Members looking for change in BC election

THE REPORT: APRIL 2013

"I simply can't contemplate another four years of cutbacks and the impact that would have on my community," says Region 1 Director Anne Davis.

Davis is one of several HSA members receiving support from HSA's political action fund to work full-time on a provincial election campaign. "I'm helping to elect Kassandra Dycke in Comox Valley. I work with women and their children who live in poverty or are experiencing violence, and I see their growing desperation due to cuts in the services they depend on. And as a union activist, I'm tired of the disrespect this government shows to the labour movement and the increasing loads on underpaid workers delivering social services in the community."

Cheryl Greenhalgh, a medical imaging technologist at Royal Columbian Hospital, is working to help elect Judy Darcy in New Westminster. "I want a government that will build the kind of society that I want to raise my family in – that cares for our vulnerable seniors, helps young families with child care, provides affordable post-secondary education for young people, and decent living wages for workers."

As a hospital social worker, Nancy Hay wants better alternatives to offer patients when they return home. "I'm working to elect George Chow in Vancouver-Langara, because I want patients to have the supports they need to be able to live healthier and longer in their own homes. I want improved compensation and rehabilitation for workers who are injured on the job, and a better future for my niece and her generation – where they can afford an education, and find employment that provides a living wage and benefits."

Adesh Kahlon, an ultrasound technologist at CML Healthcare, is working to elect Harry Bains in Surrey-Newton, because she wants a government that will address the needs of average people. "We need to improve existing services and restore things that have been taken away with budget cuts. We need better child care, services for special needs students and timely access to health care."

Improving health care is the main reason respiratory therapist Trevor Whyte is working to elect former HSA pharmacist Elizabeth Rosenau in Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows. "The current administration is eroding our health care system in ways that may soon be beyond repair. They pose as financial stewards, but are making reckless and unsubstantiated cuts to a public service that is not only a cornerstone of our society, but is one of BC's best economic and competitive advantages."
Members have many reasons for working on the election, but as Anne Davis summed up: "It's time for a change!"