Executive and stewards
CUPE 5536 Executive Team
Tara McGlone – President
(Vacant) – Vice President
Dhruv Dhawan – Secretary Treasurer
Carmel Edmonds – Communications Officer
Sera Craigen Ecsy – CBA Unit Chair, Lower Mainland
(Vacant) – CBA Unit Chair, Vancouver Island
(Vacant) – NBA Unit Chair
Jackson Dallas – Health and Safety Chair
Freddy Thomas – Indigenous Worker Representative
Doug Everitt – Peer Worker Representative
Justin Larocque – Young Worker Representative
CUPE 5536 Job Stewards
PHS - Vancouver
Devin Lefebvre - Lead Steward
Sera Craigen Ecsy - CBA Unit Chair, Lower Mainland
Bobby Kachalami - Trustee
Tanisha Chandler
Doug Everitt - Peer Worker Representative
Meris Goodman
Philippa Wood
PHS - Victoria
Cameron Lindsay
Ladysmith Resource Centre Association
Tiffany De Ruyter De Wildt
What we do
We represent British Columbia’s Harm Reduction Workers.
As CUPE 5536, we stand with the dedicated individuals who are on the front lines of harm reduction across BC, ensuring they receive the fair wages, benefits, and respect they deserve. Our members are the backbone of overdose prevention sites, safe consumption spaces, and outreach programs, working tirelessly to support some of the most vulnerable populations in our communities.
We fight for fair wages and equitable working conditions.
Harm Reduction Workers provide essential services — saving lives, reducing harm, and advocating for marginalized individuals. Yet, their critical work is often undervalued. As their union, CUPE 5536 supports efforts to ensure our members are fairly compensated for their skills, experience, and dedication. We work to uphold and advocate for collective agreements that secure fair wages, job security, and benefits, ensuring our members can continue their vital work with dignity and stability.
We ensure our members are treated with respect.
Our members work in challenging environments, often facing immense physical and emotional demands. CUPE 5536 is committed to ensuring they are supported, protected, and respected in their workplaces. We advocate for safe working conditions, proper staffing levels, and the mental health resources needed to ensure our members can continue providing compassionate care without burning out.
We give a voice to those who care for BC’s most vulnerable.
CUPE 5536 stands up for Harm Reduction Workers, advocating for policies that prioritize their well-being and the people they serve. Whether in shelters, community health centers, or on the streets, our members do life-saving work every day. We push for system-wide changes that benefit both the workers and the communities they serve — from improved funding for harm reduction programs to stronger workplace protections.
We are proud to support the people who make harm reduction possible.
Through our advocacy, bargaining, and organizing, CUPE 5536 ensures that BC’s Harm Reduction Workers have the voice, resources, and support they need to continue their crucial work. We believe that by standing together, we can build a stronger, safer, and more equitable society for everyone.
Equality statement
Union solidarity is based on the principle that union members are equal and deserve mutual respect at all levels. Any behaviour that creates conflict prevents us from working together to strengthen our union.
As unionists, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding are our goals. We should neither condone nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
Discriminatory speech or conduct which is racist, sexist, transphobic or homophobic hurts and thereby divides us. So too, does discrimination on the basis of ability, age, class, religion, language and ethnic origin.
Sometimes discrimination takes the form of harassment. Harassment means using real or perceived power to abuse, devalue or humiliate. Harassment should not be treated as a joke. The uneasiness and resentment that it creates are not feelings that help us grow as a union.
Discrimination and harassment focus on characteristics that make us different; and they reduce our capacity to work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our union.
CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all persons deserve dignity, equality and respect.