Provincial Travel Advisory and Updated Resources (WorkSafeBC and PPE) - December 14, 2020

The Office of the Provincial Health Officer has advised that, at this time, all non-essential travel should be avoided. A full list of all province-wide PHO restrictions can be found here.

Employers are advised to explore options with employees who voluntarily disclose that they intend to travel outside the region so that a safe return to work can be facilitated. Additionally, employers are encouraged to review the following points when engaging in these discussions before employees leave on vacation:

1. Make employees aware of the PHO recommendation.
2. As of writing, there is no public health requirement for individuals to self-isolate after domestic Canadian travel or travel between regions in BC, as there is for individuals returning from international travel. As a result, employer direction to self-isolate would be employer-only required (eg. unless there is a public health direction issued that is applicable to an employee’s specific circumstances). Therefore this will most likely result in an employer having to continue to pay the employee for the duration of any employer-required leave period for self-isolation (see also below).
3. Vacationing employees may be informed to avoid non-essential domestic or inter-regional travel so that they remain compliant with PHO directions. Pending exceptional circumstances, employers would not be in a position to prohibit employees from travelling, although employee travel may result in consequential actions being taken, as discussed below.
4. Employees who travel may be encouraged to take additional paid time off upon return from travel (eg. vacation, accrued leaves) to cover for an isolation period upon return to the region. This would require agreement with the employee and ability to schedule additional leaves.
5. Regardless of when an employee returns to work, current WorkSafeBC COVID-19 health and safety plans require employees to complete a self-assessment prior to entering the workplace and to declare that they are symptom free and not a public health risk.
6. An employer who remains concerned about a returning employee presenting an elevated risk to individuals served and other staff may consider temporary options such as: the feasibility of the employee working from home with pay, in a separated work space wearing PPE, on shifts where the employee would not have direct contact with others, etc.
7. If the employee needs to be placed on an unpaid leave, support them in their application for the two week Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB).…

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April 1, 2021 2% General Wage Increase (GWI) and $20M Low Wage Redress (LWR)

CSSEA and CSSBA have agreed on the distribution of the April 1, 2021 Low Wage Redress, effective the first full pay period following April 1, 2021. Wage schedules outlining the hourly wages can be found here.

LWR increases are meant to reduce the difference in pay between Community Social Services jobs and similar jobs in the Health Sector. The LWR has narrowed the gap significantly for all classifications and grid levels and closed the gap completely for some.

In April 2021, Grid 10 classifications at step 4 will be 1.0% away from their equivalent classifications in Health, and many Paraprofessional classifications at Step 4 will fully catch up to their equivalent classifications in Health. Some Paraprofessional classifications will be 11.7% away from their equivalent classifications in Health, owing to the recent changes in the Health Sciences classification system.…

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Nov 20, 2020 - COVID-19: What Employers Need to Know About Latest Provincial Health Officer Order

On November 19, 2020, BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry issued an Order calling for all individuals and places of work to significantly reduce social interactions and travel immediately, until at least December 7, 2020 at midnight.

The latest Order also includes a province-wide mask mandate, meaning employees and clients (excluding children under two and those unable to wear a mask) must wear masks in indoor public and retail spaces (except when eating or drinking), and in workplace common areas, including elevators, hallways, group or break rooms, kitchens and customer counters. Office-based employers should temporarily suspend their efforts to get employees back to their workplace and instead, support work-from-home options wherever possible.

Members are reminded that they should review their COVID-19 Safety Plans and continue to encourage employees to monitor themselves daily and to stay home if they have symptoms. More information on reviewing and updating those plans can be found on WorkSafeBC’s website. Employers should also ensure that their agencies are able to maintain safe physical distancing for both employees and clients.…

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Nov. 16, 2020 - Upcoming Paramedical Services Benefits Improvement

Employers are reminded that, as of April 1, 2021, an important paramedical service benefit improvement will be implemented.

In negotiations leading to the 2019–2022 sectoral collective agreements, the parties had some funding remaining within the Sustainable Negotiations Mandate. In negotiations, priorities for the allocation of these monies were agreed upon, subject to final costings of the priority benefits within available funding. The top 3 priorities were:

• Removing the $10/visit reimbursement cap for paramedical services under the Extended Health Care Plan, effective April, 1, 2021;
• Reviewing other enhancements to paramedical services and the Extended Health Care plan, no later than April 1, 2021; and
• Labour Adjustment Education Fund and funding for health and safety and violence prevention training;…

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Time Off For Employees to Vote October 24, 2020

A provincial election will be held Saturday, October 24, 2020. Pursuant to the sectoral collective agreements between CSSEA and the Community Social Services Bargaining Association and the Election Act, employees are entitled to a minimum number of hours off without loss of pay during voting hours. Polls will be open 8 am to 8 pm on Election Day.

Employees Covered by Collective Agreements

According to Article 20.5 (Elections) in the collective agreements:

Any employee eligible to vote in a federal, provincial, municipal, First Nation or other Indigenous election or a referendum shall have four consecutive clear hours during the hours in which the polls are open in which to cast their ballot.

Employers are not obligated to grant each employee four hours off work to vote where unnecessary. Rather, employers must provide sufficient time away from work to make up a four hour block of time during the period that the polls are open.…

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Oct. 6, 2020 - Update on New Federal Pandemic Support Programs

This is an update to the CSSEA Info published on April 24, 2020 regarding the various federal programs to support employees and employers during the pandemic. This CSSEA Info focuses on three new programs to replace the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and support employees facing employment challenges during the pandemic.

On October 2, 2020, the COVID-19 Response Measures Act (formerly Bill C-4) received Royal Assent. Part 1 of this Act is the Canada Recovery Benefits Act, and it creates three new temporary recovery benefits to support Canadians who are unable to work for reasons related to COVID-19. These benefits will be in place for one year beginning September 27, 2020 and expiring on September 25, 2021. As of October 5, 2020, employees will be able to apply for the following benefits through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). These benefits will be paid on a weekly basis, and employees will have to apply for each week they are eligible.

1. Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) of $500 per week for up to 26 weeks per household for employees unable to work for at least 50% of the week because they must care for a child under the age of 12 or family member because schools, day-cares or care facilities are closed due to COVID-19, or because the child or family member is sick and/or required to quarantine or is at high risk of serious health implications because of COVID-19. Key eligibility requirements include:…

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2020 Annual Report Now Available

CSSEA’s 2020 Annual Report, containing excerpted highlights from our approved audited financial statements, is now available.

If you have any questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Director of Communications.…

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Sept. 24, 2020 - Important Update on Temporary Pandemic Pay Submissions

Further to CSSEA’s communication on September 16, 2020 instructing employers on how to submit their claims for BC’s Temporary Pandemic Pay program, CSSEA has been notified by government of several significant updates:

1. The email address originally provided is invalid. Claims must be re-submitted to the correct address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If you already submitted a claim to the email address that was previously communicated, it will not be received or validated.
2. Service providers with approved subcontractors are responsible for submitting one claim that includes the eligible hours for the subcontractor’s eligible employees – this is added on a separate line and by program(s). Providers will need to coordinate this directly with their subcontractors to ensure the accurate number of employees and hours worked during the 16-week period. Once validated, providers will also be required to ensure the funding is accurately disbursed to subcontractors to pay the employees claimed. Arrangements for this are entirely the responsibility of the service provider.

The Excel claims template and instructions can be found here. Submissions will be accepted until October 31, 2020. If you have technical questions on the Excel template, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .…

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Sept. 18, 2020 - Municipal Pension Plan: Important Time-Sensitive Information

BC’s Municipal Pension Plan (MPP) has come to an Agreement in Principle (AiP) with its plan partners − who represent both employers and employees and share oversight of the plan − on a number of proposed changes that, if approved in spring 2021, will come into effect on January 1, 2022. The proposed changes are intended to improve overall plan equity and align benefits with how a majority of members use them, while not increasing costs. They include improvements to the lifetime pension (excluding the Bridge Benefit to age 65) and should result in a reduction in pension costs for employers.

From now until October 23rd, MPP is actively engaging with members on the proposed changes and asks for employers’ support in sharing information. The primary communications vehicle is a comprehensive project website https://www.mppredesign.ca/ which includes materials, FAQs and an online calculator for Group 1 active members, which covers all CSSEA member employees.

As CSSEA does not have a representative on the MPP Board, you are asked to direct your comments and questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , who has been assigned by MPP to answer queries from our sector. General questions can also be directed to a call centre, which will operate from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday to Friday until October 23, 2020. The call centre can be reached at 1.877.251.0997. A succinct summary, including links to a number of key resources created by the MPP Plan Partner Working group, can also be accessed here.…

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Register Now for Virtual 2020 Conference

CSSEA is pleased to invite you to register for this year’s virtual conference, “Community Social Services (CSS) Resilience in Uncertain Times - COVID-19.” This year’s conference will be a condensed one-day event that will take place on October 14, 2020 from 9:30am to 3:00pm. Given the continued need to understand the implications of the pandemic on our sector, as well as discuss ways to mitigate potential future waves, CSSEA and the member Conference Planning Committee felt it was important to devote the entire conference to the subject. The following are just some of the topics that will be covered:

• WorkSafeBC COVID-19 Guidelines for the Community Social Services Sector
• Mental Health Challenges and Experiences
• The Front Line Experience – Delivering Essential Services During a Pandemic
• The New BC Community Social Services Health & Safety Council – Vision and Mandate

Sponsored by WorkSafeBC

CSSEA would like to acknowledge and thank WorkSafeBC for sponsoring this year’s virtual event. Because of their generous support, we are able to offer access to the conference free of charge and will be making the session open to the community social services sector. We encourage you to register early in order to secure your spot. Registration can be completed online and a link to access the conference will be emailed to all registrants one day prior to the event.…

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