To: PSAC Locals/Branches in the B.C. Region
- Conference details: Friday – Sunday, November 25 – 27, 2022
- Conference location: Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, 7551 Westminster Highway, Richmond
- Application Deadline: Friday, October 7, 2022, 4 p.m. PDT
All participants are expected to attend the full conference.
We are pleased to inform members that the 2022 PSAC BC Regional Women’s Conference, will be held Friday, November 25 to Sunday, November 27, at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel. This conference is a fully funded event for participants.
More information about travel and loss of salary will be available as part of the full participant’s package which you will receive on confirmation of registration.
We encourage you to personally inform PSAC Sisters in your area to ensure they are made aware of this Conference. In workplaces where members continue to work from home, please share with your contacts or ask to post the information on the Union’s electronic bulletin board (if there is one at your workplace).
Conference Objectives
The objectives of the 2022 PSAC BC Regional Women’s Conference are to:
- Provide tools, tactics, and strategies to build personal and collective power to fight for Women’s rights both within the workplace and our communities.
- Further support and develop Women’s leadership within the PSAC and in our communities.
- Build a union culture that responds to and addresses the diverse needs of our Women members.
- Recognize and eliminate barriers to Women’s participation in our union.
- Recognize that Women are an integral part of our union and highlight Women’s contributions to the labour movement.
- Recognize the union’s role in reconciliation and plan an action-based reconciliation agenda.
PSAC BC Regional Women will gather together to learn, share, and strengthen the PSAC Women’s program under the theme “Bridging the Gap Between Talk and Action”.
There will be a session on the PSAC’s Gender Equity Task Force providing a status report on where PSAC is in eliminating barriers to Women’s participation in the union. This is a follow up to the Gender Equity Task Force consultation that took place the last convention cycle.
Additionally, participants will attend the workshop, “We Got This! Women and Leadership”. This workshop will focus on ways to further support and develop Women’s leadership within the PSAC and in our communities. The workshop will help participants to understand the need for Intersectional Feminist Leadership. The workshop will also help participants to consider the diverse forms of Women’s leadership and provide participants with tools and strategies to develop leadership capacity.
A Living Library, guest speakers and action planning sessions for the Regional Women’s committees are all scheduled Conference activities.
Conference Information
The conference will begin Friday, November 25, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. (with registration taking place from 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.). There will be a reception Friday night followed by our keynote speaker and the opportunity to socialize until 8:00 p.m.
All participants are required to attend the Friday evening event and the full conference.
The Conference will continue Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m and conclude on Sunday, November 27, 2022, at 12:30 p.m. (just after noon).
Information related to expenses will be provided on confirmation of participant status.
The PSAC COVID-19 Policy will be in effect throughout this Conference.
Accommodation for disabilities
The PSAC Accommodation Policy strives to ensure that PSAC events are barrier-free for members with disabilities. Once selected as a participant, members will be asked to specify their accommodation needs to facilitate their participation at the Regional Women’s Conference.
Family care
The objective of the PSAC Family Care Policy is to remove one of the barriers which prevents participants from attending Union activities and which provides for the reimbursement of family care expenses. A copy of the policy is available on the PSAC website at www.psacunion.ca/family-care-policy.
On-site childcare is intended to remove a barrier to a participants’ ability to attend at the conference and is provided only for those who could not otherwise attend, had the service not been available. Requests must be received no later than Friday, October 21, 2022.
PSAC policies: anti-harassment, scent-free and smoke-free environment
During the conference, and at all events associated with the conference, the PSAC Anti-Harassment, Smoke-free Environment and Scent-free Environment policies will be in effect. Please refrain from using scented products of any type.
If you have any questions with respect to the application form or the conference, please contact Kim Nguyen (NguyenK@psac-afpc.com / (236) 317-2644) or Patty Ducharme (DucharP@psac-afpc.com / (236) 317-1099)
Selection of Participants
If you are selected as a participant to this conference, you will be advised by email and or telephone call. Please ensure you provide us with your contact coordinates that you will have access to during the month of October 2022.
We look forward to having Sisters in the PSAC BC Region gather to strengthen the PSAC Women’s program at the national and regional level.
In Solidarity,
Jamey Mills
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Regional Executive Vice-President, BC
Karen Sutton
PSAC BC Regional Council
Women’s Coordinator