Health Science Professionals
A new Mental Health Support Fund will begin to help Health Science Professional Bargaining Association (HSPBA) members starting April 1. Your union has negotiated this funding with the BC government as part of our ongoing work to provide greater support for members, especially for those dealing with the impact of significant shortages and excessive workload. This one-time $11 million grant...
BC Health Minister Josie Osborne and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry this morning announced the end of viral respiratory infection season, and the removal of the requirement for continuous masking in direct patient care areas. While the mask policy is rescinded, other infection control practices remain in place: Masking and use of other personal protective equipment will continue to...
Sheila Lee didn’t initially set out to be a music therapist. In fact, she hadn’t even heard of the profession until a classmate at the University of British Columbia casually suggested it to her. At the time, she was studying psychology with the goal of becoming a social worker or counsellor. But the idea stuck. She enrolled in Capilano University’s...
From his early days growing up in Ontario, where he first learned about the potential of unions through his father’s union activism, to his current dual role as a respiratory therapist and lead steward at Lions Gate Hospital, Tim has built a career that embodies compassion and a commitment to making a difference. Almost 20 years ago, Tim made the...
2025 marks the first time in HSA’s history that all members in good standing are eligible to vote for the union’s president. WHEN TO VOTE The election will be conducted through a secure online vote administered by Simply Voting, an election management platform used by HSA for elections and ratification votes. Voting will be open for a 24-hour period from...
Negotiations to determine the pay, benefits and protections for your next contract have begun. The Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) bargaining committee, led by HSA, met with the employer for initial discussions on March 6. THE NEGOTIATING TEAM The bargaining committee team includes professional negotiators, board directors, and members elected by their colleagues to represent them in the talks...
“As the president of the union representing thousands of hospital pharmacists across the province, I hear too often about the urgent need to patch a massive hole in our public health care system. Too many of our family members and neighbours are having to make impossible choices like paying rent or paying for their child’s diabetes medication – problems that...
Today – Friday, February 28 – marks two important deadlines that are part of the transition to the profile-based classification system: Retro Pay. If you are entitled to retro pay, today is the deadline for the employer to pay you. Please check your recent pay stubs to ensure that you were paid correctly. If you have not received your retro...
For most of us, the ability to speak is something we take for granted. For Meara Brown’s patients, however, communication is a skill they must relearn entirely. As a speech language pathologist specializing in laryngectomy care with Island Health, Meara restores voices—both literally and figuratively—by helping people who have undergone the removal of their larynx regain their ability to speak...
Unfortunately, we’ve become aware that email scammers are targeting HSA members, activists, and staff with malicious email messages that impersonate our senior leadership. The members and staff who received these messages became suspicious as, upon a closer look, the messages came from an email address that is not associated with HSA. Please be assured that HSA takes online and data...