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CEO Update - October 2024

2024 AGM and Conference

Thank you to everyone who attended this year’s 30th anniversary conference, Fresh Perspectives. It was wonderful to connect in person and we are grateful for your participation in sessions, networking events and at the AGM. For those attendees who have not yet filled out our post-conference evaluation, we would appreciate your feedback and comments. To show our gratitude for taking the time to complete the evaluation, CSSEA will be entering all responses (with contact details provided) into a draw for one of two 2025 full conference registrations – a $575 value each. CSSEA will close the survey at 5pm on October 25 and winners will be notified the week of October 28. CSSEA’s 2025 conference will be taking place in Kelowna from October 8-10.

Available speaker presentations have now been posted on our conference website. We will continue to add presentations as they are submitted.

2024-25 Board and Panels

Members met at their respective divisional panel meetings at last week’s AGM to select their 2024-26 panel representatives. We congratulate the following panel members, including two new members on the Community Living Services panel, Jennifer Fowler and Karen Hansen.

2024-2026 Community Living Services Panel Members
Fernando Coelho, PosAbilities Association of BC
Jennifer Fowler, Clay Tree Society (one-year term due to existing vacancy)
Karen Hansen, Shuswap Association for Community Living
Tammy Khanna, Independent Living Housing Society of Greater Victoria - Chair
Anita Sihota, Kyndred Community Living Society

2024-2026 General Services Panel Members
Valerie Janz, Interior Community Services
Ann Kutcher, Westcoast Family Centres Society
Darius Maze, Kiwassa Neighbourhood House
Tim Veresh, PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia

These members join the existing panels whose terms go on until October 2025.

2023-2025 Community Living Services Panel Members
Ryan Cucheron, Vernon and District Association for Community Living
Dawn Hein, Mission Association for Community Living – Vice-Chair
Tanya Sather, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion

2023-2025 General Services Panel Members
Sanjeev Nand, Langley Community Services Society – Vice-Chair
Jaye Russell, Sea to Sky Community Services Society - Chair
Rod Santiago, Archway Community Services Society
Judy Valsonis, Touchstone Family Association

Indigenous Services Panel Members
Melanie Hudson, Island Métis Family & Community Services – Chair
Adam Calvert, La Societé de les Enfants Michif (Métis Family Services) – Vice-Chair
Ginna Berg, Fraser River Indigenous Society
Bernadette Spence, Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services Society

We also congratulate Anita Sihota on her new appointment to CSSEA’s Board of Directors. She takes over the position vacated by Shari Mahar from Community Integration Services Society, who stepped off both the panel and board this year. We thank Shari for her many years of service.

Community Social Services Awards of Excellence

We thank all those who joined CSSEA in celebrating this year’s Awards of Excellence recipients in our sold-out awards ceremony. The event was emotional, uplifting and inspiring, and CSSEA is grateful for the opportunity to share the stories of our four outstanding recipients:

Rising Star – Darshan Nickolchuk, Nelson Community Services Society
Hero – Aaron Rivard, Westcoast Family Services Society
Leader – Maureen Hunter, Rivercity Inclusion
Legend – Vicki Kipps, Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Community Services

We thank TELUS for their longstanding support and for sponsoring the awards for the past nine years. Members who were unable to attend the awards can view this year’s recipient videos on our awards website. We also encourage members to consider nominating an outstanding individual for next year’s 10th anniversary awards, which will be celebrated in Kelowna on October 9, 2025. Nominations will reopen in the spring.

2024 AGM Resolutions

The membership passed two resolutions at the AGM that were proposed by the Indigenous Services panel:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT CSSEA further pursue Indigenous and decolonization practices and language in the Indigenous services collective agreement.

BE IT RESOLVED THAT CSSEA promotes education and training for all CSSEA agencies in Indigenous cultural safety and sensitivity.
CSSEA will present these resolutions to the Board at its next meeting in December and will keep the membership apprised of actions that they generate.

The Community Living Services Panel endorsed the action CSSEA has taken on its resolutions from 2023. The resolutions were:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT CSSEA Board will confirm that Treasury has released all required provincial funding as per CSSEA costing of the current collective agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT all provincial funders have dispersed, without further negotiations at the agency level, all monetary components, including mileage of the collective agreements

Since these resolutions were adopted, the Board established a Funding Process Working Group, which is developing process improvements to review with funding partners in advance of the 2025 round of bargaining. The intention is to provide improved certainty and clarity in the funding flow.

The General Services Panel did not suggest a resolution but did provide a recommendation that CSSEA investigate a trend of increasingly prolonged WorkSafeBC claims with WorkSafeBC, with an aim to identify the cause and explore available solutions.

Opportunities for Continued Learning

While the conference has concluded for another year, we encourage members to continue learning though My Leadership Hub. With generous support from the Federation of Community Social Services of BC, we are able to offer free access to seven labour relations modules until June 2025. Topics include performance management, progressive discipline attendance management, and more. The Leadership Hub will generate certificates of completion following an individual’s successful completion of each module.

To sign up for this valuable free resource, simply go to this membership page, select “Join Now” under basic membership and fill in your details. If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

INCLUSION Art Show and Sale

On behalf of CSSEA member, posAbilities Association of BC, we invite all members to attend its 20th Annual INCLUSION Art Show & Sale – BC’s largest diverse abilities art show. Attendees can expect to see the work of over 200 talented artists, including painting, photography, pottery and jewelry. Each piece is a unique expression of the artist’s story and talent. The show will be taking place October 23 from 10:30am to 7:30pm at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, in downtown Vancouver. Admission to the show is free and we hope you reserve time to attend this community and capacity-building event.

Communications Contact

Doris Sun
Director of Communications
604.601.3110
604.319.5010
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