BC’s queer resource centre QMunity, with Chef Billy Nguyen and the Bacchus Group, are hosting an intimate wine tasting at the Vancouver Heritage Hall for their annual fundraiser this year.

Date & Time: Sep 14, 2023 | 6:00pm – 10:00pm (Pacific)
Location: The Heritage Hall at 3102 Main St, Vancouver

Tickets: $156.54 each, available here

The opioid epidemic has become a mass poisoning crisis that affects everyone in the WISH community. Too many lives have been lost.

It’s incredibly difficult to express how deeply this impacts the community we serve. The consequences of inaction in the face of this crisis are seen and felt at WISH every single day.

To recognize #IOAD, participants and staff will gather to support each other as we struggle to understand these preventable tragedies. We will take a moment to build connections, discuss harm reduction, and share thoughts on what the day means to each of us as we remember those we have lost.

Stand with us as we combat stigma, meet people where they are, and do everything we can to prevent death by overdose.

You can learn more about overdose on the International Overdose Awareness Day website.

And please consider attending We Keep Us Alive – an event happening at Oppenheimer Park from 1-6pm today – organized by the Coalition of Peers Dismantling the Drug War (CPDDW), the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), and the Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS).

The BC Demographic Survey will help make BC more equitable and inclusive, by identifying inequities in government services and helping to ensure programs meet the needs of more people in British Columbia.

Please take part. It only takes 15 minutes.

Social justice consulting group Ikake Rising, in collaboration with the OCRCC initiative BIPOC Feminist Counsellors Coalition Building Project, offer a lengthy educational toolkit for supportive counselling from an anti-racism, anti-oppression & intersectional feminist lens, towards dismantling systemic inequities faced by BIPOC counsellors in the sexual assault support services sector. Download Healing Our Ancestor, Healing Ourselves and Our Communities here.

An extensive compilation of multi-media educational materials and informational resources are collected under different categories in Resilience BC’s Anti-Racism Tools online for anyone wishing to get more knowledge and join the struggle. View digital coursework, visit informative websites, browse recommended book lists, access free film and documentary content, or listen to audio on racial injustice, and how to combat it.

NWDLC & VDLC | Labour Day Volunteer Call | Sep 4                   Three volunteer shifts are available for the New Westminster & District Labour Council/Vancouver & District Labour Council celebration. The Labour Day event is volunteer-run and help is needed.       Date & Times: Monday, Sep 4, 2023 | 9:00am – 12:30pm | 12:00pm – 3:30pm | 8:30am – 2:30pm                Location: Edmonds Park at 7433 Humphries Ave, Burnaby

Contact: Kathryn Prinz labourdaykat@gmail.com with shift preference, e-mail and cell number

FRIS | Volunteer Call | Sep 30  :              The Fraser River Indigenous Society is recruiting volunteers in Maple Ridge for the September 30 Truth & Reconciliation event. Shifts and duties are outlined in the attached brochure.

Date & Time: Sep 30, 2023 | 8:00am – 4:00pm (Pacific)           Location: Memorial Peace Park at 11930 224 St, Maple Ridge                Contact: uwijeratne@plea.bc.ca

VDLC | Fall Meeting | Sep 19                          The next regular meeting of the Vancouver & District Labour Council will be held in hybrid format, with pizza provided for in-person attendees. Please register in advance for catering considerations.

Date & Time: Sep 19, 2023 | 7:00pm (Pacific)         Location: The Maritime Labour Centre at 1880 Triumph St, Vancouver

Registration: Click here to register by Tuesday, Sep 12

CLC | Women in Leadership | Oct 16-19                     By popular demand, the Canadian Labour Congress has decided to offer a second Women in Leadership course, held in the Lower Mainland for those unable to attend in Harrison. This course is open to any leaders who identify as women or who are gender diverse, including non-binary, gender fluid, gender-nonconforming or genderqueer leaders. View poster here.

Date & Time: Oct 16-19, 2023 | 9:00am – 4:00pm (Pacific) daily        Location: MoveUp office at 301 – 4501 Kingsway, Burnaby              Fees: $250 (includes lunch)

Registration: Click here to register by Friday, Sep 29

CCDI Consulting | Aug 7 Webinar Footage                 Sign up to access the free recording of last week’s “Indigenous Inclusion: Truth and Reconciliation” webinar (speakers Roy Pogorzelski and Akira De Carlos) from CCDI Consulting.

 CHSF | Letter to MP Template                   The Coalition for Healthy School Food has made a letter template for contacting MPs to advocate for healthy school food programs for next fall.

Possibility Seeds | Webinar & Skillshare Footage 2020-present                 Dozens of webinars and skillshare series created by Possibility Seeds over the last 3 years, on the theme gender-based violence in the post-secondary context and beyond, are available on their Youtube channel. Some meaningful titles:

          Anti-Colonial Approaches to Addressing GBV with Indigenous Communities

• “The Trouble with Girls in the Lab”
• Engaging Men on Campus Community of Practice
• Why Create Black Survivor Spaces on Campus?

WFTU | Global Labour Action News              Keep up to date with global solidarity actions on the World Federation of Trade Unions news site here.

Should you have any questions regarding this update, please email info@cupe.bc.ca for additional information.

In solidarity,

CUPE BC Executive Board

CUPE British Columbia

#410-6222 Willingdon Avenue

Burnaby, British Columbia

V5H 0G3

P: 604.291.9119

www.cupe.bc.ca

CODEMUH | Solidarity for Injured Gildan Inc Workers & Mass Layoff:         Urgent action is underway from CoDev Canada to support partner organization Honduran Women’s Collective (CODEMUH) in holding Canadian corporation Gildan Activewear Inc accountable as they will soon rob 2,700 workers of livelihoods following the closure of their San Miguel factory this month. CODEMUH is calling on Gildan to re-hire the workers at their other Honduran factories, and to compensate the 300 injured workers now left without medical and rehabilitation services, ineligible for disability pensions, and facing barriers to future employment. Sign the petition here going directly to the Gildan CEO, and share the cause on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (please tag CODEMUH and Gildan). The Honduran Women’s Collective statement is online here in Spanish and English.

Mark’s | 25% Summer Discount | Jul 23-29:     Members can download their discount brochure here to receive 25% off on all regular in-store purchases from Jul 23-29 at Mark’s throughout the country.

University at Buffalo | Inclusive Design Resources:   A large selection of urban infrastructure accessibility reports and accessible design guidelines are available to download at the U Buffalo Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access resources site, aiming to give a large-scale, research-informed perspective on accessibility in the urban environment.

Should you have any questions regarding this update, please email info@cupe.bc.ca for additional information.

Last year, WorkSafeBC accepted 81 workers’ claims related to heat stress injuries

Richmond, B.C. (July 6, 2023) — With temperatures on the rise across several regions of B.C., WorkSafeBC is reminding employers to be aware of heat-related risks to their workers — both indoors and outdoors — and to implement measures to keep workplaces safe.

As temperatures rise, so does the risk of heat-related illness. WorkSafeBC notes that heat stress claims have been increasing in recent years. Between 2018 and 2020, WorkSafeBC had an average of 41 accepted claims per year from heat stress. The number of claims increased to 115 during the heat dome in 2021, and remained elevated in 2022, with a total of 81 claims from heat stress.

Workers most at risk of heat stress include those working at farms, construction sites, restaurants/kitchens, and factories.

“Heat stress can lead to a range of health issues, including painful muscle cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening,” says Suzana Prpic, Senior Manager of Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC. “It’s important to recognize that heat stress is preventable, and all employers can take proactive steps to protect their workers in both indoor and outdoor settings.”

To prevent heat-stress injuries, WorkSafeBC requires employers to conduct a heat stress assessment. Once done, employers must develop a heat stress exposure control plan. The plan should include training and safe work procedures.

WorkSafeBC encourages employers to engage their workers and joint health and safety committees in discussions to identify hazards related to heat and sun exposure and determine how to eliminate or reduce the risks.

WorkSafeBC provides the following safety tips for employers and workers to stay safe in hot weather:

What employers can do:

• Ensure that workers are engaged in discussions about heat-related hazards, right at the start of each workday.
• Establish cooling areas with shade and water.
• Determine appropriate work-rest cycles; when a worker feels ill it may be too late.
• Rotate work activities or use additional workers to reduce exposure.
• Provide air conditioning or increased ventilation to remove hot air.
• Monitor heat conditions and require workers not to work alone.
• Ensure there is adequate first-aid coverage and emergency procedures are in place.

What workers can do:

• Drink plenty of water (one glass every 20 minutes).
• Wear light-coloured, loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabric, such as cotton.
• Take rest breaks in a cool, well-ventilated area.
• Do more strenuous physical work activities during the coolest parts of the day, before 11 a.m. and after 3 p.m.
• Know your personal risk factors, such as medications and any pre-existing conditions.
• Check the signs and symptoms for heat stress for yourself and co-workers.

Resources:

• WorkSafeBC provides tools and resourceson heat stress for workers and employers on its website and translates these into multiple languages.
• A new version of the booklet Preventing Heat Stress at Workis available online.
• WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation outline duties for employers:

o   Sections 7.27–7.32 are related to heat exposure.

o   Section 4.80 addresses indoor air quality, specifically temperature and humidity.

About WorkSafeBC:

WorkSafeBC engages workers and employers to prevent injury, disease, and disability in B.C. When work-related injuries or diseases occur, WorkSafeBC provides compensation and support to people in their recovery, rehabilitation, and safe return to work. We serve approximately 2.6 million workers and 270,000 employers across B.C.

For more information, contact:

Media Relations, WorkSafeBC
Email: media@worksafebc.com
Tel: 604-276-5157