Register Now for AGM and Conference
Registration is now open for this year’s AGM and Conference, Sparking Innovation, set to take place October 8-10 in Kelowna. Among some of the highlights of this year’s program will be a keynote address from Joyce Leppington on Truth and Reconciliation, a session on artificial intelligence and the non-profit sector, and a WorkSafeBC-led session on workplace psychological health and safety. This year’s conference will also feature our 10-year celebration of the Community Social Services Awards of Excellence, sponsored by TELUS. We encourage members to register before the discounted early bird rate ends on August 15. For full details, including a link to our registration page, please consult our conference website.
General Services Panel Vacancy
Executive Directors and CEOs in the General Services division are reminded that there will be one upcoming vacancy on their panel. If you are interested in getting involved with CSSEA’s governance, we encourage you to put your name forward by submitting a Candidate Form. For details on the roles and responsibilities of panel members, please consult our conference AGM page. CSSEA’s 2025-27 panel members will be selected at our AGM in Kelowna on October 8.
Supportive Housing Transfer to Health Sector
Since CSSEA announced in mid-June that government will be transferring 39 members where supportive housing is the dominant service to the health sector, CSSEA has met with the affected members alongside PSEC and HEABC. While the Order in Council formalizing the transfer was signed on July 10, HEABC negotiated agreements with the Community Bargaining Association, Health Sciences Professionals Bargaining Association and Nurses Bargaining Association to make both non-monetary and monetary provisions effective April 1, 2026 for all transferring employers. This extension will allow HEABC to work with Employers and Unions to negotiate transfer agreements and for Employers to become familiar with HEABC collective agreements. CSSEA will continue to work with all involved parties to coordinate the transfer and will communicate developments to affected members as they become available.
Essential Services Mediations and Collective Bargaining
The majority of the essential services mediations have been completed. Thank you for your time and commitment to this process.
CSSEA’s Bargaining Team met with the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) the fourth week of June to continue to discuss their non-monetary proposals and counterproposals. With the exception of one scheduled day for bargaining in August for the Indigenous Services collective agreement only, the remainder of the August bargaining dates have been cancelled by the CSSBA. Bargaining for all collective agreements will resume on September 2. CSSEA will continue to keep the membership apprised of key updates as they become available in the fall.
2025 Compensation and Employee Turnover Report Now Past Due
The June 30 deadline to complete this year’s Compensation and Employee Turnover Report has now passed, yet CSSEA’s Research and Knowledge Management team is still accepting submissions given the heightened importance of member data this year – a bargaining year. We ask all members who have not yet completed the report to do so at their earliest convenience. If you have any questions or need assistance completing the report, please contact research@cssea.bc.ca.
Annual Report: Final Call for Photos
CSSEA is still collecting member photos for inclusion in our 2025 Annual Report and we invite members who have images that showcase agency events, team members out in community, with individuals served, etc. to consider submitting. We ask that everyone pictured in your submitted photos consent to their image(s) being published online and in print. Please e-mail your photos to Doris Sun, Director of Communications, at dsun@cssea.bc.ca by August 8.
Complimentary Office Furniture
As part of CSSEA’s upcoming office move, we are offering gently used furniture to members at no cost. Items currently available include desks, chairs and filing cabinets – the full list and quantities available can be found here. Additional pieces may become available at a later time; we will update the list and re-share with members when new inventory is added.
Please note that pieces are available on a first-come-first-served basis and are to be picked up from CSSEA’s downtown Vancouver office around October 1st. If you are interested, please indicate the items and quantities desired through e-mail to Kate Chan, Senior Executive Assistant, at: KChan@cssea.bc.ca