News & Updates

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 by RACHEL NOTLEY and YUKIE KURAHASHI There may be light at the end of the occupational injury tunnel for ultrasound technologists. A recent study found that 91 per cent experience pain or discomfort at some point during their sonography career. However, HSA has been working to expose the extent of the incidence...

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 by YUKIE KURAHASHI HSA is fighting to stop proposed layoffs at GF Strongs Prosthetics and Orthotics Services Lab. The Prosthetics and Orthotics Service provides a comprehensive program where medical specialists, orthotists, prosthetists, technicians, and physical and occupational therapists work together to provide the client with the device that will give the best...

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 by YUKIE KURAHASHI While on a three-month fact-finding mission several years ago, GF Strong Physiotherapist Ian Denison realized that it is difficult for most therapists to keep up to date on various equipment options for their patients. "It was very evident that clinicians working in the community, and even in the smaller...

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 by CINDY STEWART All eyes are on Alberta and the impact of Bill 11, the controversial health care legislation that passed third reading on May 11. I was attending the HSA Alberta Annual Convention the day following the Bills final reading and had the opportunity to hear directly from those who are...

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 Downtown Blanshard Advisory CommitteeWelcome! to 51 new members at the Downtown Blanshard Advisory Committee, a Community Social Services facility. Our new members work at nine sites in Victoria, and offer various family and community service programs. They work as youth and family counsellors, after school care workers, administrative assistants, outreach workers, child...

The Report: June / July 2000 vol.21 num.3 What are appropriate rules for the workplace? My employer wants to impose new rules that seem unreasonable to me. Are we required to comply? Canadian workers live every day with a variety of workplace rules that may dictate everything from their hair length to their footwear. In labour law, the employers power...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 If you are ever injured on the job, these are the people you need to know. Rachel Notley and Carol Riviere are HSAs WCB Officers. Should you ever have problems with your claim, they are there to help you, up to and including appealing a Workers Compensation Board decision. Many appeals deal...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 Sometimes, being a union organizer can be hard work, but it can also be one of the most satisfying and enjoyable jobs in the HSA office. Janice Davis, HSAs Organizer, enjoys every minute of her job. Often, non-union employees contact her directly to seek advice on how they can join HSA. But...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by RACHEL NOTLEY Although you may think it will never happen to you, 7,000 health care workers were injured or got sick on the job last year alone. Health care workers have the highest rate of injury in BC, and HSA members are no exception. In either case, there are benefits available...

The Report: April / May 2000 vol.21 num.2 by ALISON HIETANEN and CINDY STEWART What happens if you are injured so severely that you are not able to work for an extended period of time? What do you do if you develop an illness or condition caused by your work, so that you are no longer able to work? If...