Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations
HSA is calling on the province to expand presumptive coverage to community social service and health care workers. When a worker receives a formal diagnosis for a mental health disorder (such as PTSD) as a result of a work-related traumatic event or events, the presumptive clause is intended to make it easier to advance a Workers Compensation claim. We know...
Last week the BC NDP government announced a $95 thousand grant for the United Way to research the full impact of period poverty on people and families. According to the government press release, the initial project will distribute free products through 12 community agencies around the province and collect critical information to ensure future policies are meeting the needs of...
By Tim Lim Universal health care is an issue of national pride, shared among Canadians. Similarly, Canadians take pride in the beautiful nature encompassed in the country. Yet with recent climate change pressures – from hurricanes and floods to ravaging forest fires – the effects of climate change are threatening our ecosystems and becoming more intertwined with our daily health...
By Jennifer Edgar, HSA member I write to share what happened when union members at my worksite took action, with support from HSA, to address workload issues in our laboratory. Through working together to collect data, we successfully challenged the hospital’s method for calculating what constitutes “reasonable workload,” and we persuaded management to deliver concrete changes that have improved the...
Are you a young HSA member (35 and under) interested in increased young worker participation in the union? The union’s board of directors is seeking members aged 35 and younger to get involved in a five-member Young Workers’ Advisory Group. The Advisory Group’s purpose is to work to understand how HSA is relevant to young workers and how to encourage...
This morning Premier John Horgan and Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Services Judy Darcy launched The Pathway to Hope - a ten-year roadmap aimed at better supporting people and families experiencing mental health and addiction challenges. Among a number of initiatives, the plan includes enhanced access to counselling, more Foundry centres, child and youth teams connected to schools, and...
Click here to email your MP The federal Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare has released its final report, and recommends that Canada adopt a universal Pharmacare program that is comprehensive, accessible, portable, and public. The report marks a major step forward in the movement to establish a universal Pharmacare program. “This is our generation’s national project,” reads...
This week the Minister of Labour, Harry Bains, introduced two pieces of legislation that together dramatically increase protections for workers and their right to join a union. These are long overdue reforms, and it is welcome news to see the government take these first steps to restoring balance and fairness for working people. These reforms do not cover everything -...
Registration Now Open! Tools and tips to Stomp Out Period Poverty In B.C. and around the world, the menstrual equity movement is building. Across wo rksites, HSA chap ters are acting to make menstrual products more accessible and tackle taboos surrounding periods and period poverty. Access to menstrual products is a public health issue and a human right, and HSA...
A once in a generation opportunity to improve workers' legislation. Join us! A message from HSA President Val Avery Dear HSA members, I am writing to you today with an important request in our ongoing work to improve the rights, protections and benefits available to BC workers. We are at pivotal moment in time. The provincial government is about to...