REMINDER: Spectrum’s Office will be closed
Friday, April 7th and Monday, April 10th
_____________________________________________________________________
Two New Days Added to Spectrum Holidays
The Provincial Government recently amended the Employment Standards to add the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation as a Statutory Holiday. Along with the new statutory holiday, we have added Easter Monday as a holiday.
Easter Monday is on April 10th this year. If you work on this day, you will get 1.5X pay for the first 12 hours worked and 2x pay for hours beyond 12 hours worked. If you qualify for a day off with pay you will get an average day of pay added to your paycheque.
Here is a link to the updated policy: https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/Under%20Revision/P12.0.StatutoryHolidays.pdf
In recognition of the diversity of our employees we have also added a clause about recognizing other holidays that may be more important to you than the legislated holidays.
(k) Alternative Holidays
Employees can take alternative days as paid holidays by banking their regular day of pay from Easter Monday and/or Boxing Day and using those hours for a day meaningful for their family. Some examples are National Indigenous Peoples Day, Louis Riel Day, Nowruz, Vaisakhi, Rosh Hashanah or Lunar New Year. Please provide two weeks notice to your supervisor of your requested day off.
If you have any questions, please email hr@spectrumsociety.org
_____________________________________________________________________
Ridge Meadows Recycling Society’s Annual Earth Day Festival is returning to Maple Ridge Saturday April 22nd from 10am to 2pm. Many activities are being offered including live entertainment, food truck festival, farmers market, repair cafe and much more!
Click Here for More Information
_____________________________________________________________________
Trout Lake Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 22 from 11am to 2pm the Trout Lake Community Centre is holding an Earth Day celebration! Come by for some good GREEN family fun while learning how to be better stewards of our environment. Enjoy some live music, play games, make crafts, do a nature hunt, join a workshop, or just educate yourself by visiting informational booths! Admission is free but please register.
Click here to register and see available workshops
_____________________________________________________________________
Seniors Workshop for Bail Money Scam
Wednesday April 12th, from 11:30am to 12:30pm, the Killarney Community Centre is running a FREE seniors educational workshop on bail money scams, one of the most frequent scams in North America. This workshop will help seniors understand how this scam works, what to do if they get a call, and how to keep themselves safe.
Click Here for More Information
_____________________________________________________________________
SAVE THE DATE for Spectrum’s Annual Summer Picnic!
WHEN: Wednesday, July 19th, 2023
TIME: 2pm – 6pm
WHERE: JOHN HENDRY PARK – TROUT LAKE – PICNIC GAZEBO
More details to follow closer to the date!
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Wage Equity Update # 37 – March 2023
Equal Pay Increases for 2022, 2023 and 2024!
The Provincial Government has confirmed equal pay increases for union and non-union workers in the Community Social Service sector! This is a return to government’s practice over the previous ten years of providing the same increases to all workers and is in response to your pressure on government to value all workers providing these essential community services.
Retroactive to April 2022, the Province is providing funding for three increases:
– A $0.25/hour increment for hourly pay grids.
– A 3.24% increase to wages.
– A Low Wage Redress (LWR) increase to provide comparability with similar positions in community health. This increase is approximately 2% but the exact distribution of the funds is still being determined.
Beginning in April 2023, the Province is providing funding for two increases:
– A 5.5% increase to wages.
– A Cost of Living Allowance of up to 1.25%. The exact number for this increase will be determined by CSSEA.
Beginning in April 2024, the Province is providing funding for two increases:
– A 2% increase to wages.
– A Cost of Living Allowance of up to 1%. The exact number for this increase will be determined by CSSEA.
We plan on providing the wage increases in the first pay period in April 2023. This will depend on CSSEA confirming the increases for LWR and the Cost of Living Allowance in time to enter the rates into payroll.
We will calculate retroactive pay for the April 2022 increases and pay it to you when we have received the funding from the Province.
Additional Changes to Provincial Funding:
Mileage: The rate per kilometer is increasing from 0.50 to 0.61/km effective April 1 2023.
New Statutory Holiday: The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation has been declared a Provincial Holiday and employees will receive a day off with pay and overtime if they work on the day.
Thank you for your service to the people we support to have good lives in the community. We will continue to work with you to ensure our wages, benefits and policies provide you with the support you need to be successful in our work.
This is also available as a PDF:
https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/Files/WageEquity/WageEquity37.pdf
_____________________________________________________________
For those receiving benefits with Spectrum, we offer our EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to provide 24/7 confidential support to our employees. If you are not currently receiving group benefits but are in need of support, please reach out to your supervisor or Human Resources at hr@spectrumsociety.org so we can provide you with accessible options of support. For immediate access to set up assistance, you can click here: Lumino VC (dialogue.co) OR download the app directly onto your smart device by going to the App Store and searching Lumino Health Virtual Care. The graphic is as follows and you will need your benefit group number and Access ID to set it up:
Improving the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) experience
Sunlife has added two new service enhancements to the Lumino Health Virtual Care EAP:
- a new phone number for immediate support,
- 24/7 service support by Dialogue across all Lumino Health Virtual Care products.*
- When accessing EAP via the app is not possible:
- Plan members can get access to immediate help through their EAP by calling 1-844-342-3327. A Member Service Specialist will assess your needs and coordinate care with the appropriate resources.
Plan members are also able to access the EAP through the app or online.
New 24/7 Dialogue support*
If you or your dependents are having trouble using the app or website and need help accessing your account, they can:
- contact Dialogue by emailing sunlife-support@dialogue.co Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
- visit help.dialogue.co and use the chat feature for assistance, for after hours and weekend support.
For questions regarding benefits plan information, you can
- contact hr@spectrumsociety.org
*Applies to all Lumino Health Virtual Care products – Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Primary Care, Stress Management & Well-Being
Spectrum recognizes that our teams do an incredible job of supporting people in our services. The work that each of you do is valuable and at times, difficult. Please do honor what your body/mind may be communicating. If you feel increased stress or grief, please pay attention to those signals and reach out to the EAP or us for resources of support.
________________________________________________________
2023 TD1 and TD1BC Forms
If there are any changes to your income circumstances, please ensure to fill out the following forms for 2023 and provide them to Accounting once complete.
Please submit your completed form by email to PayrollStaff@spectrumsociety.org
________________________________________________________
What is happening in Vancouver in April?
Click on the link below to see what’s happening:
https://www.destinationvancouver.com/events/calendar-of-events/vancouver-events-in-april
________________________________________________________________
Is there anyone you know that is looking for meaningful work?
If you have a friend, family member or meet someone in the community that is interested in joining the team and you refer them to Spectrum, you could be eligible for a referral bonus!
If the person referred is hired and maintains at least 6 months of consistent employment with Spectrum, we will award a $250 Referral Bonus.
*for more information on the program, please email hr@spectrumsociety.org
We thank you for bringing us quality applicants/employees!
________________________________________________________________
ACADEMIE DUELLO
www.academieduello.com
The art of the sword at Academie Duello is a group activity for 4-8 people; social + exercise!
They are looking for fellow introverts to find a group of people to organize smaller private classes with instead of going to the much larger drop-in classes and for a reasonable price. See for yourself what wielding a sword like in RPGs is like!
The length of each class depends on # of participants
$170 for 10 credits in one month, ~2 classes a week
1 credit = 10 minutes private lesson duration
Examples of the possible split of credits/class frequency/length depending on the number of people
2 people = 20 credits
3 people = 30 credits
4 people = 40 credits
5 people = 50 credits
6 people = 60 credits
7 people = 70 credits
8 people = 80 credits
For anyone interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Sarah Woollacott at sarah.woollacott@spectrumsociety.org
| Home – Academie Duello – Learn Swordplay
International Centre for Swordplay – Learn Longsword, Rapier, Sidesword, Polearms, Mounted Combat, Archery, martial arts, axe throwing. |
Submitting Coordination of Benefits claims via the my Sun Life mobile app
Managing your benefits is easier than ever. We’re happy to share that you can now submit Coordination of Benefits claims (COB) on the my Sun Life mobile app.
You can now submit medical-related COB claims on the my Sun Life mobile app.* Plan members can continue to make COB claims involving vision, drugs, or dental online at mysunlife.ca.
Changes like this are part of our ongoing mission to continually improve our digital experience.
What is Coordination of Benefits?
Coordination of Benefits is when more than one plan covers a person. COB lets plan members submit their claims and any remaining amounts to another plan. This allows them to get the maximum payment possible. This typically means an employee has coverage through their workplace plan and their spouse or partner’s workplace plan.
Check out our brochure that gives a step-by-step guide on submitting COB claims. This is accessible via the my Sun Life mobile app.
Tip:
Employees can learn more about Coordination of Benefits by signing in to mysunlife.ca > Benefits centre > Coordination of Benefits.
*Claims must be made for the Medical e-claim category only. Submissions for Vision, Drug and Dental categories, or changes to the COB can continue to be made via mysunlife.ca. Availability based on plan design.
Questions?
Please call Group Benefits Client Care Centre at 1-800-361-6212, Monday to Friday,
8 a.m to 8 p.m. EST.
________________________________________________________________
Ray’s Retro Friday Night Music
- Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies society (SAOR)
- Meets the third Friday of every month from 5:00pm – 6:00pm MDT / 4:00pm – 5:00pm PDT
- Join the group on Google Meets by clicking here or dial: (CA) +1 587-688-3336 PIN: 599 330 504#
Breaking Away from the Covid Blues with Lynnetta
- Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies Society (SAOR)
- Meets the third Wednesday of every month from 1:00pm – 2:00pm MDT / 12:00pm – 1:00pm PDT
- Join the group on Google Meets by clicking here or dial: (CA) +1 613-916-1823 PIN: 337 088 313#
Phone Tree
- Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies Society (SAOR)
- Every Thursday: 2:00pm – 3:00pm MDT / 1:00pm – 2:00pm PDT
- SAOR will be holding weekly group phone calls to catch up with friends and meet new advocates from around the province.
- To register, email j.moore@realmbc.ca or call 250-426-3393 by 3:00 pm on Wednesdays. Spots are limited to five per call so make sure to sign up to reserve your spot.
______________________________________________________________________
HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS
What do you do if you or someone you’ve worked with has been injured?
All Spectrum employees are covered by WorkSafe BC. Employees who sustain an injury while performing their daily work are eligible to receive compensation from WorkSafe BC. For all accidents (whether time loss occurs or not) a Workers’ Report of injury form must be completed and returned to the immediate supervisor who will forward the form to Human Resources for processing, or the employee can return the completed form directly to Human Resources. Claims submitted into WorkSafe BC must be reported within three (3) days.
Policy 9(d): https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/Personnel%20Policies/P09.0.HealthWelfareBenefits.pdf
Injury/Accident Report forms can be found on our Spectrum website under Human Resources, left hand menu “Forms” or you can email hr@spectrumsociety.org and one will be emailed to you.
Reporting Helps Us To learn, grow and improve together
Accidents happen and one of the main purposes of our accident/injury reporting is to collaborate with WorkSafe BC, our teams and employees to ensure that any employee who is injured receives the proper medical care and support they may need. Our reporting process also provides an opportunity to assess our workplaces for potential hazards so we can continue to improve and determine preventative measures to mitigate future risks. Think of reporting your injury as an opportunity to help yourself and your team.
Why it is important to report an incident, even if you are feeling okay?
Even if you feel ok, there is an obligation to report potential risks or hazards to your supervisor and HR. It’s good news that you’re ok but the next person might not have that same experience. We want to ensure that we are aware of and reviewing any potential risks of injury in your places of work. We have an obligation to ensure the well-being of all employees and review and investigate any potential hazards. Please keep us informed and assist us with keeping you and our teams safe!
Most importantly remember to Take care of yourself.
Employees who take care of themselves and their own needs will be better prepared to care for others on the job.
For example:
- Don’t accept more work than you can handle.
- Recognize signs of stress and take the necessary steps to alleviate stress in your life.
- Let your supervisor know if you need assistance with something.
- Don’t place yourself or others at risk by taking on more than you are prepared for.
Enjoy your work! If you don’t, then be honest with yourself and your supervisor about it. You may need a break.
If you have any Health & Safety related questions, please email safety@spectrumsociety.org
Be Safe. Be Calm. Be Kind