Good Samaritan Society Essential Services Agreement update/call for feedback

Bargaining updates

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Zoom meeting on August 13 about the work underway on your Essential Services Agreement (ESA).

As explained in Bargaining Update #8, a completed ESA is required before negotiations can move forward into the formal phase of mediation. The Master ESA is complete, and we are now reviewing the staffing levels proposed by your employer.

This is where we need your help.

What does 'Essential' mean?

HSAA recognizes that the work you do is essential in the everyday sense because it has a significant impact on day-to-day operations and on the overall health and well-being of clients, patients and residents.

However, in the legal context of an ESA, “essential” means services that must continue during a strike or lockout to protect the life, personal safety or health of the public.

The focus is on the immediate impact of services not being provided for 1 to 7 days. Services are not considered essential simply because their absence would be inconvenient or disruptive.

What we need from you

This slide deck outlines what your employer has proposed as essential work, the services that would continue, and the staffing required to maintain those services.

Please pay particular attention to the details for your worksite.

We are asking for your reasoned opinion on:

  • Essential Services designations: what services should or should not be deemed essential in this legal context described above.
  • Staffing levels: what staffing level would be required, based on a 1-to-7-day period, to complete only the tasks you believe are essential in a legal context.
  • Staffing plans: any errors in the current staffing plan for your site, such as scheduled hours, hours of work, or days of the week.
  • Absences and coverage: whether staff are replaced during absences of 1 to 7 days, or how long your site has gone in the past without covering your position.
  • Vacancies: whether there are vacant positions at your site. If so, how long they have been vacant.
  • Other relevant information: Anything else that may help us assess the staffing plan, such as admissions per week, discharges, acuity levels, or the ability to plan ahead and prepare.

Where to send feedback

Please send your feedback to EssentialServices@hsaa.ca by September 9, 2026.

Your feedback is important to ensuring the staffing plans accurately reflect the work being done at your site.

For more information on ESAs, you can visit our website.