News & Updates

The following Occupational Health and Safety courses are being offered over the next few months. Please note that some courses are open only to OH&S Stewards who are members of their worksite's Joint OH&S Committee, while others are open to all HSA members. 1) HSA's Basic OH&S Steward course This two-day course will be offered at HSA's Vancouver office March...

New federal dollars welcome, but union will continue fighting for-profit careOTTAWA - Canada's second largest union warned today that Canada's First Ministers have only written the first prescription needed to protect and build the national Medicare system.James Clancy, president of the 325,000-member union, issued the warning after the Prime Minister and Premiers emerged from two days of behind closed door...

Globe and Mail ad argues that a contract-breaking B.C. premier can't be trusted with untied health dollarsShould strings be attached to increased federal health dollars to guarantee that provincial premiers like B.C's Gordon Campbell actually spend the money on health care?That's the question B.C.'s unions are asking in a Globe and Mail advertisement that runs across the country today as...

EB03-03 Spaces are still available for the Basic OH&S Steward workshop. The two-day workshop will be held at the HSA office, located at 300 - 5118 Joyce Street, Vancouver. dates: workshop 1: January 20 & 21, 2003 workshop 2: February 17 & 18, 2003 time: Monday, 9:00* am - 4:30 pm Tuesday, 9:00* am - 4:00 pm location: HSA Office...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by YUKIE KURAHASHI ammy Lohnes wishes for the day she’ll no longer be needed to do her work. Lohnes oversees the crisis line at SHARE Family and Community Services in Coquitlam. When someone in the North Fraser area feels so stressed they don’t know where else to turn, they often end up...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by PAUL DAYSON he day after World AIDS Day, Rick Barnes is reflective. It’s personal this year. Steven, his partner of six years, died from AIDS in June. Rick Barnes Communications Coordinator AIDS Vancouver “World AIDS Day had new meaning, and standing in line with a candle was a bit overwhelming,” said...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by BRUCE WILKINS Our employer is planning to unilaterally change our work schedules to 7.2-hour days. What do we do? Your employer must follow a process laid out in a memorandum of agreement. Appendix 7 of the current paramedical professional collective agreement arose as a result of numerous disputes with employers following...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by BRIAN ISBERG here is an old joke that starts, ‘I have some good news and I have some bad news. Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news, but unfortunately this is not a joke. The bad news is that the BC Liberal government's -New Era" in...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by RON OHMART ssues related to shortages of health science professionals come up time and time again in my dealings with employers and members. However, the government, the Health Employers Association of BC, and some health authorities continue to do everything possible to make working in a BC health care facility an...

The Report: January / February 2003 vol.24 num.1 by CAROLE PEARSON imberley is on the cutting edge of a changing health care system," according to Mayor Jim Ogilvie. But others say the city is facing a double-edged sword with a project that could make the community pay more for fewer medical services. The Interior Health Authority (IHA) gave Kimberley less...