Month: July 2018

Water First donation put to good use!

Melissa Worobel

As you may remember, this year our union donated $200 to the organization Water First.  Below is an article showing the great work that Water First does in the community.  For more information check out their website at http://waterfirst.ngo/

 

HANDS ON WATER SCIENCE DAYS 2018
JUNE 25TH, 2018

Student from Kikendaasogamig Elementary School

Water quality testing workshopWater First visited Kikendaasogamig /Cape Croker Elementary School and the Chippewas of Nawash community for two days of Hands on Water Science Days in May, courtesy of NSERC Science Odyssey Days 2018.Students spent a fun, interactive first day with four in-class water science workshops learning about the effects of pollution in their watershed and examined freshwater insects under the microscope. Primary students were able to participate in a colourful, interactive storytelling workshop about water pollution and fish. We also flew a drone to survey the school area and neighbourhood to identify sources of pollution.Water quality testing in the environmentOn Day 2, students, teachers, workshop instructors and an indigenous local elder travelled by bus to Cape Croker Park in Sydney Bay for an exciting outdoor water science exploration, applying what they learned the previous day. After a short hike to a wetland area with water testing equipment, bug nets and identification cards, students took water samples to check water quality and searched for a variety of fresh water bugs and wildlife. The local elder shared traditional indigenous knowledge of the area, water and wildlife.

It was an exciting two days of interactive water sciences learning. The students, teachers, and administration of Kikendaasogamig School warmly and enthusiastically welcomed Water First staff, which made the event a memorable one.

Everyone at Cape Croker Elementary School

BCGEU reaches tentative agreement for public service workers

Melissa Worobel

The B.C. Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU) announced today that it has reached a tentative agreement with the B.C. Public Service Agency (PSA) for members working in direct government service.

“It’s been an intensive round of negotiations, sometimes stretching into the early morning hours, but we’re pleased to have reached an agreement for our public service members,” said BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. “Our members have faced growing service, workload and recruitment and retention challenges. But we believe we’ve made substantial progress in a number of key areas.”

The union secured a three-year tentative agreement with general wage increases in each year of the agreement, as well as targeted increases for some classifications, to deal with recruitment and retention issues in the respective ministries.

The union will engage with its members and provide a comprehensive report on the agreement before a ratification vote in the coming weeks. The BCGEU represents more than 27,000 members who are covered by the public service agreement.

(June 13, 2018)