After many months of dialogue and deliberation by the Racial Justice Working Group, the Terms of Reference for the Racial Justice Committee has been approved by the Board of Directors. HSA would like to express deep gratitude to those who have participated in the creation of these Terms of Reference, the Racial Justice Working Group: Anita Bardal, Donna Barker, Sonia Andhi Bilkhu, Lisa-Navine Dodd, Tammam El-Khodor, Jing-Yi Ng, Satnam Sidhu, and Kane Tse.

Sherry Lewis, a family services worker at the Centre for Child Development in Surrey, has been appointed Regional Director to represent HSA members in Region 7 on the HSA Board of Directors.

Andrew Duarte, a Homeless Outreach and Prevention Counsellor at John Howard Society, has been appointed Regional Director to represent HSA members on the HSA Board of Directors.

His appointment comes following the resignation of Becky Packer, who was unable to continue in the role for personal reasons. Packer also served as the union’s secretary-treasurer.

Preparations for HSA’s annual convention and biennial elections of President and Regional Directors are underway.  Please note these important dates and deadlines:
 
52^nd Annual Convention
The annual convention is where delegates from around the province set the policies and priorities for the union, and includes debate on resolutions submitted by HSA chapters across the province.

Nominations are now open for Regional Director elections in HSA Regions 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. This is an excellent opportunity for members to serve on the HSA Board of Directors, contribute to the leadership of the union, and to represent the interests of other members. HSA’s Board of Directors comprises 10 Regional Directors elected by members from their region, and the President, who is elected every two years by delegates to the union’s convention.

HSA’s 52nd annual convention is set for Wednesday, April 19 to Friday, April 21, 2023 in Vancouver. The convention will be preceded by a full day of education workshops on Tuesday, April 18.

Deadline for submitting resolutions for consideration at the April convention is Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. All resolutions must be voted on by members at local union chapter meetings before being submitted to the union office.

Get involved on your HSA steward team
 

Elections will be held in many HSA chapters this fall and winter to select members to fill the following HSA positions for the coming year:

The dates have been set for HSA’s 2022 Annual Regional Meetings and member-at-large elections. After two years of virtual meetings, we are returning to in-person meetings throughout the province.

Annual Regional Meetings are a forum for HSA activists and members to connect with other members in their region, and to get caught up on the union’s work.

This year, HSA will be offering a video stream of the proceedings of Convention 2022 to allow all HSA members the opportunity to tune in to observe registered delegates debate resolutions forwarded from HSA chapters across the province, and set the union’s course for the coming year at the union’s 51st annual convention being held April 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver. 

HSA members have elected Heath McLeod to serve a two-year term on the union’s board of directors representing Region 8, which includes a number of worksites in Kelowna, Kamloops, and Thompson-Okanagan.