Hello members of the BC-Yukon Region!
Fall is already here and I wanted to share some of the things that have been happening since the last newsletter, and provide an update of what’s going on in PIPSC and our region.
To view the stylized version of this newsletter, please click HERE.
Big news is that PIPSC has hired a new Chief Operating Officer, Stan McLellan, who started on October 6th. Prior to his official start, he joined the September Board of Directors meeting to introduce himself, and later that month, he attended an all staff meeting and held a Q&A. I am excited to work with him and feel he will continue to stabilize the organization so we can focus on supporting our members, especially as the government continues to make cuts.
Speaking of which, work force adjustment (WFA) is one of the biggest concerns we are hearing from members and we are doing what we can to support members who are affected by WFA. If you would like to know more about the process please visit https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/understanding-work-force-adjustment for more information. If you are identified as someone under WFA, please reach out to a steward who can help you navigate the process.
In other big news, a new website and member/steward portal is coming soon. I have seen a preview and am very excited for its release. It will be much more modern, streamlined, and personalized, so whether you are a steward or member, you will have an account with relevant information. The website will also be much easier to navigate. It will be launched around the AGM this year, so look for that.
Advanced Labour School was held in April and had a full complement of stewards in attendance. The courses on Grievance Handling and Performance Management received positive feedback from attendees. The course on Performance Management was especially interesting and resulted in Peter MacDougall (Regional Executive and president of the Northern BC branch) and myself being invited to Prince Rupert in May to present the course to our members there. I appreciate Katie Beach for inviting us and for the members who joined both in person and virtually.
Look out for the next edition of our newsletter for highlights of the 2025 Steward Council and National AGM, and more!
In Solidarity,
Morgan Cranny
Director, BC-Yukon Region
Here are some photos from recent meetings and outreach events across the region:
Attended the joint Yukon Hospital Corporation (YHC)/Yukon Branch AGM
Met up with members of Environment and Climate Change Canada
My first time in the Elijah Smith building visiting members of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)
I got to try glass blowing with YHC/Yukon Branch members. What a cool event!
The Yukon Branch, in conjunction with the BC-Y Young Professionals’ Committee (YPC), held a very fun Cosmic Bowling event. I love events that allow folks with children to participate!
I attended the BC Federation of Labour Regional Conference held in Kelowna. It was interesting to hear speakers from such a broad range of provincial unions and see how they face similar challenges but also have very unique situations as well. It was nice to finally meet my Public Service Alliance of Canada counterpart, BC Regional Executive Vice-President Jamey Mills, too!
The BC-Y Regional Council this year was held in Parksville on Vancouver Island and was really successful. The President of PIPSC, Sean O’Reilly, came and spoke to the members and held a Q&A. We also had a presentation from Christine Poirier, Manager of PIPSC's National Policy Office, about WFA.
We had elections for several positions on the BC-Y Regional Executive, where 2 incumbents and 3 new members joined the executive. A subcommittee of the Regional Executive, made up of Dean Corda, Lauren Kunimoto, Terri D'Souza, and lead by Katrina Johnston, had taken on the task of reviewing the BC-Y bylaws. There were 19 bylaw amendments brought forward and all were passed by the delegation. The Awards committee, made up of Dean Corda, Phillip Mantler, Katrina Johnston, and Terri D’Souza, selected Andre Youssef as the 2025 Executive of the Year, and Xiolan Wang for the Executive with Distinction award.
There were 3 other events during the Regional Council; a YPC dinner on Thursday evening, 80’s music bingo on Friday evening, and a nature walk on Saturday after the meeting. I would like to thank Alicia Lunz, BC-Y Regional Executive, for pulling together great 80’s entertainment (including lots of balloons!), and Alan Messner, President of the North Central Vancouver Island Branch, for helping select this beautiful location for our 80th Regional Council and for leading members on the informative and beautiful nature walk!
The brand new Surrey-White Rock branch had a lovely pottery event. These events help build solidarity in fun and creative ways.
The YPC created a number of Dine Out events in collaboration with Branches across the region. These events bring members together for a fine dining experience in their community for an evening of conversation and connection to help build a strong network within each Branch.
We had a member engagement event in Surrey following a Regional Executive meeting in August. The weather was lovely and we had a great turnout.
Please note the New Balance shoe crew!
Former BC-Y Regional Director Rob MacDonald, Greater Vancouver Branch Vice-President Mike Langlet and a Branch member, Derrick Kwok, attending a labour day event in Vancouver.
I was happy to speak at the Victoria-CRA subgroup AGM
Thanks to Philip Mantler, BC-Y Regional Executive chair and Okanagan Branch President, and the Okanagan Branch Executive for inviting me to speak at their AGM!
The next day before heading home, I tagged along to the Summerland Research Centre where President O’Reilly and the President of the RE group, Eric Hortop, met with members and learned about their research.
I was able to join the Vancouver-CRA subgroup AGM on my way back from the Okanagan AGM. AFS BC-Y Regional Rep/Chief Steward/Treasurer, Simon Chiu, and AFS president, Doug Mason, were in attendance as well!
The Victoria Branch has an annual BBQ that brings together lots of members and I was honoured to be invited to speak to everyone.
Finally, sometimes you bump into a fellow member unexpectedly and decide to take in a local sporting event! I was in Ottawa for a Board of Directors meeting when I ran into Terri D'Souza, BC-Yukon Regional Executive and our regional representative on the Science Advisory Committee, at the PIPSC office who was there for a SAC meeting. Unfortunately the BC Lions lost to the Ottawa Redblacks, but it was fun!
Calling all Yukon Hospital Corporation members!
We need you! Times are challenging and now more than ever we need folks to step into the role of steward to help protect you and your fellow members in the workplace. The prospect can sometimes seem daunting, but you will be trained and supported throughout your stewardship.
So…
Do you like to help out your colleagues? https://pipsc.ca/labour-relations/stewards/becoming-a-steward/become
Do you know or want to know your collective agreement inside out? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EDhrSy41UQT6UV9BP080r0cgzxbUaz3n/view
What are you waiting for? Sign up to become a Steward with PIPSC!
https://pipsc.ca/labour-relations/stewards/forms/steward-application-form
Have any questions? Feel free to reach out to your YHC Stewards https://pipsc.ca/groups/yhc/stewards or to me, mcranny@pipsc.ca
We are excited to announce that we are now on Discord! Why do we have this Discord channel? This channel is here to help BC and Yukon members stay connected, share updates, and coordinate events or discussions more easily. It gives us a space to chat informally, ask quick questions, and keep our community active without relying on long email threads or scattered messages.
Invite link: https://discord.gg/9JR7QgSMTD
BC-Yukon Member Spotlight
Meet Alicia Lunz! Alicia is a SH member with the Fraser Valley Branch, working for Correctional Service Canada (CSC) as a Nurse. Alicia is an active member and steward of PIPSC and currently holds many group and regional positions, including CSC Regional President of Consultation for the NCR, CSC National Consultation Communication Officer, Vice-Chair of the BC-Yukon Regional Executive, BC-Yukon Young Professionals’ Committee Executive, Secretary/Treasurer of the Fraser Valley Branch, Nursing Member at Large on the SH Executive, and the BC-Yukon member on the Official Languages Inclusion Team. Fittingly, Alicia received the BC-Yukon’s Executive of the Year award in 2023!
Terri D’Souza, Secretary on the BC-Yukon Regional Executive, sat down with Alicia to find out more about what drives her to be an involved PIPSC member:
What made you decide to become an active member of PIPSC?
I’ve always been a “stand up for the little guy” kind of person, so I fell into unionism naturally.
What made you decide to become a steward?
In 2019, when I worked at a maximum security prison, I had two colleagues experience violence in the workplace. We had reported a Right to refuse dangerous work to the employer, and unfortunately there was not a lot of guidance on what to do, so I decided to become a steward to learn more about our rights and how to address workplace concerns.
What has been your favourite PIPSC event since becoming a member?
I organized an 80’s music bingo event at this year’s 80th Regional Council in Tigh-Na-Mara. It was so fun to dress up and sing some oldies!
What do you feel has been your most memorable or impactful contribution to the membership so far?
Helping a group of nurses at Matsqui Institution with a Right to refuse dangerous work case. I had dedicated many hours to this case and helped members from across the Pacific region, which contributed to significant improvements in the workplace for CSC nurses. I also held health and safety seminars and events that helped raise the profile of PIPSC in the workplace. This further resulted in the members having a renewed faith and interest in the union. The nurses nominated me for Executive of the Year in 2023 for my contributions.
If you would like to recommend someone to spotlight in the next newsletter, please reach out to me at mcranny@pipsc.ca