The Professional

Effective Conservation and Restoration

Bad science circulating on social media compelled Alina Fisher to return to academia to help set the record straight.

The UVic Research Manager had completed a bachelor’s degree with a focus on zoology at the University of Alberta in 1997. Soon after, she began a master’s program in environmental biology but paused her studies as she and her husband welcomed two daughters one year apart.

Fifteen years later, the rise of fake news and misinformation in the social media age instigated her return to graduate school, this time with a new focus: science communication.

“My Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds were constantly flooded by pseudo-science—wrong claims that sound scientific,” Fisher explains. “I thought, why don’t I try to do some work that figures out why this is going on? Why this is so prevalent?”

In 2017, Fisher completed the master’s program in professional communication at Royal Roads University, where she was a finalist for the Governor General’s Gold Medal for her work exploring how social media messaging affects the public’s understanding of conservation issues.

Two years later, she began her PhD in environmental studies at UVic. Her doctoral research straddles two worlds—natural science and the social sciences.

The science communications focus is for scientists, she notes.

“Those of us in the sciences, we’re excited about things we do, but nobody ever taught us how to communicate with people who aren’t already in our field,” she says.

It’s territory Fisher is amply qualified to chart.

Bad science circulating on social media compelled Alina Fisher to return to academia to help set the record straight.

The UVic Research Manager had completed a bachelor’s degree with a focus on zoology at the University of Alberta in 1997. Soon after, she began a master’s program in environmental biology but paused her studies as she and her husband welcomed two daughters one year apart.

Fifteen years later, the rise of fake news and misinformation in the social media age instigated her return to graduate school, this time with a new focus: science communication.

“My Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds were constantly flooded by pseudo-science—wrong claims that sound scientific,” Fisher explains. “I thought, why don’t I try to do some work that figures out why this is going on? Why this is so prevalent?”

In 2017, Fisher completed the master’s program in professional communication at Royal Roads University, where she was a finalist for the Governor General’s Gold Medal for her work exploring how social media messaging affects the public’s understanding of conservation issues.

Two years later, she began her PhD in environmental studies at UVic. Her doctoral research straddles two worlds—natural science and the social sciences.

The science communications focus is for scientists, she notes.

“Those of us in the sciences, we’re excited about things we do, but nobody ever taught us how to communicate with people who aren’t already in our field,” she says.

It’s territory Fisher is amply qualified to chart.

Examined side-by-side, the historic photo and the repeat photo give researchers a better understanding of climate change and other ecological processes over time, and can inform what kind of restoration work may be effective.

Fisher notes that the changes visible in the contemporary photos compared with the historic ones are stunning. “You can see the effects of climate change on the treeline and glaciers, and the effects of having eliminated cultural burning by First Nations. A lot of the forests have infilled. They used to be much more open, but now, without the cultural burning that used to take place, they are just jam-packed. Jasper, for example, is shocking.”

Fisher’s thesis has two parts. One focuses on wildlife that inhabit the eastern slope of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, investigating where they live and in what numbers, and how they are responding to landscape changes caused by factors such as climate change and development.

The second part focuses on the social science and communications aspects of this subject. How do the people who reside in these areas perceive current efforts toward species conservation and the restoration of species? Are there differences in attitude between people who live in the region compared with those who don’t?

“I’m hoping my research is going to help inform more effective conservation and restoration where wildlife are concerned,” Fisher says.

In addition to studying photographs, she will conduct focus groups to speak with people about their perceptions of the effectiveness of conservation and how it has impacted those who live near and around wildlife.

This is the one area of her research that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the most part, her work and studies continued as usual during the lockdown, only from home instead of in the office or classroom. But the restrictions prevented her from traveling to the Rockies to meet with her focus-group participants in person, an inconvenience that delayed her work by about a year, she estimates.

If anyone can make up for lost time, it’s Fisher. She is the type of person who gets things done. She sets her schedule and sticks to it, delivering on time and never asking for accommodation. Without hesitation, she will restrict her own free time in order to be there, in full, for her teen daughters, her family, her work and her education.

“Apparently I thrive on being ridiculously busy,” she laughs, adding that her time-management skills were honed in part while completing the project management professional (PMP) designation during the early years of her career at UVic.

Throughout her PhD studies, she has not asked for extra days off from work and uses vacation days when her research requires time away. She knows her department would support her if she needed an accommodation, but thus far she hasn’t.

“I work with amazing people,” she says. “My department is really collegial, and they support my work and the fact that I have this dual role—both as an employee and a student.”

Significantly, her family has also supported her continuing education. When she was preparing for her doctoral comprehensive exams and needed to study all day every day for an extended period, her husband took over primary care of their daughters. The girls understood that their mom had important work to get done. Fisher passed her exams, thanks to their support.

Fisher has only one time-management trick to share, and it’s about intentionality: be mindful and present, no matter what you’re working on. “It’s making sure I’m not being piecemeal, because then it feels piecemeal all the time,” she explains.

As another school year kicks off, and another round of collective bargaining begins for the UVic PEA chapter, Fisher expresses gratitude for the support of her employer and union.

“I have been so impressed with what has been done by those involved with collective bargaining,” she says. “I’ve gone through it a number of times; I’ve never been unhappy with the outcomes.”

This fall, she’ll also be teaching a class on science communication. The enrolment numbers show how quickly this emerging field is growing: the course was full within a week of opening.

With the vast amounts of science news—real and fake—flooding social media, Fisher and her colleagues in the scientific community have their work cut out for them.

“I believe that misinformation spreads because it touches us deeply; it creates an emotional connection. Whereas science is stated matter-of-factly, and hence only exciting to us scientists,” Fisher explains.

“In part, scientists need to learn how to communicate clearly (without jargon) and connect with our target audiences (to allow that emotional connection). But also, science communication scholars can help people understand how misinformation may be targeting them to manipulate them to spread it.”

Adds Fisher, “I don’t think we’ll ever be free of misinformation on social media, but I’m hopeful that we’ll learn how to inoculate people against it.”

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The PEA has been focused on collective bargaining in 2021 and 2022, with all chapters at the table at one time or another. Thank you to PEA members for supporting their bargaining committees, and of course to our bargaining committee members for making such a significant commitment.

While bargaining is important for addressing key member issues, so are awareness building and continuous lobbying of key stakeholders. Our members and staff have been busy in this regard as well. For example, in the lead up to bargaining, the PEA worked with its chapters on a variety of campaigns to build public awareness and lobby government on important issues. These included the following actions:

o Multiple meetings with government to raise awareness of the inequities faced by GLP members when it comes to pay for responding to emergencies like wildfires and floods. Members met with BC’s parliamentary secretary Jennifer Rice and with a large number of MLAs. Our meeting with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth included a tour with PEA engineers of a bridge on the Coquihalla highway.

• A campaign to raise public awareness around recruitment and retention issues for professionals within the public service, which reached 320,000 people on social media.
• Meetings with the Ministry of Health leadership to discuss the significant recruitment and retention issues faced by health science professionals.
• A video produced by the Family Maintenance Agency chapter promoting the value of the work our lawyer members do. The video reached 62,000 people through social media.
• Multiple submissions and a presentation to the province’s Standing Committee on Finance focused on various chapter priorities and the need for government action. This committee makes recommendations on the 2023 BC budget.

Public Sector Bargaining and Wage Offer

The Public Sector Employers’ Council (PSEC) has been tightly controlling public sector bargaining on the employer side since the mid-’90s. This trend continues in 2022. With such a consolidated approach on the employer side, it is imperative that BC’s public sector unions maintain a coordinated approach. The BC Federation of Labour helped us to achieve this by organizing regular meetings of the affiliate unions under PSEC wage mandates. These meetings were an opportunity to articulate priorities and share strategy and information.

Under the PSEC regime, it is the large unions like BCGEU and HEU that set the wage pattern for the public sector. Full cost of living protection was not achieved, but these increases are much higher than any reached since PSEC was put in place. For example, the average annual increase over the period from 2011 to 2021 was 1.68 per cent.

The GEU tentative agreement was reached after job action. Thank you to our Victoria members who supported GEU members on the picket line. Given the importance of a fair wage settlement, GLP members voted 91 per cent in favour of their strike vote, and FMA members voted 92 per cent in support of theirs. The PEA does not strike often, but these are certainly interesting times.

Members in the BCGEU and HEU will finish voting on the settlements in mid-October.

Inflation is a major concern for our members and for workers generally. The Bank of Canada continues to aim for a CPI (consumer price index) of 2 per cent, in a range of 1 to 3 per cent.

The following table from the Conference Board of Canada and TD Bank sets out CPI projections for British Columbia:

So definitely interesting times on the bargaining front and more broadly with global uncertainty, rising interest rates and the fact that so far in 2022, inflation has hardly budged.

Scott McCannell
Executive Director

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Bad science circulating on social media compelled Alina Fisher to return to academia to help set the record straight.

The UVic Research Manager had completed a bachelor’s degree with a focus on zoology at the University of Alberta in 1997. Soon after, she began a master’s program in environmental biology but paused her studies as she and her husband welcomed two daughters one year apart.

Fifteen years later, the rise of fake news and misinformation in the social media age instigated her return to graduate school, this time with a new focus: science communication.

“My Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds were constantly flooded by pseudo-science—wrong claims that sound scientific,” Fisher explains. “I thought, why don’t I try to do some work that figures out why this is going on? Why this is so prevalent?”

In 2017, Fisher completed the master’s program in professional communication at Royal Roads University, where she was a finalist for the Governor General’s Gold Medal for her work exploring how social media messaging affects the public’s understanding of conservation issues.

Two years later, she began her PhD in environmental studies at UVic. Her doctoral research straddles two worlds—natural science and the social sciences.

The science communications focus is for scientists, she notes.

“Those of us in the sciences, we’re excited about things we do, but nobody ever taught us how to communicate with people who aren’t already in our field,” she says.

It’s territory Fisher is amply qualified to chart.

Not only does her PhD fuse science and science communications, it also incorporates her role at UVic as a manager of environmental research projects.

In 2004, Alina and her partner moved from Alberta to Victoria, where Fisher’s husband, Jason, was a PhD student (he is now an adjunct professor in the department of environmental studies). That same year, she joined the staff at UVic, beginning in Research Services then moving into her first PEA position as a project manager at the Laboratory for Automation Communications and Information Systems Research.

In 2008, she made a key professional move: she accepted a new PEA position, this time as a part-time research manager in the environmental studies department—the same department she is now a PhD candidate in.

In this role, Fisher has her fingers in many different pots. She works with the faculty on grant administration, starting from the preparation of grant applications and the hiring of researchers (students and non-students alike) to the purchasing of specialty equipment needed to do the work. She also helps collect, manage and analyze scientific data resulting from the research, and prepares it to be shared with the granting institution and the scholarly community.

The very first project she worked on—and one she continues to be involved with—has informed part of her doctoral research. The Mountain Legacy Project is an online archive of historic survey and contemporary repeat photos of the

Canadian Rocky Mountains, designed with the objective of demonstrating changes to the landscapes over time. The project team is in the process of retaking some 120,000 original surveyor photographs—many dating as far back as the 19th century—of the Alberta and BC Rockies as well as coastal BC.

Examined side-by-side, the historic photo and the repeat photo give researchers a better understanding of climate change and other ecological processes over time, and can inform what kind of restoration work may be effective.

Fisher notes that the changes visible in the contemporary photos compared with the historic ones are stunning. “You can see the effects of climate change on the treeline and glaciers, and the effects of having eliminated cultural burning by First Nations. A lot of the forests have infilled. They used to be much more open, but now, without the cultural burning that used to take place, they are just jam-packed. Jasper, for example, is shocking.”

Fisher’s thesis has two parts. One focuses on wildlife that inhabit the eastern slope of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, investigating where they live and in what numbers, and how they are responding to landscape changes caused by factors such as climate change and development.

The second part focuses on the social science and communications aspects of this subject. How do the people who reside in these areas perceive current efforts toward species conservation and the restoration of species? Are there differences in attitude between people who live in the region compared with those who don’t?

“I’m hoping my research is going to help inform more effective conservation and restoration where wildlife are concerned,” Fisher says.

In addition to studying photographs, she will conduct focus groups to speak with people about their perceptions of the effectiveness of conservation and how it has impacted those who live near and around wildlife.

I’m hoping my research is going to help inform more effective conservation and restoration where wildlife are concerned. –Alina Fisher

This is the one area of her research that was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the most part, her work and studies continued as usual during the lockdown, only from home instead of in the office or classroom. But the restrictions prevented her from traveling to the Rockies to meet with her focus-group participants in person, an inconvenience that delayed her work by about a year, she estimates.

If anyone can make up for lost time, it’s Fisher. She is the type of person who gets things done. She sets her schedule and sticks to it, delivering on time and never asking for accommodation. Without hesitation, she will restrict her own free time in order to be there, in full, for her teen daughters, her family, her work and her education.

“Apparently I thrive on being ridiculously busy,” she laughs, adding that her time-management skills were honed in part while completing the project management professional (PMP) designation during the early years of her career at UVic.

Throughout her PhD studies, she has not asked for extra days off from work and uses vacation days when her research requires time away. She knows her department would support her if she needed an accommodation, but thus far she hasn’t.

“I work with amazing people,” she says. “My department is really collegial, and they support my work and the fact that I have this dual role—both as an employee and a student.”

Significantly, her family has also supported her continuing education. When she was preparing for her doctoral comprehensive exams and needed to study all day every day for an extended period, her husband took over primary care of their daughters. The girls understood that their mom had important work to get done. Fisher passed her exams, thanks to their support.

Fisher has only one time-management trick to share, and it’s about intentionality: be mindful and present, no matter what you’re working on. “It’s making sure I’m not being piecemeal, because then it feels piecemeal all the time,” she explains.

As another school year kicks off, and another round of collective bargaining begins for the UVic PEA chapter, Fisher expresses gratitude for the support of her employer and union.

“I have been so impressed with what has been done by those involved with collective bargaining,” she says. “I’ve gone through it a number of times; I’ve never been unhappy with the outcomes.”

This fall, she’ll also be teaching a class on science communication. The enrolment numbers show how quickly this emerging field is growing: the course was full within a week of opening.

With the vast amounts of science news—real and fake—flooding social media, Fisher and her colleagues in the scientific community have their work cut out for them.

“I believe that misinformation spreads because it touches us deeply; it creates an emotional connection. Whereas science is stated matter-of-factly, and hence only exciting to us scientists,” Fisher explains.

“In part, scientists need to learn how to communicate clearly (without jargon) and connect with our target audiences (to allow that emotional connection). But also, science communication scholars can help people understand how misinformation may be targeting them to manipulate them to spread it.”

Adds Fisher, “I don’t think we’ll ever be free of misinformation on social media, but I’m hopeful that we’ll learn how to inoculate people against it.”

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For 29 years, the PEA has been giving scholarships and bursaries to PEA members and their families. This year, the Awards Committee was pleased to double the amount of  $1,000 scholarships and award 20 PEA members and their relatives who are profiled here.

A total of 108 scholarship applications were received and those that met the eligibility criteria were entered into a random draw.

In addition, the number of bursaries was also doubled this year and 20 awards of $500 each were given to the following members: Laurel Albina, Nick Hamilton-Balyi, Clayton Botkin, Eleanor Good, Miranda Harvey, Daniel Hogg, Loretta Laurin, Wilson Li, Subodha Senanayake Liyanage, Megan Nicholls, Lauren Odobas, Colin Park, Jeremy Pearce, Jennifer Pennock, Mark Rankin, Nour Sahib, Anna Stemberger, Anna Tobiasz, Joeanne Tran, and Catherine Wiersma.

Applications for the 2023 scholarship and bursary awards will reopen in the spring. For more details visit pea.org/bursaries

• Madison Tait
  As a grade 12 student, I’ve received early acceptance to UNBC, where I plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in psychology and then potentially apply for a teaching degree.
• Quinn Tobin
  My goal for my education is to get a degree as an environmental engineer and hopefully, eventually educate others on the importance of combatting climate change
• Paige Owens
  Once finished my education I will have a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of the Fraser Valley and I plan to work in a hospital and gain further experience once graduated.
• Mily Yasue
  I am taking Russian and Ukrainian now in Slavic studies and although I don’t know what my future job will be, maybe I will be able to work for the Canadian government since I also am fluent in Japanese.
• Janneke Beckers
  I hope to focus on a career in the social sciences and am particularly drawn toward understanding how social cultures change over time due to worldwide events.
• Victoria Kalyniuk
  I am in my second year of marine biology with minors in ocean science and business, and after graduating I hope to get a job in marine research and restoration.
• Luke Hanson
  As a nursing student at UNBCO, my future goal is to become a nurse and then pursue further education to become either and NP, physiotherapist or nurse manager.
• Jessica Derow
  After my mental health and addictions program is finished, I plan to continue my studies by getting either a teaching degree or a degree in criminal justice.
• Timothy Mellings
  My plan is to obtain a bachelor of engineering and then work in the field for a number of years before going back to school for a master of architecture.
• Erin Hall
  I am working to complete a masters of science in natural resource management at UNBC and hope to work as a research silvicultural ecologist or in a position that bridges forest stewardship and ecosystem and habitat management.
• Nova Long
  I am currently finishing my first year of elementary education at the University of Victoria and my goal is to become a French immersion primary teacher in the public school system.
• Raven Van Netten
  I have been accepted to University of Guelph and to the veterinary technology program, which will allow me to take the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become a registered vet tech.
• Declan Cook
  I want to pursue a career as a professional, so after getting a first degree I will be applying to grad school or law school. I am interested in social and environmental issues.
• Emma Moore
  I have chosen to follow in the footsteps of my parents by entering public service. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree of education at the University of Alberta, with the hopes of returning to Northern BC to begin my licensed career.
• Silas Leske
  After earning a bachelor’s degree of applied sciences at UBC, my goal is to work as a chemical engineer in a research capacity.
• Mary Falade
  After completing my bachelor of arts in psychology, I plan to work in the areas of marketing, communications and design and also pursue a masters of business administration.
• Paige Deedman
  In the fall, I will be attending the University of Victoria to study languages and global development, with the hope of one day becoming an international development worker.
• Zofia Svec
  My goal is to finish my studies in sociology, political science and geography in my undergraduate degree and hopefully pursue a masters degree in political sociology or evidence-based social policy in the future.
• Himmat Dhadli
  My goals are to become a future engineer so that I can create more sustainable and efficient technologies that positively impact society.
• Randeep Nota
  My education will directly impact my current work in providing pedagogy consultations that work towards creating equity-based education and creating anti-racist policies and practices within higher education.

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PEA Executive

The PEA executive and staff will meet virtually on October 24 and 25 for strategic planning.

Bargaining Update

The following PEA chapter’s collective agreements expired in 2022:

• Government Licensed Professionals – March
• Health Science Professionals – March
• Family Maintenance Agency – March
• University of Victoria – June
• Oil and Gas Commission – June
• Legal Aid BC – September

PEA Education Conference

We are currently planning the PEA Education Conference for April 21 and 22, 2023, in Victoria. Members will be invited to submit expressions of interest in November 2022. Visit pea.org/conference.

BC Federation of Labour Conference

Ten PEA members and three PEA staff will attend the BC Federation of Labour’s 60th convention from November 21 to 25, 2022. The PEA hopes to put forward a resolution in favour of the continuing solidarity and collaboration among public sector unions in future rounds of bargaining.

ORL AGM and Elections

We are pleased to announce the new ORL Executive Committee members and officers who will begin their terms in January 2023:

Chair: Ashley Machum
Vice-Chair: Kristy Hennings
Secretary-Treasurer: Naomi Van Caillie
Health and Safety: Richard Kicksee
Local Rep North: Michelle Wellingham
Members at Large: Saundra Bernier and Tara Thompson
Joint Standing Committee: James Stuart

GLP Grants and Donations

GLP members can submit requests for funding of up to $200 for an activity or event to the GLP Grants and Donations Committee. Grants and donations are administered by the GLP executive based on their consistency with the chapter’s strategic plan or promotion of the Association and GLP chapter.

For the full eligibility considerations and policy visit our chapter webpage . All grant and donation requests must be submitted using the online form at pea.org/chapters/glp/grant-form

Remember to submit your online request early and before December 2022 for year-end events!

Congratulations

We wish long-serving GLP members and local reps Curt Nixon, Mark Scott, and Rene Garcia-Daguer all the best in their retirement.

Congratulations as well to UVic member, Susan Dempsey on her retirement.

If you would like to acknowledge a retiring PEA member, please email editor, Jordana Whetter (jwhetter@pea.org).

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