The Report

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN "I love what I do. I can't believe I get paid for it." HSA member Eric Cheng is a respiratory therapist at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody, and a co-founder of the Canadian charity Respiratory Therapists Without Borders. Being a respiratory therapist (RT) puts Cheng on the front lines of health...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 HSA members are looking ahead to the May 9, 2017 provincial election, and getting the training they need to make a real difference. Stasia Hasumi is already jumping in with both feet. "I've been a community activist for a while, but after serving on HSA's Political Action Committee last year, I saw how important it...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2016 BY DAVID DURNING, HSA OHS OFFICER In recent months there have been reports of hazardous asbestos abatement incidents in several BC health care facilities and labs. This is potentially exposing workers and members of the public to deadly asbestos fibres. It's estimated that more than 145,000 Canadian workers are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces...

Nadeem Zia (centre, blue tie) HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JULY 2016 Surrey Memorial Hospital pharmacist Nadeem Zia was recently invited as a guest speaker to the 19th International Pharmacy Conference and Exhibition in Lahore, Pakistan. “I was very interested to go so I started planning the overseas trip,” said Zia. “My first challenge was getting vacation time, and the second was...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JULY 2016 Q: I have been following the recent announcement that our pension plan is making changes to retiree benefits in 2017 – including eliminating subsidies for dental coverage. As someone planning to retire in about 10 years, I’m wondering if I can count on benefits still being available when I retire. If not, I may have...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE JULY 2016 BY VAL AVERY, PRESIDENT I am very proud of what we have achieved in the last 45 years. I am especially proud of what we have been able to achieve in these last few years. In the face of governments determined to squeeze our members for every penny, we have adapted, finding ways to achieve...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE JULY 2016 As HSA adapts to a changing world and chooses to be a stronger, more innovative union, the Local Leadership Training program will provide members with cutting-edge training and professional skills to improve HSA workplaces, protect our professions and build a stronger union. HSA members face increased pressure from governments and employers, attacks on our members'...

Jas Giddha is justifiably proud of this bulletin board HSA REPORT MAGAZINE, JULY 2016 BY LAURA BUSHEIKIN "My goal is pretty simple: to make a positive difference in any way I can," says Jas Giddha, a medical radiation technologist at Surrey Memorial. This goal fuels Giddha's work, his HSA involvement, and his many other volunteer activities. In fact, Giddha has...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE JULY 2016 The outcome of the May 2017 provincial election will have a huge impact on HSA members, and the patients and clients we serve. "HSA is a non-partisan union, and proudly so," says HSA President Val Avery. "But that doesn't mean we won't warn our members –or the public – about dangerous, short-sighted policies proposed by...

HSA REPORT MAGAZINE JULY 2013 Activists from around the province gathered in early June for a conference on occupational health and safety. The OHS conference provided an opportunity for OHS and Enhanced Disability Management Stewards to come together, share experiences and find solutions to health, safety and injury prevention concerns in their workplaces. Seventy-five activists spent time in plenary sessions...