Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations

By Zayn Wiwchar, HSA member In February and July of 2020, the Victoria branch staff of the Canadian Mental Health Association joined HSA and entered the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and the Community Bargaining Association (CBA) —a decision that has given me the opportunity to be a part of incredible changes in our office over the past year...

By Easter Tocol, HSA member “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”  “I’m not a racist, I have so many friends of colour.”  “Well, shouldn’t all lives matter?”  These are just some of the racist microagressions that I hear every day in the workplace.  It is usually not meant to hurt, and is done with little awareness...

By Jill Slind, Co-chair of the HSA Young Workers' Advisory Group As a full-time permanent employee with a few years of seniority under my belt in my unionized position in HSA, I knew when going into BC’s Phase One in March that my job in the healthcare sector wasn’t likely on the line. I knew that if I felt ill...

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed some major challenges for caregivers and parents. Parents who have lost income since the pandemic hit are facing new struggles to cover household expenses and stay afloat. And when schools shut down in the spring, parents needed to be resourceful and adapt quickly, making childcare arrangements and helping kids with online school. While many daycare...

“Everybody depends on somebody who depends on childcare.” By Samantha Ponting, HSA Communications The pandemic has shone a light on existing inequities in Canada, when it became very clear that some groups – such as precarious and racialized workers, women, seniors, and migrants – would be hit hardest by the health crisis and the hurting economy. Gaps in our social...

As the COVID-19 pandemic took root in BC this spring, HSA members working as health science and community social service professionals were on the frontlines where they saw the immediate impacts of this pandemic. As the pandemic has continued, HSA members have also seen other impacts of COVID-19 in their workplaces and their communities, including a troubling increase in domestic...

HSA is again calling on employers to improve supply of personal protective equipment and preventative occupational health and safety measures for health care workers working through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, all members are advised to ensure they have access to appropriate PPE, and to exercise their right to refuse unsafe work if the appropriate PPE is not provided. HSA...

A Provincial Election has been called; general voting will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Elections are an important time to engage in discussion and debate about the future of our province, our collective priorities and what programs and services are important to us, our families and our communities. HSA strongly encourages members to vote. The work we do...

Today we got some very exciting news! More than a decade ago, the CEO of Cambie Surgery Centre, Dr. Brian Day, launched a legal attack against public health care by seeking to strike down critical sections of the BC Medicare Protection Act. It has been a long hard fight, but today, BC Supreme Court Justice Steeves handed down a landmark...

BC's Health Minister, the Hon. Adrian Dix, joined HSA President Val Avery and HSA members on a special telephone town hall meeting on August 20 to talk about the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on British Columbians and our health care system. If you missed it, you can listen to the recording here.