NEWS & UPDATES
November 14, 2016
Union, B.C. private liquor stores push for pot to be sold in their stores
Recreational pot could be coming to a public or private liquor store near you. Read more...
November 14, 2016
WCB writes 11 orders on violence in the workplace - but more are needed
In June, members of your Component 1 Executive met with senior WCB officials advocating on how and what WorkSafeBC can do to reduce violence in all nine of BC's jails.
Representing the union was BCGEU Vice President & Chair of Component 1 Dean Purdy, Component 2nd Vice Chair Brian Campbell, component executive member Brandon Cox, and Staff Representative Mike Eso.
The issues raised at the...
November 11, 2016
Your sacrifice shall not be forgotten - Remembrance Day 2016
Today we honor and reflect on the sacrifice that those in our armed forces have made to protect our country and the freedoms we all enjoy. We also must not forget the sacrifices made by men and women in our armed forces in protecting other countries.
Remembrance Day commemorates the anniversary of the end of World War I. Since then Canada has been involved in many conflicts and peacekeepi...
November 10, 2016
A victory for students, teachers and public education in B.C.
On behalf of the 70,000 workers of the BCGEU, and as a parent myself, I want to congratulate the BC Teachers' Federation on their courage and determination in standing up for the children of this province. The BCTF was right to push back on the provincial government's attempts to decide by themselves what a classroom looks like. It's great news that the BCTF finally won the right to include cla...
November 09, 2016
BCGEU Correctional Officer presented with award for bravery
Last summer, BCGEU Component 1 member and Correctional Officer James Knighton was driving a fellow officer to the hospital in Nanaimo following an ERT training injury, when he witnessed a woman being badly beaten by a male.
The assailant was a very large, violent man, but Officer Knighton did not hesitate to jump out of the vehicle, restrain the man, allowing the woman to get to safety. Accord...
November 09, 2016
The best system for non-medical marijuana sales already exists - Op-Ed The Pr...
By Stephanie Smith & Damian Kettlewell
Love it or hate it, public retailing of non-medical marijuana is coming.
With that in mind, the most socially responsible way to sell it in B.C. is through our existing public and private liquor stores.
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals took office in October 2015, they did so with a host of mandates from Canadians. Former prime minister...
November 08, 2016
Honouring Aboriginal Veterans
On November 8 we, as Canadians, honor and celebrate the great contributions and sacrifices that Aboriginal peoples have made in defending Canada during times of war. Aboriginal veterans have participated in all major wars since the war of 1812 and enlist at a higher proportion than any other group in Canada.
For many, enlisting presented many challenges such as learning English, leaving the...
November 08, 2016
'For them, it’s like a game'
The B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union is calling a recent incident at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre another example of escalating violence in B.C. prisons. Read more...
November 07, 2016
B.C. prisoner spent nearly two years in solitary because of 'significant danger'
A prisoner recently spent almost two years in solitary confinement in a B.C. jail, but the solicitor general says it was not nearly as harsh as conditions in Ontario, where that province is embroiled in controversy over a prisoner left in solitary for four years. Read more...
November 07, 2016
KRCC, correctional facilities in B.C. will soon be equipped with naloxone to ...
A potentially life-saving drug for overdose patients will be introduced to prisons across B.C. and staff will begin learning how to administer it next week. Read more...
November 04, 2016
Violence continues at Burnaby Youth Custody Services
A violent incident occurred Sunday night at Burnaby Youth Custody Centre (BYCC). It is the latest in a string of incidents at the facility, and is yet another example of the escalating violence in BC prisons.
Two youths were involved in the incident, in which the youths set fires and destroyed equipment inside one of the units of the BYCC. This resulted in extensive damage.
This comes only th...
November 04, 2016
Nanaimo sheriff rushed to hospital after exposure to fentanyl
In the war on Fentanyl, Const. Justin Ickringill has gotten closer than any officer wants to be to the potentially lethal drug. Read more...
November 03, 2016
Component 1 Sheriffs Scheduling Annual Vacations
Your Component 1 Executive would like to remind you of your rights under the Public Service Agreement and the Correctional and Sheriff Services Component agreement when it comes to scheduling annual vacation.
Below is the language in the Public Service and Component agreements that outline the annual vacation process.
Public Service Agreement ARTICLE 18 –ANNUAL VACATIONS
18.3
With the ex...
November 03, 2016
How B.C.'s fentanyl crisis is affecting the safety of prisoners, guards
B.C.’s fentanyl crisis is no longer just on the streets, it’s entering correctional facilities and compromising the safety of guards, including a deputy sheriff in Nanaimo who was taken to hospital this week for exposure to a high-potency drug, likely fentanyl. Read more...
November 02, 2016
Behind the riot
Teens who participated in a riot at the Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre this past summer openly mocked a perceived lack of severe consequences, according to documents obtained by the NOW. Read more...
October 31, 2016
Prison Violence puts us all at Risk
Today your union is launching a campaign: Prison Violence puts us all at Risk.
The campaign addresses the increasing issue of violence and problems of overcrowding and higher inmate-correctional officer (CO) ratios in B.C.’s correctional centers.
We want to put pressure on the provincial government, urging them to:
Lower inmate to officer ratios
Agree to change WCB regulations and reduce...