CEO Update - July 2024

CEO and Bargaining Tour

The CEO and Bargaining tour commenced last week in Surrey with a fulsome and productive discussion on bargaining objectives, challenges, aspirations and realities. It was wonderful to meet my Fraser Valley-based colleagues and I thank everyone for their insightful input. The tour continues on Vancouver Island this week and I invite leaders and managers who are excluded from the bargaining unit to attend. Registration can be completed here. All meetings will start at 930am with the following locations remaining:

If you prefer to e-mail your issues to a confidential mailbox, please do so at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

2024 AGM and Conference

Registration is now open for CSSEA’s 2024 AGM and Conference, Fresh Perspectives, taking place October 9-11 in Vancouver at the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel. Aside from offering an exciting program of professional development workshops, this year’s conference will celebrate CSSEA’s 30th anniversary, as well as our ninth Community Social Services Awards of Excellence, sponsored by Telus. I encourage members to register before the early bird rate expires and hope to connect with you this fall.

CSSEA Staffing Announcements

I am pleased to announce that Vanessa Wong has been promoted to Manager of HRLR within the HRLR Department effective immediately, to provide additional support to the professional HRLR staff and Mark Slobin, Executive Director. In her new role, Vanessa will be involved with departmental mentorship, administration and all strategic HRLR initiatives, including collective bargaining activities. Please join me in congratulating Vanessa, who also just reached an outstanding milestone of 25 years of employment with CSSEA!

CSSEA will also be welcoming a new HRLR Advocate, Andy Lee, at the end of July. Andy has been engaged in the practice of law for the past few years after being called to the BC Bar in 2022. Prior to practicing law he attended Law School at UBC where he was awarded the Norton Rose Fulbright Prize in Labour Law. Andy also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and speaks Cantonese. In addition to Andy’s appointment, CSSEA will be adding to its HRLR staffing in the Fall and more information will be shared soon.

Get Featured in CSSEA’s 2024 Annual Report

CSSEA would like to feature members’ photos in this year’s Annual Report. If you have high resolution images showcasing the work being done at your agencies, whether it be with individuals served, as part of community events, or with staff, we would love to hear from you. Please send photos featuring individuals who have provided prior consent to Doris Sun, Director of Communications, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The deadline for submission is July 26.

Upcoming Joint Job Evaluation Plan (JJEP) Webinar

Managers and Human Resources practitioners are invited to attend a free webinar on July 23rd from 10am to noon that will address everything JJEP, including the creation and revision of job descriptions and related collective agreement processes. CSSEA’s Karen May, Classification Analyst, and Jon Paul Dicks, Compensation Consultant, will lead the session and address any questions members may have on writing job descriptions and understanding related collective agreement language/processes. Registration for this free session is required and can be completed here.

2024 Compensation and Employee Turnover Report Now Past Due

The 2024 Compensation and Employee Turnover Report is now overdue and I strongly encourage those who have not completed their reports to do so as soon as possible. As members are aware, data compiled by Turnover Reports directly inform government’s development of the next bargaining mandate and the funding needed to support changes to the collective agreements. With the sector going into bargaining again soon, this year’s submissions are crucially important. I thank all of you who have already taken the time to complete your submissions. If you have any questions on report completion, please e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .