CEO Update - October/November 2022

2022 Board and Panel Members

At this year’s in-person AGM, held in Vancouver, Panel and Board members were confirmed for 2022-24 terms. I congratulate Valerie Janz from Interior Community Services on her new appointment to the General Services panel and as always, thank all returning Panel members for putting their names forward and contributing their expertise and guidance to serve the membership. Your 2022-23 divisional panels are as follows:

Indigenous Services:
Chair: Melanie Hudson – Island Métis Family & Community Services Society
Vice Chair: Adam Calvert – La Societé de les Enfants Michif (Métis Family Services)
Kathleen Bennett – Inter-Nation Family and Community Services Society
Colleen Lucier – Lii Michif Otipemisiwak Family & Community Services Society
Bernadette Spence – Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services Society

Community Living Services:

Chair: Tammy Khanna – Independent Living Housing Society of Greater Victoria (2022-24)
Vice Chair: Dawn Hein – Mission Association for Community Living (2021-23)
Fernando Coelho – posAbilities Association of British Columbia (2022-24)
Ryan Cucheron – Venture Training (2021-23)
Dana Gorbahn – Gorbahn Professional Alternative Resources Inc. (2021-23)
Shari Mahar – Community Integration Services Society (2022-24)
Tanya Sather – Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (2021-23)
Anita Sihota – Delta Community Living Society (2022-24)

General Services:
Chair: Judy Valsonis – Touchstone Family Association (2021-23)
Vice Chair: Jaye Russell – Sea to Sky Community Services Society (2021-23)
Tyrell Arnold – Connexus Community Resources (2022-24)
Valerie Janz – Interior Community Services (2022-24)
Ann Kutcher – Westcoast Family Centres Society (2022-24)
Sanjeev Nand – Langley Community Services Society (2021-23)
Rod Santiago – Archway Community Services (2021-23)
Tim Veresh – PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia (2022-24)

CSSEA’s 2022-23 Board of Directors will consist of the following representatives:

Chair: Rod Santiago – Archway Community Services Society
Vice Chair: Ryan Cucheron – Venture Training
Treasurer: Dawn Hein – Mission Association for Community Living
Adam Calvert – La Societé de les Enfants Michif
Ross Chilton – Community Living BC
Keith Godin – Ministry of Children and Family Development
Shari Mahar – Community Integration Services Society
Adam McKinnon – Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction
Robert Pauliszyn – Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat
Tim Veresh – PLEA Community Services Society of BC

I thank Rod for continuing to serve as Board Chair, Ryan for continuing to serve as Board Vice Chair and Dawn for continuing to serve as Board Treasurer, and look forward to working with both member and government representatives in the year ahead.

2022 AGM and Conference

After holding CSSEA’s AGM and Conference virtually for the last two years, it was truly a pleasure to connect with members in person at this year’s event. I thank all those who attended Together and Forward last month, as your presence and participation contributed to making the event a success. My gratitude also goes to sponsors and exhibitors, who not only provided financial support, but also great energy and enthusiasm at our trade show. Conference presentations can now be accessed on the conference website. As we look towards the 2023 AGM and Conference, I encourage you to reserve October 25-27, 2023 in your calendars and hope to see as many of you as possible when we meet in Kelowna.

Awards of Excellence

This year’s conference also saw the awarding of four new recipients at the Community Social Services Awards of Excellence. It was an emotional and heartfelt luncheon and I would like to once again congratulate our 2022 winners: Rising Star - Angela Vermeer from Chilliwack Society for Community Living; Hero - Neil Cutler from Nanaimo Supportive Lifestyles Ltd; Leader - Lise Boughen from UNITI; and Legend - Kathy Stinson from Victoria Cool Aid Society. The awards were a success largely because of the generous financial support of TELUS, and I continue to extend my appreciation to the TELUS team for standing behind the achievements of our sector. If you missed the celebration, I encourage you to learn more about the four outstanding recipients by viewing their awards videos here. I also encourage all members to consider nominating a deserving individual when we launch the 2023 campaign next spring.

Upcoming Joint Job Evaluation Plan (JJEP) Webinar

Managers and Human Resources Advisors are invited to attend a free webinar on December 6 from 10am to noon that will address everything JJEP, including the creation and revision of job descriptions, as well as a review of relevant collective agreement provisions. Karen May, CSSEA’s Classification Analyst/Member Services Lead and Vanessa Wong, CSSEA’s Senior HRLR Consultant, will lead the session and address any questions members may have on writing job descriptions and understanding relevant sections of the collective agreements. Registration for this free session is required and can be completed online.

Bargaining Update

Collective bargaining with the Unions of the Bargaining Association (CSSBA) is currently on pause after continued negotiations that went into early November. While progress was made between the parties on a number of proposals and outstanding issues are being narrowed, there remain some sticking points — most notably in relation to wages and paid leave provisions. For the latest update, please see this CSSEA Info.

2021 CSSEA Fact Book

CSSEA’s annual Fact Book is now available and members can expect to receive a hard copy of the publication at their agencies. An electronic copy can also be downloaded here.