Thompson North Okanagan Regional Executive – 2023 Election Results

My name is Jennifer Marinello and I am excited to be putting my name forward for the Regional Communications Secretary position for the TNO Region. 

I believe my experience, flexibility and leadership skills are the perfect combination for the Regional Communications Secretary position. I have 15 years of broad nursing experience including my current position as Community Integration Care Coordinator at Ashcroft Urgent Primary Care Centre. I also have 3 years of experience as the Communications Secretary in the TNO Region from Sept 2017 to Dec 2020. 

This is an extensive role that requires organization and leadership skills to manage the regional business of the union which includes managing the region's communications to all the members, planning, and setting up all our regional events and providing education to the membership. I am an adept critical thinker, strong communicator and advocate who can work independently and in a multidisciplinary professional environment. I have great communication and problem-solving skills, the ability to multitask and can work cohesively with both members, staff, and external partners. I am organized and love to learn new things. I am passionate about nursing and love engaging with our members to help them understand and utilize the language of the collective agreement to make their jobs and workplaces better. 

I believe this combination of skills and experience has made me the perfect candidate for the Communications Secretary position, and I am ready for this new challenge. 

Please get out and vote.

I am respectfully submitting my nomination for the Lobby Coordinator Position in the TNO region. 

I bring solid experience to the role both serving with the Vancouver Coastal Mountain Region and currently with the Thompson North Okanagan Region.

I have a proven track record of building strategic relationships with our MLA’s and MP’s, lobbying for recruitment, retainment and return of nurses to our profession. I have also planned and attended several community events highlighting the importance of public health care and providing education to our community members on what they can do to help.

I am a dedicated, effective member of our Regional Executive Team and am looking forward to having the opportunity to continue to serve. 

Good day to all and thank you for reading my statement.

I am Bette Jo Tunks and am honoured to have served for 1.5 terms on your TNO regional executive as your Mental Health Representative. I have been an RN for 30+ years, currently working for Interior Health with the Mental Health Network (regional) as a Knowledge Coordinator, physically located in Kamloops. My personal life includes spending time with my adult kids and their partners and my wee granddaughter. I also enjoy gardening, watching hockey, volunteering and golf.

Prior to moving to British Columbia in 2005, I was an active member with the Ontario Nurses Association as their regional treasurer. I have always valued the importance of being well familiar with the collective agreement and the processes available to ensure the language of the collective agreement is upheld. Over my career I have been more of an activist than a member on regional executive, however I love being involved with our regional executive, reaching out and supporting members, and assisting stewards as needed. It distresses me greatly to see the mental injury members experience and I will continue to work towards finding strategies to support you.

Should you offer me the opportunity to continue in the role of Mental Health Representative, I am hoping to bring to stewards education on supporting members with mental health concerns and/or injuries, ongoing education for members on strategies for mental health and wellness, and assisting in bringing clearer language and processes in reporting mental health injuries. Additionally, I will continue to work with the Occupational Health and Safety representative as our roles do overlap.
Please reach out with any questions or suggestions!

Regards
Bette Jo Tunks

I am a member of your current TNO Regional Executive Team as your OHS Representative, I actively participate in planning and decision making for the region and participate in the delivery of the Regional Operations Plan. I assist members in our region who require supports within the OHS portfolio in helping them achieve safer workplaces, or navigating OHS network for supports after incidents happen. In some cases those same members move on to support other coworkers at their own worksites. I have really enjoyed seeing the support efforts duplicated within our region. This role affords me opportunities to utilize the supports and OHS education I have invested in over the last 8 years to help members in our region and be a part of implementing increased supports along with my experience in the OHS lens, this does effectively help others accomplish safety goals in their own worksites.

It is both inspiring and exciting to support colleagues and witness changes. When I first took on my current role I felt I started with so much passion and desire with a readiness, to help make much needed changes. We entered our first year as a new executive team - I could never have predicted what a national pandemic had and the ripple effects that it brought.to so many. of us. Increased workload, restrictions and shutdowns, like most of us had never before experienced. Zoom meetings started on a more regular basis , along with struggles on how to support and reach out to members as site visits were no longer possible. In response to this work and witness to the effects this high workload pandemic brought, I along with our TNO executive pushed to have one of the first education/planning sessions in our region (I believe also first in our province) to include inviting all our OHS TNO reps. The hard work of supporting and collaborating with not only our awesome TNO stewards, but now also included our TNO OHS reps. This was then brought forward to our provincial OHS rep meetings with shared success which seems to be duplicated today by many regions in our province. OHS training presented by our amazing BCNU OHS staff began on scheduled zooms. Along with our newer psychological language with WorkSafe BC combined with pandemic / high workloads a new idea developed. As so many of our members are impacted by safety within their worksites - how empowering would it be to bring a regional education on a basic level to ALL members province wide? Similar to that of our current BUS course for Stewards? So many discussions developed, feedback processed, and meetings held with our BCNU OHS staff - to the great work of our OHS staff team our TNO Region will be the first to offer the OHS basics education as a pilot project. This is currently being planned for fall 2023. Feedback and outcomes will weigh in on this course development with goal of it being offered to every region within BCNU. 

I put alot of thought in putting my name forward to run for your OHS Representative - I am so very honored and proud to work with all of our OHS Reps and Stewards. It is very exciting to be involved in workplace changes where it all starts with a phone call / meeting of supports - then helping members navigate such a huge safety network which in turn empowers them and initiates changes. 

I ask for your vote, to continue on this momentum of positive safety changes. So much more work to accomplish and achieve together! Thankyou for your support :)

Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali is a Registered Nurse hailing from the Ibaji tribe of Igala kingdom in Kogi state central Nigeria, with Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Nursing degrees from Thompson Rivers University. With over a decade of expertise, primarily in Mental Health and Substance Use with Interior Health Authority, Angela is currently in the position of Clinical Practice Educator, Tertiary Mental Health. Besides serving as member and co-chair of the Canadian Nurses Association anti-racism council, Adigo is involved in ongoing work where she serves as a member of the anti-racism working group to advise the Canadian Associations of Schools of Nursing. Adigo is a co-founder of the Coalition of African, Caribbean and Black Nurses in British Columbia which founded as a response to anti-Black racism. Adigo is also a founding member of Pan Canadian Association of Nurses of African Descent with a mandate to combat anti-Black racism within Canadian nursing. Adigo is currently the Professional Responsibility Advocate for the region and continues to serve as the regional Mosaic of Color caucus representative. Adigo previously supported the region as a steward-at-large for two years, with over 35 sites under her portfolio. Adigo values the opportunity to continue advocating for our members on the regional executive and beyond by seeking re-election to continue this work. 

Social Media: https://twitter.com/angelaachoba?lang=en 

I would appreciate your support to continue serving in the role of the Thompson North Okanagan Regional Council member. The last 3 years have been exceptionally unique and challenging – for you as members as well as the organization, as we adjusted to continue serving and engaging with members. Utilizing technology, we were able to conduct the business of the union and advocate on your behalf. Through regular zoom meetings, we were still able to connect with you, hold regional, steward and executive meetings, as well engage in the important governance work provincially on the board - Finance Committee, Policy committee and several working groups I participate on. 

While on Council, I have been advocating on behalf of TNO members, internally as well as externally with employers, government and with the public including media. Many of you may have seen me advocating in numerous media sources, as well as travelling the region in support of all facilities including Royal Inland Hospital, rural nursing and ensuring community partners and MLA’s understand the significance of all areas of nursing and how they are dependent upon each other. Members have joined me in our discussions with MLA's, providing their own stories of how the staffing and health care crisis has affected them personally. These and other stories have made their way to the legislature, where they have been shared during question period demanding the government make the necessary changes to improve the working conditions of nurses and patient care.

I believe I have met my previous 2020 objectives: improving on OHS education and support through our OHS rep, dinner meetings and including them in our steward planning days; supporting the education of our steward team through creative educational sessions with our LRO and other BCNU staff supports; and effective management, financial and policy decisions through my work on regional Bylaws and other committees served on.

Current Key objectives:
1. Accountability - includes integrity and being accountable to the members of our region and BCNU at large; Continuing to have the highest standard of fiduciary responsibility and being honest and authentic. It also includes holding others accountable – those within our organization, as well as government and the employer. I believe the work I do on the committees and working groups will achieve this.
2. Balance – I will continue to balance the needs of the region with the responsibilities of Council and all members. I commit to member engagement and education, as well as creative steward support and education as top priorities for myself and our Regional Executive Committee. These priorities will translate to increased success and justice for members.
3. Engagement – I will continue building trust within our regional team and our members, focus on teamwork and innovative improvements to our organization, and continually strive to live and imbed the principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in everything we do. 

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/scottduvall2023 

I have been working as a Practical Nurse since 2006, have always sought activism and involvement in nursing growth and development. I have been a BCNU worksite steward since 2012 and have held the Regional Treasurer position for the current term ending this summer. I am keen to continue working in this role if re-elected. 

The role of treasurer has been a great experience. I have enjoyed developing strong working relationships with the members of the regional executive team, the staff at the finance department and with the Provincial Treasurer. I have learned a lot in this role using a computer program that was new to me and gaining good understanding of the policies in place at BCNU. The first few years provided opportunity to develop new skills in communications and teamwork with the Covid-19 pandemic requiring the business to continue via zoom and other digital platforms. As regional treasurer I learned also about how to support bargaining and all of the work to prepare for possible job action in the negotiating of the newly ratified collective agreement. I feel that I am just beginning to be comfortable, perhaps even competent, in the role as treasurer as the world returns to business as usual. 

My objectives for a second term in the role of treasurer would be to further develop my skills as a steward at large and to support the members in this role by continuing to learn more about the financial practices it takes to operate the business of the union and to properly manage the budget assigned to TNO. I am committed to continue to learn in this role and seeking more leadership skills development. I feel as though it has taken the first three years to become comfortable with the responsibilities in the role of the treasurer, I would like the opportunity to continue to grow in the role. I hope you will consider me for the position of regional treasurer for the 2023-2026 term. 

Union activism is an ongoing passion and commitment for me an I am seeking your support once again to represent the membership in the TNO region as the Steward Liaison. Over the past 15 years, I have worked as an RN in Salmon Arm and Kamloops, gaining experience and insight in various settings from acute and community. I have been fortunate and had the pleasure to serve members in Salmon Arm and across the region for the past 14 years as an elected BCNU steward. More than ever, I am excited and look forward to the future to continue to engage and support members and stewards with our new collective agreement, ongoing education opportunities and engaging with the nurse/patient ratios process. During the past three years, new and innovative ways were required to connect with members and I am looking forward to continuing that work with our regional leaders to develop and build on this experience. It has been an unique time for delivery of valid and relevant information as identified by our members and I feel confident I can continue to be a resource and part of the leadership team for our region. My involvement with BCNU as a steward began 14 years ago, my journey has been one of learning, growth and development. I look forward to continuing to building relationships, fostering new leaders & activists within our membership from across the region. I look forward to building on and sharing my knowledge & passion for union activism as a leader for our beautiful region.