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Spectrum Employment Day. Explore your career options.

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PNE & Playland Accessibility

Both the PNE Fair and Playland accept Access2 Program cardholders. For a Playland Admission, there is a 2 for 1 discount where the cardholder pays the regular rate, and the attendant gets in free. For the PNE Fair, just show your Access2 Card indicating that you require an attendant. Guests can purchase a Gate pass which allows an accompanying attendant to receive a complimentary admission.

For more information in obtaining your Access2 card please visit www.access2card.ca.

Ride Passes are not a part of the Access2 offering for the PNE Fair. All guests are required to have a purchased ride pass to ride.

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Killarney Community Centre Movie in the Park

Join in for a screening of “DC League of Super-Pets”. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, family, and friends for a fantastic evening under the stars! No pre-registration required. In the event of a rainy day, they will be moving the event indoors to the full gymnasium.

WHEN: Saturday August 19th, 8:30pm

WHERE: Killarney Park field next to Killarney Seniors Centre

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Sun Life Health acquires Dialogue

Sun Life has announced that they have expanded their strategic partnership with Dialogue solidifying both organization’s commitment to providing Canadians with access to the care they need. This acquisition follows several prior investments in Dialogue and the roll-out of Lumino Health Virtual Care, powered by Dialogue in 2020.

Dialogue is a Canadian leader in the emerging, high-growth market of employer digital health solutions – and over the course of 3+ years, a great partnership has developed. 

Dialogue will operate as a standalone entity of Sun Life Canada. They will maintain their own products, processes, people, systems, and brand.

What does this mean for you and your plan members?
There will be no changes or disruptions to your plan. All active plan members will continue to receive access to the same 24/7 digital health tools that they do today. 

Questions?
Please contact Sun Life directly or you can email hr@spectrumsociety.org 

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MANDT System – Building Healthy Relationships

The Mandt System® program presents an education and training system of gradual and graded alternatives for de-escalating and supporting people, using a combination of interpersonal communication skills and physical interaction techniques designed to reduce injury to all the participants in an encounter.

We are pleased to offer Mandt Training to our staff.  Please speak with your program manager to be referred to attend an upcoming session.

Two Day Mandt Training

• In-depth training over two 6 hour classes

Training will take place in the Barb Goode Training Centre at 3223 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

10am to 4pm each day.

Next session:  September 14 & 15, 2023  – Limited Spaces available

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Social Support Group for 2SLGBTQIA+ with Disabilities

Connecting Queer Communities (CQC) is a 1 year initiative from Real Talk being funded by an Accessibility Projects grant from the Disability Alliance of BC. CQC supports 2SLGBTQIA+ people who are labeled with learning disabilities to connect with one another and with the wider 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Greater Vancouver area.

Their goal is to be peer-led, helping support 2SLGBTIQA+ folks with cognitive disabilities attend the queer events, festivals, social gatherings, peer support spaces, and other events of their choosing. They are providing staff support at 2SLGBTQIA events and can help with transportation and event ticket costs.

Click here for more information and to see their upcoming events!

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Vicki’s Barkery is Now in Business!

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Come Toward the Fire

A family-friendly Indigenous-led festival in advance of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. This year’s festival will include music performances, workshops, film screenings, food vendors, an Indigenous artisan market, and more. Everyone is welcome!

All festival events are FREE for Indigenous community members. 

WHEN: Saturday September 16th, 1pm – 9:30pm

WHERE: The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Rd. Vancouver

Click Here for More Information

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Collingwood Chronicles by Loretta Houben

Interested in Collingwood’s history? Loretta Houben has been writing history articles for Renfrew-Collingwood Community News for years, and has compiled some of those articles in to a book, Collingwood Chronicles. You can access the complete PDF on CNH’s website under Community Resources here.

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CLBC Board Director Opening for Self Advocate

As of January 1, 2024, there will be one director position open on the CLBC Board of Directors for a person who is eligible for support from CLBC.

The CLBC Board governs the overall way CLBC does its work. This includes responsibilities like approving CLBC’s strategic plan and making sure there is a way to know if the services and supports provided by CLBC make a difference for the people they serve.

Self advocates are encouraged to apply to share their experience and understanding of community inclusion, self advocacy and the system of services and supports for adults who have a developmental disability.

While previous experience as a board director is not required, it is important for people applying to understand the roles and responsibilities of a board member and the experience and skills needed to do the job.

You can read a plain language description about the role and responsibilities of the position here.

To apply for the Board position, visit the official posting on the Crown Agencies and Board Recruiting website here.

The deadline to apply is August 20, 2023.

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Collingwood Neighbourhood House Community Lunch Menu for August

Tuesday, August 1: Cream of broccoli and cheese soup, spinach pie, salad, and lemon cake

Thursday, August 3: Chicken parmesan with veggie pasta, salad, chocolate cookies

Tuesday, August 8: Minestrone soup, tuna melt/grilled cheese, salad, bran muffin

Thursday, August 10: Sausage and perogies, salad, vanilla cheesecake

Tuesday, August 15: Carrot soup, chicken salad/veggie sandwich, salad, pecan tart

Thursday, August 17: Beef stroganoff with noodles/veggie option, salad, carrot cake

Tuesday, August 22: Lemon spinach lentil soup, ham/mushroom quiche, salad, vanilla pudding

Thursday, August 24: Salmon/veggie burger, salad, raspberry cake

Tuesday, August 29: Cream of corn, chicken/falafel sandwich, salad, orange cupcake

Thursday, August 31: Spaghetti and meatballs/veggie option, salad, garlic bread, blueberry muffin

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CNH x Fresh Roots Summer Market

Happening every Friday until September 15th, you can come explore a wide range of fresh produce grown locally, community connections and occasionally local musicians!

WHEN: Every Friday, 4pm – 6pm

WHERE: 5288 Joyce St

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Celebrate National Indigenous History Month

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. In recognition of this month, BCNPHA is offering a workshop series, facilitated by the Indigenous Perspectives Society, to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, and develop actionable ideas to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

This four-part series includes:

• Introduction to Cultural Competency – June 22 1pm – 2:30pm
• Understanding History – July 12 1pm – 4pm
• Dispelling Myths and Stereotypes – August 9 1pm – 4pm
• Building Local Relationships – September 6 1pm – 4pm

Participants are welcome to register for as many sessions in the series as they are interested in.

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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:

• 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

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What is happening in Vancouver in August?

Click on the link below to see what’s happening:

https://www.destinationvancouver.com/events/calendar-of-events/vancouver-events-in-august/

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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!

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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. www.academieduello.com

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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.

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.

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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