HSP — Health Science Professionals

Health Science Professionals who work for regional health authorities are represented by a bargaining association.

PEA members — physiotherapists, pharmacists, psychologists and public health engineers — make up a small part of some 10,000 professionals.

Apart from PEA, other unions in the bargaining association include the Health Sciences Association (HSA), the BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) and others.

At Your Fingertips

Need Help?

Your Labour Relations Representative is:

Idil Farah, 250-385-8791 ext 111

Bargaining

Updates on bargaining the PEA-HSP collective agreement can be found here. Member login is required.

Enhanced Disability Management Program

Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP)

You can find out more information here.

Professional Development Funding

The chapter offers a variety of programs for HSP members to fund professional development:

  • HSPBA Pro-D funding
  • Chapter Bursary

You can find out more about chapter funding options here.

Collective Agreement

Request a Print Copy of the Collective Agreement

Request Print Copy of HSP Collective Agreement (1)

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HSP Executive

Chair: Ronda Field, 604-897-0189

Vice-Chair: Alyssa Beaven

Secretary-Treasurer: Cara Hills

Member-at-large:  Chloe Briggs

Member-at-large: Magda Kowalska-Villarroel

Member-at-large: Morgan Martin

Find Your Local Rep

Island Health Central & North Island

Morgan Martin

Island Health South Island

Vacant – to volunteer contact: Idil Farah

Interior Health (IH) – Thompson Cariboo Shuswap

Alyssa Beaven
250-319-7859

Interior Health (IH) – Okanagan

Cara Hills

Melissa Thompson

Interior Health (IH) – East Kootenay

Vacant – to volunteer contact: Idil Farah

Interior Health (IH) – Kootenay Boundary

Lynne Staples

Fraser Health – North

Anne Tulloch

Fraser Health – South

Ronda Field
604-897-0189

Fraser Health – East

Ronda Field
604-897-0189

Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission (FPSC)

Vacant – to volunteer contact: Idil Farah

Fraser Health and PHSA (BC Centre for Disease Control Services Commission)

Vacant – to volunteer contact: Idil Farah

Northern Health 

Martina Feldmann
(778) 838-3899

HSP AGM 2025

HSP Collective Agreement FAQs

Article 15 – Compassionate Leave

Regular employees are entitled to paid compassionate leave to deal with the death of a family member or relative as listed in the article. Members may also be granted paid time for travelling.

The time off for compassionate leave does not have to be consecutive and does not have to be at the time of death. The leave is for the purpose of grieving and the process of grieving for each individual is different.

Full-time employees are entitled to 22.5 hours for compassionate leave with an additional 7.5 hours available under the Article 20 – Special Leave provisions.

Members are entitled to take compassionate leave in the event of the death of a spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, (or alternatively step-parent, or foster parent) sister, brother, mother-in-law, father-in-law, legal guardian, legal ward, or grandparents, step-child, grandchild and relative permanently residing in the employee’s household or with whom the employee permanently resides.

Travel for compassionate leave

If travel is required, an additional 15 hours with pay are available under this article and an additional 7.5 hours under the Article 20 – Special Leave provisions. This time can only be claimed for travel on days when the member was scheduled to work.

The employer is obliged to honour requests for compassionate leave, and must make every effort to grant additional compassionate leave of absence without pay if requested by the member.

It is not necessary for a member to prove that she requires the time off.

Part-time members

Compassionate leave under Article 15 is not pro-rated for part-timers. However, the additional time off under Article 20 – Special Leave is prorated for part-timers.

Generally speaking, the purpose of these provisions of the contract is to ensure that members do not lose income because of the time off required to grieve a death in the family. Compassionate leave is not available if a member is on an unpaid leave of absence.

Let’s explain this. Alice, a full-time Pharmacist, loses her mother. Alice must travel to the United Kingdom for the funeral. Under the collective agreement she is entitled to 30 hours of compassionate leave and 22.5 hours for travel for compassionate leave. In total, Alice may take seven (7) workings days off to grieve the loss of her mother.

Transportation Expenses

There are three main sections in the collective agreement that relate to Transportation Expenses. They are all found under Article 26.

Mileage (Article 26.01)

The employer pays 52 cents a kilometre for business related mileage, with a minimum of $2.00 for each round trip. All work-related travel during the day is reimbursed by the employer.

Expenses (Article 26.02)

A member is also entitled to reimbursement for reasonable expenses related to travel, on the submission of receipts. Although employers may develop their own policies regarding expense claim reimbursement, such policies must be reasonable.

Expenses can include taxi fares, parking expenses, meals and accommodations, depending on the circumstance.

Insurance (Article 26.03)

When a member is required to use her car for work, the employer must pay the difference between the cost of auto insurance which the member would otherwise purchase, and the cost of insurance for business use.

Sometimes it’s easier to understand collective agreement language by using an example. Let’s say there is a Physiotherapist by the name of Samantha who works very close to her home and doesn’t need her vehicle to commute to work. Her employer assigns her to use her vehicle to visit patients in the community. According to this article her employer would be required to pay the difference between her business use insurance and her personal insurance. The employer would also need to pay her mileage at 52 cents a kilometre for any trips with a minimum of $2 for each round trip.

HSP Recent News

Read All Articles
PEA News,  
2025-2026 PEA-HSP Pro D Fund Applications Open
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
PEA News,  
HSPBA Update: Pay Rate
Friday, April 24, 2026
PEA News,  
P1 Pharmacist Qualification Differential Update
Tuesday, April 7, 2026

HSP Constitution

The name of the organization shall be the Health Science Professionals (HSP) Chapter of the Professional Employees Association.

Health Science Professionals Chapter objectives are:

  • To function as a chapter of the Professional Employees Association.
  • To provide a forum for the discussion of employment issues.
  • To determine the needs of HSP members regarding compensation and working conditions and to assist the Professional Employees Association in negotiating collective agreements covering members of the HSP as part of the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA).
  • To carry out other functions consistent with the Professional Employees Association Constitution as may be desirable for the welfare of HSP members.

Membership shall be open to all employees who are members of the bargaining unit of Health Science Professionals employed by member groups of the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC) or its successors for whom the Professional Employees Association is certified.

The Executive Committee of the HSP shall consist of four members, and up to five Members-at-Large elected every three years at the HSP AGM prior to the Triennial Association Convention. The Executive Committee shall appoint from among its members a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Secretary and a Treasurer . The HSP Executive will endeavour to ensure that the diversity of the HSP Chapter is represented within the Executive Committee.

The Chairperson shall preside over HSP meetings and, in their absence, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside.

A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be three members in addition to the pay Chairperson and in their absence the Vice-Chairperson, and shall have the authority to take such measures in carrying out HSP objectives as are consistent with the Professional Employees Association Constitution.

Should a vacancy occur on the Executive Committee, the remaining members may appoint a replacement from the HSP membership for the remainder of the instant term of office.

Decision of the Executive Committee shall be by majority vote, except that the Chairperson shall only vote in the case of a tie. The HSP Executive Committee shall appoint from among its members an Association Executive member. The term of appointment shall be three years, effective on June 1 in Convention years.

The Executive Committee shall request an expression of interest from members who may be interested in joining the HSP Executive Committee no later than 28 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.

Nominations may be put forward to the Executive Committee or to the PEA Office by any members of the HSP. The Executive Committee shall prepare a list of candidates who have signified that they are willing to stand for Executive office. Nominations may also be put forward during the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee shall put the list of standing candidates to the general membership for their vote during the Annual General Meeting. Voting shall be conducted through electronic or verbal means. Newly elected members of the Executive shall assume their duties at the time of election.

The date of the Annual General Meeting shall be set by the Executive Committee. The Annual General Meeting may be conducted virtually.

Other general meetings can be called by the Executive Committee, or, on a written request from at least 15 members. When a meeting is called by at least 15 members, it shall take place within one calendar month of the request being received by the Executive Committee.

A quorum in any general meeting, including the Annual General Meeting, shall be five per cent of members. Except as herein provided, HSP meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

The Executive Committee meets monthly. Members are encouraged to reach out to the Executive Committee if they have issues that they would like to discuss. Members may attend executive meetings as non-voting observers. Observers shall be aware that some discussions may require confidentiality.

Notice of the Annual General Meeting, agenda and ancillary documents (financials, requests for nomination, etc.) shall be delivered electronically not less than 28 days before the meeting.

A notice of and general meeting other than the Annual General Meeting shall be delivered electronically to each member or mailed to their last known address not less than seven days before the meeting is to be held.

Notice of meeting shall state the business to be transacted at the meeting.

This Constitution shall come into effect when approved by a membership vote. The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of HSP voting members.

Expressions of interest for delegates to the Association Convention shall be requested by the PEA Office. The PEA Office shall forward the names of interested members to the HSP Executive. Delegates to the Association Convention shall selected by the HSP Chapter Executive prior to the Association Convention.

Amended November 7, 2025

We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples and the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations on whose traditional territory we work.
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