News & Updates

By HSA President Val Avery Voting in our Provincial Election will take place this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. This is one year before our next fixed-date election, which would have been on Oct. 16, 2021. The reality is that – early election call or not -- this provincial election was always going to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Holding...

With mounting evidence of aerosol transmission of SARS CoV-19, and the impact of that transmission on the health and safety of members , HSA has called on HEABC to ensure access to appropriate PPE is available, and reminds members of their right to conduct individual point of care assessments with every patient or client interaction in determining the appropriate level...

By Zayn Wiwchar, HSA member In February and July of 2020, the Victoria branch staff of the Canadian Mental Health Association joined HSA and entered the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and the Community Bargaining Association (CBA) —a decision that has given me the opportunity to be a part of incredible changes in our office over the past year...

By Easter Tocol, HSA member “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”  “I’m not a racist, I have so many friends of colour.”  “Well, shouldn’t all lives matter?”  These are just some of the racist microagressions that I hear every day in the workplace.  It is usually not meant to hurt, and is done with little awareness...

By Jill Slind, Co-chair of the HSA Young Workers' Advisory Group As a full-time permanent employee with a few years of seniority under my belt in my unionized position in HSA, I knew when going into BC’s Phase One in March that my job in the healthcare sector wasn’t likely on the line. I knew that if I felt ill...

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed some major challenges for caregivers and parents. Parents who have lost income since the pandemic hit are facing new struggles to cover household expenses and stay afloat. And when schools shut down in the spring, parents needed to be resourceful and adapt quickly, making childcare arrangements and helping kids with online school. While many daycare...

“Everybody depends on somebody who depends on childcare.” By Samantha Ponting, HSA Communications The pandemic has shone a light on existing inequities in Canada, when it became very clear that some groups – such as precarious and racialized workers, women, seniors, and migrants – would be hit hardest by the health crisis and the hurting economy. Gaps in our social...

HSA MIGRANT JUSTICE WORKSHOP DATE: November 4, 2020 TIME: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm LOCATION: Virtual – WebEx details to followHSA is pleased to offer this one-day workshop facilitated by Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health Collective and Migrant Rights Network.It is estimated that there are now 70,000 people working under the Temporary Foreign Worker program here in British Columbia with an...

As the COVID-19 pandemic took root in BC this spring, HSA members working as health science and community social service professionals were on the frontlines where they saw the immediate impacts of this pandemic. As the pandemic has continued, HSA members have also seen other impacts of COVID-19 in their workplaces and their communities, including a troubling increase in domestic...

HSA is again calling on employers to improve supply of personal protective equipment and preventative occupational health and safety measures for health care workers working through the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, all members are advised to ensure they have access to appropriate PPE, and to exercise their right to refuse unsafe work if the appropriate PPE is not provided. HSA...