Byelection raises lid on trash talk ... Young families pull up stakes for better life ... Secrecy, not urgency, cited on VIHA hire with ties to premier ... China and the oilpatch: Questions we need to ask ... Court system needs overhaul ... B.C. welfare housing allowance tears family apart ... HST limbo creates uncertainty in construction industry for 2012 ... Costly federal appointments office has nothing much to do ... Alberta donations scandal is wake-up call ... Harper's retirement agenda set to open up the battle lines ... Small spending cut wields big axe on government jobs ... Nurse practitioners in Canada more than double in five years ... Join the conversation ... Let's talk on February 12th ...

---

Burns Lake Needs Our Help!

"The whole town is basically the mill. Probably 80 per cent of the jobs in Burns Lake end right here"

Those were the words of a worker who witnessed the recent tragedy in the community of Burns Lake.

The USW has set up a fund for the workers at Babine Forest Products and their families. (see story below) I'm writing you to ask that you make a donation to the fund.

Funds raised will be distributed based on need, beginning with providing financial support to the families of workers who lost their lives, as well as those who were injured by the explosion.

The fund will also support workers impacted by the loss of the mill and the community of Burns Lake as a whole.

Unions have a proud history of standing up for the safety of all workplaces, and a prouder history of standing together in difficult times.

Please donate and send a clear message to the people of Burns Lake and specifically the workers and their families that we stand with them.

In solidarity,
Jim Sinclair, B.C. Federation of Labour

---

Let's Talk!

Start a conversation on February 8th

One in five Canadians suffers from mental illness, impacting countless lives and taking a heavy toll on our nation's economy. But mental illness carries a stigma, and many who suffer won't get the help they need because they're too afraid to talk about it. That's why UPN is proud to support Bell Let's Talk Day on February 8. For every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell customers that day, Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs.

Please join us in the national conversation. Together, we can change attitudes and make a real difference. To learn more, visit bell.ca/letstalk.

---

Nurses start bargaining: Protecting patient safety is their top priority

Nurses start bargaining: Protecting patient safety is their top priority

They're seeking measures to ensure patients have enough nurses to provide high quality care. Survey shows serious understaffing problems in hospitals, long term care and in the community.

Ensuring the safety of patients in BC's healthcare facilities is the priority for nurses, as they began bargaining this week for a new contract with the province's health authorities.

"It's all about providing safe staffing to ensure safe patient care," says Debra McPherson, President of the BC Nurses' Union. "Our goal at the bargaining table is to achieve ways to ensure patients have enough nurses on the job so they can receive safe and high quality care."

The nurses wrapped up the first two days of preliminary bargaining discussions with health employers yesterday (January 25). Bargaining will continue for two weeks beginning February 20.

Problems with patient safety and understaffing have been in the spotlight recently, as nurses have been forced to care for patients in hospital hallways, lounges and other areas not appropriate for patient care, including a hospital coffee shop. Health employers rarely provide more nurses to handle these increasingly difficult caring conditions.

"The pervasive understaffing that affects the safety of patients has become intolerable. Health employers need to recognize the severity of the problem and take action to address it at the bargaining table." McPherson says.

In a province wide survey last spring, a majority of nurses reported that normal nurse staffing levels are not adequate for the number of patients for whom they are required to provide care in hospitals, in community services and in long term care nursing homes. The concern is particularly overwhelming in hospital emergency wards, on medical units, in long term care and for case managers trying to find appropriate services for clients in the community. Members say that for much of the time, managers aren't even meeting their inadequate normal staffing levels.

In the survey, members put patient safety and safe staffing at the top of their priority list for bargaining. They also want job security for nurses, at a time when health authorities have been cutting back nursing staff to save money, failing to hire new nursing graduates into full-time positions, and refusing to backfill nurses who are off sick or on vacation.

The Nurses' Bargaining Association, includes the Union of Psychiatric Nurses, the B.C. Nurses' Union and the Health Sciences Association.

The provincial contract covering more than 30,000 nurses expires March 31, 2012.

---

Fund to support Babine workers and families launched by United Steelworkers

The United Steelworkers (USW) announced this week the launch of a fundraising campaign and the creation of a trust account to provide support to the workers of Babine Forest Products and their families in the wake of an explosion at the Burns Lake, B.C. sawmill.

"Since the tragedy at Babine Forest Products, we have been inundated with offers of support and assistance from other unions and union members all over the province and right across the country. The labour movement is a family, and union members join all British Columbians in mourning the loss of life and injuries to our brothers and sisters in Burns Lake," says Steve Hunt, USW Director for Western Canada.

Already the labour movement has responded, with a donation of $10,000 being made by the BC Federation of Labour. CUPE BC has also made a donation to the fund of $10,000.

"At the very heart of the labour movement is the notion of solidarity. Simply put, it means that when you're a union member, you'll never walk alone. And we are sending that message to the workers at Babine Forest Products, to their families and to the community of Burns Lake; we will stand with you, we will support you and you will not have to face this alone," Hunt says.

There are several ways to make a donation payable to the "USW Burns Lake Fund".

To donate in person:

Attend any branch of Community Savings Credit Union:

5108 Joyce Street, Vancouver B.C.1188 8th Avenue, New Westminster, B.C.
#900-7380 King George Blvd, Surrey, B.C.
#100-1125 Nicola Avenue, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
#205-4333 Ledger Avenue, Burnaby, B.C.
#103-2750 Quadra Street, Victoria, B.C.

Or

Drop off a sealed envelope containing your cheque at any B.C. credit union addressed to:

Community Savings Credit Union, 5108 Joyce Street, Vancouver B.C. V5R 4H1, Transit #11740

To donate by mail:

Community Savings Credit Union, 5108 Joyce Street, Vancouver, B.C. V5R 4H1

Or

USW District 3 Office, #300-3920 Norland Avenue, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 4K7

"We are grateful for the support of unions and their members during this difficult time. With your help and support, we'll ensure that our union brothers and sisters in Burns Lake can begin to rebuild the lives they have so proudly made for themselves and one another," says Hunt.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---