve services for patients and clients who count on the health care and community social services...

HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 Laura Dupont understands that her community of Port Coquitlam is all about people and families, and this is motivating her to run for the first time in this fall's municipal election. "Raising a family and spending over a decade volunteering with various groups in the community has kept me involved in my city, says Dupont. "People...

HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 "We need to be the BC Federation of Labour – not the Downtown Vancouver Federation of Labour." That's how Jim Sinclair, BC Fed President, opened The fourth BC Federation of Labour Regional Conference was held June 6-7 in Kimberley. He was remembering the words of a delegate to the convention that saw the Federation move from...

HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 The BC Supreme Court has ruled that a group of public health care supporters that includes the BC Health Coalition and Canadian Doctors for Medicare, may submit expert evidence in a BC case that is attempting to destroy Canada's Medicare system. Dr. Brian Day and his for-profit clinics began a legal attack on Medicare in 2009...

HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 On May 1st, a group of 20 HSA members from around the province and from a range of professions spent the day in Victoria. Meeting with key decision makers in the areas of health care, community social services, skills training, job creation and advanced education, they raised HSA's profile and discussed issues of importance to members...

RPNS Nicole McIntosh and Genelle Sandberg were on hand to promote HSA's work. HSA REPORT, JUNE 2014 HSA and its members played a big role in a recent event hosted by the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC. The CRPNBC's annual education day, held in Coquitlam this year, focussed on the various forms of trauma affecting psychiatric nurses and...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 HSA members are increasingly looking to get their information in a digital format. Whether it's email, web sites or social media, members are using desktop computers, tablets and smartphones to keep informed. HSA is changing to meet these new needs, and starting with this issue all members will receive a digital edition of The Report by...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 Ok, so we have a five year deal. How do you propose to take advantage of the break from bargaining? Despite the fact that we won't be at the bargaining table, we have some important work to do. The workloads for many professions are causing our members a lot of stress. And when people are under...

HSA REPORT, MARCH 2014 In response to escalating police involvement in what has been called a mental health crisis, the Vancouver Police department recently produced a report which points to a steady increase in mental health related police incidents and proposed an action plan aimed at moving away from a crisis response model to a more community based, stakeholder driven...