The team at Health Justice have analyzed information received from a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the use of seclusion and restraint for people who are admitted to hospital against their will (“involuntarily admitted”) under the Mental Health Act. Some of what they found is:

• Data on seclusion and restraint was not reliably collected prior to 2020/2021
• The data that is collected is limited, and we are therefore missing valuable information about who experiences seclusion and restraint, how often, and for how long
• Despite those limitations, we know that at least 14,788 involuntary admissions from 2020-2022 included the use of restraint or seclusion and 1 in every 4 people who are involuntarily admitted experienced the use of restraint or seclusion

Here is a short excerpt of what the report says:

“We now know that at a minimum, about one quarter of all involuntary detentions involve the use of seclusion or restraint within the first three days of admission alone. With close to 30,000 Mental Health Act detentions in BC each year, the continued unregulated and unlimited use of this physical and structural violence is unacceptable. A culture without accountability is a shield for a system where treatment can be traumatic. BC’s Mental Health Act has permitted direction and discipline to take place out of sight and out of reach of any kind of recourse for over sixty years. It’s time for this extraordinarily invasive and harmful exercise of power to meet rigorous oversight and accountability.”

For the full report, see Health Justice’s blog post here: Seclusion and Restraints in BC: What we know and what we don’t — Health Justice.

Position: Membership & Outreach Assistant

Who We Are

Since 1977, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has been a provincial, cross-disability voice in British Columbia. We are a non-profit, charitable organization that champions issues impacting the lives of people with disabilities. Our mission is to promote a more inclusive and equitable society for people with all disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, systemic advocacy, research, and publications.

Job Description

As the Membership and Outreach Assistant, you will support management, outreach efforts, and administrative tasks, including maintaining the membership and donor database, membership recruitment and retention pursuits, communicating with members, and assisting with events and campaigns. You will also assist our communications coordinator in enhancing our outreach efforts on social media. There is room to grow into a coordinator role in this work, with the right candidate.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Maintain and update the membership and donor database, ensuring member information is accurate and up to date.
• Assist with processing and receipting individual donations, and resolving any payment processing issue
• Assist with membership renewals, onboarding new members, and processing membership inquiries.
• Prepare and distribute membership and outreach materials and communications.
• Provide support for outreach campaigns, both digital and in community.
• Assist the Communications Coordinator in our social media communications strategy
• Assist with member surveys and feedback collection.
• Assist Reception in mailing out physical copies of our Transition magazine, and other large mail out activities as they occur
• Prepare reports, presentations, and other documents relating to membership and outreach as needed.
• Assist with data entry and filing.
• Other duties as assigned.

The successful applicant must:

• Have a minimum of 2 years’ applicable work experience
• Have strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate complex concepts in plain language
• Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with members and staff across many diverse backgrounds
• Be self-motivated, adaptable, and able to work effectively with a team as well as independently
• Be able to handle multiple tasks and prioritize effectively.
• Have excellent organizational skills
• Have experience in outreach campaigns and social media communications
• Be technologically proficient with computers and computer programs, including Microsoft Office software, specifically Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Have experience with CRM software or other cloud-based databases (preferably Keela)

The following are strong assets for this position:

• Experience in membership services
• Experience carrying out administrative tasks
• Experience in the non-profit sector
• Experience working with Keela, Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress and Canva
• Experience with a disability and/or supporting people with disabilities

Salary: $38,400

This position offers the following benefits after a three-month probationary period:

• 12 days of paid vacation annually
• 14 days of paid sick leave annually
• 100% of the cost of extended health and dental care benefit premiums
• 2 weeks of paid time off during DABC’s annual holiday office closure in December
• Employee wellness spending account

Working hours and location:

This position is part-time for 4 days per week at 8 hours a day (including 1 hour as a paid lunch break) and is a hybrid work opportunity; the successful candidate may be required to work at the Downtown Vancouver office two days a week, and at home the rest of the time.

The position is located in Vancouver, on the Unceded Territories of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish Nations.

DABC is an open and diverse organization that promotes inclusive hiring practices. We encourage applications from qualified applicants who identify as visible minorities, Indigenous persons, and of all sexual orientations, gender expressions and identities. People with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

To Apply:

Please submit a resume and brief cover letter addressed to feedback@dabc.ca using the subject heading “Job Application: Membership & Outreach Assistant”. No phone calls please.

Applications are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on April 24, 2025. DABC welcomes all applications, however, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview.

On March 31^st, the BC government announced that it would be cancelling the carbon tax, effective April 1^st, 2025. As a result, the BC climate action tax credit (BCCATC) has also been cancelled.

Clients who have already filed their taxes will see a BCCATC amount listed for the year, but this payment will not actually happen. The final payment was on April 4, 2025.

More info: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025FIN0014-000280