Issues, Campaigns and Government Relations

Vancouver Pride Parade Sunday August 6; Register to participate by July 26 Vancouver Pride Parade is back this year, and HSA will participate in the BC Federation of Labour’s Multi Union Pride parade entry on Sunday, August 6 in downtown Vancouver on the stolen lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. Please join us in making...

For your information, the worksite at 13450 102nd Avenue (Central City) in Surrey will be behind picket lines tomorrow, Wednesday, July 18, 2023, as members of the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) at SFU continue to fight for a fair contract. They have been on strike since early June. TSSU members perform the majority of teaching work at SFU. Still...

On June 22, HSA and union members working in medical imaging received abrupt notice that Vancouver Costal Health Authority (VCHA) would begin reversing 13 years of consolidating operations of diagnostic imaging services within the four different health authorities in the Lower Mainland. The lack of employer consultation leading up to this decision has made the situation more difficult, but HSA...

HSA members working in medical imaging throughout the Lower Mainland received notice yesterday of a region-wide plan to move their services back to the original four health authorities. For the last 13 years, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has overseen the consolidated operations of Lower Mainland Diagnostic Imaging services within the four different health authorities in the Lower Mainland. HSA learned...

SWITCH BC which stands for Safety, Wellbeing, Innovation, Training and Collaboration in Healthcare is a new organization focused on the health, safety, and wellbeing of everyone working in healthcare in B.C. Part of the work of SWITCH BC is to do a refresh of the Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum, updating it and making it meaningful, effective and inclusive to healthcare...

In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City — a gathering place for young, mostly racialized members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Outside, the crowd that watched the bar’s patrons being herded into police vans became enraged. Before long, under the leadership of Marsha P. Johnson (who is said to have...

Release from the BC Health Coalition (BCHC) Today, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Cambie Surgeries Corporation’s (CSC) attempt to overturn previous decisions made by BC’s courts that upheld the BC Medicare Protection Act. This decision marks the end of the corporation’s lengthy legal battle to overturn key provisions in the BC Medicare Protection Act that ensure equitable access to...

HSA President Kane Tse today welcomed the momentous news that Dr. Brian Day and Cambie Surgeries Corporation’s assault on the public health care system in British Columbia has reached the end of the legal road with a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that it will not hear an appeal of the decisions of BC courts to uphold the...

Today, March 31st, is the International Transgender Day of Visibility – a day to recognize and honour transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people. This day of observance aims to increase awareness of the contributions made by the community but also the ongoing harms and marginalization the community faces. We are currently witnessing transphobic sentiments escalating in Canada and in...

Health Sciences Association, the union representing over 20,000 specialized health and community social service professionals in communities across BC, today welcomed new investments to rebuild a health care workforce depleted by three years of pandemic workload. “A crisis of serious proportions demands a serious response,” said Kane Tse, HSA President. “Today’s announcement of $995 million to support the provincial health...