There are only 10 days left before the final registration cutoff for the upcoming 37th Annual Conference being held in Whistler on May 25-27th. Our online registration system will be closed at midnight on May 15th.
The response to this year’s conference has been overwhelming. Well over 200 service provider (residential care + home care) delegates have signed up. This is a significant increase over last year’s attendance and is coupled with strong registration from our partners working within the Ministry of Health and the various Health Authorities. The commercial exposition is also sold-out with approximately 150 commercial delegates attending the conference.
“Needless to say we are thrilled with the response to this year’s conference and its great lineup of speakers,” says Daniel Fontaine, CEO for the BCCPA. “The conference committee has worked hard to develop a top quality product and it’s great to see so many people within the sector responding. If we continue to see the registrations come in at this pace, we could actually sell out the conference before the May 15th cutoff.”
This year there are 20 concurrent and plenary sessions planned. One of the highlights is sure to be our final Care to Chat discussion with Isobel Mackenzie, Canada’s first Senior’s Advocate in BC. The session will be moderated by BCCPA President Dave Cheperdak.
“Best of BC” Sunday Evening Welcome Reception
Due to significant demand, earlier this week the conference committee decided to invite spouses to our Sunday evening “Best of BC” reception featuring Top Chef Canada winner Matt Stowe. Any delegate interested in bringing their spouse to this event taking place on the Fairmont Chateau rooftop can indicate so within the online registration system. A new “Best of BC” spouse ticket option has now been added. The $75 tickets are being made available at-cost to conference delegates.
If you want to learn more about Chef Matt Stowe’s appearance and your opportunity to win some prizes during the reception, please read one of our previous posts on this topic by clicking here.
(If you have already registered, and would like bring your spouse, please visit here and select already registered. Using your email address and confirmation code received upon registration, you will be able to modify your registration.)
Needs Through the Eyes of Front Line Staff and Employers- SafeCare BC
SafeCare BC, the newly formed safety association for the continuing care sector, will bring you two workshops at this years annual conference. SafeCare BC is proud to provide delegates with the results of a training needs assessment conducted in November of last year in a workshop titled, Health and safety training for long-term care: needs through the eyes of front line staff and employers. The session will be led by Project Coordinator, Wynona Giannasi of the Howegroup.
There are significant health and economic consequences for both employers and staff in the long-term care sector due to high levels of physical and mental health workplace injuries to front line staff. There is a considerable need within the sector to provide occupational health and safety-related training/resources to reduce workplace injuries to staff, enhance the safety of client care and reduce costs to employers.
Through consultation with front line staff and employers and an environmental scan of existing training opportunities, the Howegroup (Wynona Giannasi/Jennifer Hystad) conducted a needs assessment to guide the development of SafeCare BC’s training portfolio. The needs assessment examined occupational health and safety training, education and resource needs in the long-term care sector in BC. Key findings will be shared, including:
- Identification of priority health and safety training topics.
- Barriers and success factors for training opportunities, including preferable types/modes of delivery and approaches to meaningfully engage front line staff and employers.
Wynona Giannasi, Partner, Howegroup
Wynona Giannasi leads public sector initiatives to success with an unwavering commitment to communication, stakeholder engagement and effective project management. Before founding the Howegroup, a boutique consulting firm specializing in the public and not-for-profit sector, Wynona led process improvement and change management initiatives for BC’s provincial government and agencies. Wynona brings to the Howegroup not-for-profit experience in employment training programs, contract management, evaluation, strategic planning and Board governance. She holds a Masters in Public Administration, with a specialization in performance management, and a Bachelor of Science, both from the University of Victoria.
Wynona has led effective stakeholder engagement at all levels within a multitude of public and not-for-profit organizations. Her unique approach to project management has resulted in the successful implementation of numerous projects and her commitment to practical evaluations has provided insights into the impact of a multitude of programs and services across the province.
For more information or to register for the upcoming annual conference, please click here.
