News & Updates

Five union members are running to replace outgoing president Val Avery at HSA’s annual convention on June 2 - 4, and they’ll be taking questions from members around the province at a telephone town hall set for Tuesday, May 25 from 7:00 to 8:30. The event will be hosted by HSA Board Director Mandi Ayers and moderated by Sussanne Skidmore...

On April 19, Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, tabled the first budget in 2 years. The headline announcement of Budget 2021 was the investment in a national child care system. This was a significant win for the labour movement and other child care advocates, but the fight continues at the provincial level. In an effort to support those organizing at...

As part of the union’s complaints and dispute resolution process provided under HSA’s constitution, each year the union establishes a Trial Committee, with election of the members of the committee held at the union’s annual convention, scheduled June 2-4, 2021. Any member may forward their name as a candidate for election to the Trial Committee. Members do not have to...

Below is information on two on-line leadership training opportunities HSA members may be interested in. Please note, both events meet the criteria for the union’s Political Action Fund. Members can apply to the fund to help access these events. Our Future Your Path The New Westminster & District Labour Council has launched registration for their local government leadership initiative Our...

Prominent voices in BC’s health sector are calling on the BC government to deliver a permanent paid sick leave program with coverage of at least ten days of worker wages. The appeal to government comes as new data from the Workers’ Compensation Board shows rising numbers of workplace exposures, and as BC’s health care system strains under high rates of...

Applications are now being accepted for funding to support HSA members who work under the Health Science Professionals Collective Agreement (HSPBA) and who are pursuing professional development. The continued funding was negotiated in the 2019-2022 collective agreement, with a $400,000 contribution to the fund each year. “I encourage members to apply to this fund to support their professional development, as...

As part of the Nurses Bargaining Association 2019-2022 collective agreement, HSA’s Registered Psychiatric Nurses and Registered Nurses are eligible for partial reimbursement of fees paid to the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM). The rate of reimbursement has been set at $215 per member. Please be advised that the deadline for licence renewals with the BCCNM was Friday, February...

The next meeting of the BIPOC Caucus will be held on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 6 to 8pm. This invitation is open to all members identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC). With HSA's Annual Convention coming in June, we will use our BIPOC meeting to: 1. Review resolutions related to BIPOC issues 2. Define goals and...

Jas Giddha has been re-elected to serve a two-year term as a member of HSA’s Board of Directors, representing HSA members in Region 7 from several worksites, including Surrey Memorial, Peace Arch, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack Hospitals, and the Fraser Valley Centre for Child Development. First elected to the Board of Directors in 2017, Giddha is a medical radiation technologist at...

HSA members have elected Janice Morrison to serve a two-year term on the union’s board of directors representing Region 9, which includes worksites in the Kootenays. A physiotherapist at Kootenay Lake Hospital, Morrison has been active in the union for 30 years, and previously served on the Board of Directors for 10 years from 2009. She served as secretary-treasurer from...