News & Updates

Wednesday, June 14 7:30-9:30 PM Royal Canadian Legion123 West 15th (at Lonsdale), North Vancouver Come hear whats right and whats wrong about the planned -Primary Access Health Care Centre" to be built and owned by private developers on the grounds of Lions Gate Hospital. Speakers ... Richard Neal and Mary-Ann Abbs, BC Health Coalition Come out and give your views...

Burnaby—Free Adult Basic Education is a must to address BCs literacy challenge B.C. Federation of Labour President, Jim Sinclair said today in a presentation to the BC Legislatures Select Standing Committee on Education. Sinclair noted that among working-age Canadians, 3 million (14.6 percent) struggle with very serious literacy challenges, having difficulty with even the most basic written materials. The unemployment...

The Labour Peace Forum, taking place at the University of B.C. June 25 and 26, will feature discussion about trade unions' experiences in the peace movement around the world. Featured presenters include: Thulas Nxesi, the current President of Education International and the General Secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union; Abdulla Musin, International Representative of the Iraqi Workers' Federation...

The Report: June / July 2006 vol.27 num.3 by CINDY STEWART n the past month, Ihave been fortunate to spend some time with Dr. Michael Rachlis, ahealth policy analyst who has done extensive research on the state ofCanadas public health care system. Dr. Rachliss work generates a great deal of thought and comes at a time when Canadians are embroiled...

The Report: June / July 2006 vol.27 num.3 by SARAH OLEARY Even though it hurts, Ive been working with a job-related injury. Recently, its been getting worse. When should I file a WCB claim? How do I decide whether to take time off work? Our department is short-staffed, and there will be no one to replace me if I stop...

The Report: June / July 2006 vol.27 num.3 by LAURA BUSHEIKIN No meetings. No budget. No long-term plan. Just a deeply felt desire to honour three colleagues whod been injured in a violent workplace altercation. Thats how Shannon Breeze, a registered psychiatric nurse in Victoria, describes the origin of the Purple Ribbon Campaign she helped initiate at her workplace in...

The Report: June / July 2006 vol.27 num.3 by LAURA BUSHEIKIN The basic job description for Biomedical Engineering Technologists (BMET) sounds undeniably dry: they take care of medical equipment. But in reality the job is varied and interesting, involving a multitude of skills and demanding, occasionally, miracles, says Ron Fyffe, a BMET at Vancouver General Hospital, where he is also...

HSA members are invited to attend the official opening for the TELUS Tour for the Cure in Vernon on Wednesday, May 31 at 11 a.m. at the Village Green Mall. The TELUS Tour for the Cure is an informative and interactive exhibit that will travel to communities across British Columbia over the next eight months to promote the value and...

The Report, HSA's official publication published six times per year, has been awarded the Ed Finn Award for best feature story by the national 450-member Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM). The article "Health care workers face highest risk" by Carol Riviere and Yukie Kurahashi was an in-depth feature on workplace violence in the health care setting. It featured HSA...

Ottawa (23 May 2006) - The International Labour Organization has blasted the government of Canada in extraordinarily frank language for failing to uphold international labour standards that it is obligated to enforce. Ottawa has also been rebuked for not using its influence to bring offending Canadian provinces into compliance with the United Nations labour standards.Canada now ranks as the fifth...