North East Regional Executive – 2023 Election Results

I have been a nurse for 17 years, starting my career in Dawson Creek, I came to UHNBC just over 6 years ago to work in HAU and now Hemodialysis. I have been a steward about 8 years, and have been actively involved with the North East Regional Executive for about the last 4 years. I had the privilege of taking over the communications secretary position about 1 year ago, while I know I have much more to learn with this position, I have been enjoying the change and challenge presented to me. My hope is that I can continue to support the Nurses of the North East and continue this work and my learning with this position.

Since late September of 2022 I have been privileged to have assisted the North East team of BCNU in the Lobby Coordinator role and I would like to apply to continue to do so. I was born and raised in the north, as was the majority of my family, and I have roots here in my community of Prince George. While some of the steward role(s) and contract interpretation is still somewhat new to me, the role of the lobby coordinator fits into my wheelhouse of being from and living in the north. My previous career was business focused and through that business I was able to create relationships with our local stakeholders that are currently so important to highlighting the current state of the nursing profession. I currently maintain connections with our current MLAs here in the North East; most recently being invited to Victoria in March to directly lobby the provincial/local stakeholders about the current BCNU Campaign messaging. I truly believe that changes come from consistently bringing our professional issues and concerns forward to the varied levels of government and I believe that I can be the candidate to facilitate this messaging.

Hello everyone,

My name is Caitlin Crick, and I will be running again for the Mental Health Representative position within the NE Regional executive team, and I thank you all for your consideration of my nomination and election into this role.

I am currently a Clinical Nurse Educator for the Med Surg Unit at the Dawson Creek & District Hospital, where I have been working in this role for the past 3 years; prior to that, I worked as a Registered Nurse on the Med Surg Unit for 5 years. I completed my RN program in Quesnel in June 2015, and have worked in Dawson Creek since August 2015.

I have only been on the Mental Health Representative role for a little over 2 years, and during that time it has been a vast and complex role to fill and provide support to our members with, especially during the midst of a pandemic and the level of psychological damage that nurses have faced during these last couple of years.
Now that we have been able to travel and visit worksites more and more, I have seen that nurses need help with their psychological health and mental wellbeing, with few resources available to assist and even fewer employers willing to collaborate and listen to them. 

I hope to bring this help to nurses in this role by:

Working with not only our OHS resprentaives, but our EDMP reps and Steward-at-Large and address these mental health and psycholohcal safety issues in the workplaces in a timely and effective manner and work to bring positive change to these workplaces for the members.

To assist in providing members with additional resources with the new language and funding outlined our recently ratified contract. 

To better promote Mental Health awareness and initiatives, and and Psychological Safety in the Workplace Factors to our regional meetings, Steward Planning, and member outreaches to our worksites, both urban and rural.

To listen to the membership on what is needed- how can we, as a regional executive, as a MH rep, and as a union in whole, better support you and your mental health and wellbeing in your workplace? 

Once again I wish to thank all of your for your consideration of my nomination and election into this Regional Executive Role, it would be my privilege to serve the nurses of the NE region for a second term.

My name is Deandra and I've been a Registered Nurse for 12 years. Born and raised in the small community of Timmins in Northern Ontario, I stayed close to home and completed my nursing degree and started my career in the Emergency Department at Timmins and District Hospital. 3 years into my career I was approached to work in a new dental clinic with an Oral Surgeon. Seeing it as a great opportunity to work in a leadership role, I took the position as the Nurse Program Lead and helped develop the nursing role within the clinic from its infancy. 

Though this job was fulfilling, life had different plans for me. I packed up and headed west where Id work a very exciting year at Vancouver General Hospital in the ER. My time here was invaluable but I realized I wasn't a big city type of girl. I headed to the interior to work a short stint in the ER at Kelowna General Hospital until my spouses' pilot job took us back to the north. Our move to the north was a "2 year plan" but that was back in 2017 and here we still are! My nursing time here was spent in the ER as well. But like so many others, the post-covid blues hit me hard and it was time to find new ventures. 

I can now look back at this short lived feeling of loss of nursing identity as a blessing in disguise. I now work casually in multiple departments - Ambulatory Care, Day Surgery, Medical Imaging, and the Post Anaesthetic Care Unit and I get to work with so many amazing nurses. 

Having the flexibility of when and where I want to work has also allowed me the time to begin to get involved with the BC Nurses Union. Between my interest of law from a young age and my mom's encouragement as a seasoned nurse to always know my contract, I naturally took an interest at wanting to become a steward. I completed the training and have been a BCNU Steward since the fall of 2021 and being able to advocate for my fellow nurses has been so gratifying.

As I became more involved with the union, I came to realize that another way I can help nurses on a larger scale is through Occupational Health and Safety work. The safety of nurses in current workplaces today is such a major concern. Having worked in such an environment recently myself, I felt this drive to try and make a difference in any way possible. So, I became a BCNU JOHS Committee Representative at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in the fall of 2022. This role has been so much more than I ever thought possible and there is so much work to be done around Occupational Health and Safety for the nurses in our workplace but it has been my main focus for the past several months and really has been one of the most satisfying parts of my career.

But I don't feel like this devotion for change needs to stop here. I would like to continue this work on a larger scale and this is why I have chosen to run for the BCNU Regional OH&S Representative. I believe my experience and my passion would make me the best candidate to keep the Nurses of the North safe. 

My name is Krisha Dodds, I was appointed into the North East Professional Responsibly Advocate position in Sept 2022, and it has been an exciting 8 months learning about the Executive role, along with participating in one of most pivotal contracts to date.

I would continue to be a suitable candidate for this position as I have extensive background in the unique challenges faced in the North. I was born and raised in Fort St. John, as well as served for the past 23 years as a nurse in various settings ranging from critical care to community nursing. I have dedicated the past 6 years providing Steward support and advocacy for union members. 

With my current experience of the PR process, I have observed the benefit of listening to and engaging nurses in a collaborative and innovative approach that results in a better workplace environment.

I am committed to improving the working conditions for nurses by utilizing the PR Process, my experience, knowledge, communication skills, relationships and stewardship.

Danette Thomsen – Excellence in Leadership
Our members, what a privilege and an honour it has been to represent you across the north and the province over the past term. Nothing could have prepared us for what you, our nurses, faced daily: advocating for basic PPE so that you could protect yourselves and your families was unthinkable. No one knew what laid before us, but you went into work at acute, community, mental health and addictions, long term care, cancer care, corrections, hospice, and other sites. You brought the best of yourselves to those in need every day, despite the challenges and fears. The world may have forgotten, but I have not - and I want to say thank you. Thank you for continuing to show up for those in your care.
As northern nurses we have been tackling nursing shortages combined with a lack of resources, equipment, and allied health for a very long time. Together with my regional team, I have met with members across the region, listened to bona fide concerns, and devised solutions. I have created spaces with the employer, the union, and the government where nurses are empowered to bring their issues forward in a supportive environment. I have fostered collaboration whenever possible, ensuring a dialog where nurses’ professional judgements are respected, and their concerns addressed.
We have a new collective agreement, which will now require implementation. That will bring challenges- and we need creative, experienced leadership who is willing to listen, stand up, and passionately forge the way. I am proud of my lobbying efforts and the valued relationships that I have developed. I have met with mayors, MLAs, the Minister of Health, community leaders, and MP Todd Doherty who has tabled Bill C-321 “An act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada,” making assaults against healthcare workers an aggravating factor during sentencing. I will continue to attend every media opportunity provided to ensure the public is aware and the law makers are addressing nursing concerns. Whether it is violence or a viral pathogen, every precaution must be taken to ensure we return home safe at the end of our day.
If given the opportunity, I will continue to lead with vision, integrity, professionalism, and passion for every nurse on every frontline in every workplace. I will:
• Provided accountable, transparent, sound governance, both in our region and at the board level.
• Boldly advocate for physically and psychologically safe work environments.
• Work with LR to improve timely resolve to member issues.
• Bring forward nursing issues to those who have the power to make change.
• Foster inclusivity and a culture where diversity is respected, and all members are valued.
• Strengthen our steward teams to ensure that our membership is supported and the contract language upheld.
• Ensure inclusive representation of acute, community, LTC, mental health, and affiliate programs.
• Promote unity throughout the organization and the members that we serve.
• Work to ensure BCNU is accountable and relevant to our membership.
I remain committed to making a difference in both urban and rural settings, ensuring our organization and others are aware of and addressing the challenges we face.
With gratitude and respect,
Danette Thomsen 

• 20 years of nursing in various settings and roles. The first 5 years as an LPN and the last 15 years as a RN. 
• Currently work in Regional Palliative Care. 
• Representing members for 14 years as a BCNU steward, Regional OH&S Representative, Treasurer, and interim Regional 
Council Member.
• Northeast Regional Treasurer since 2021.
• Member of the 2023 BCNU Bargaining Committee.
• Strong advocate for members. 
• Believe in robust member engagement for all members (LPN, RPN, RN) in all areas (LTC, Community, Acute). 
• Together, with the regional team, will work to support the members of the Northeast region while responsibly maintaining the 
budget.

Hi, I am Taylar! I am running for Steward Liaison for the North East region. This would be my 3rd term if elected. For me this role is extremely important to the regional executive team, but also the stewards. Over the past terms, I have had many opportunities to enlist stewards, orientate them to the role, the region, and the BCNU. All of that has allowed me to create processes, organization, and structure to maintain our steward lists and educational needs. Being a support to the stewards, offering and facilitating regional educational opportunities via zoom, and steward planning days are pieces of work I enjoy and would continue to do if elected. I believe our stewards need to be engaged and committed to the role in order to support the members. 

Over the past terms I have built many relationships with the regional and provincial executive teams that I cherish. As part of this role, I am committed to continue being an active member of the North East executive team and our steward team. I will continue to support all stewards, meeting them where they are at in the role, members at worksites with no stewards, and the regional executive team with any identified tasks/duties.