Equiflash Archive

TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks) has announced they will no longer provide incident reporting services, confidential counselling, or other support services via the HAVEN Helpline, ending their relationship with Equity as of February 28, 2024. Members will still be able to report incidents of inappropriate behaviour and access counselling through HAVEN Helpline until the contract with TELUS Health expires at the end of the month.

Moving forward, Equity will be partnering with the two other participating arts unions using HAVEN Helpline, ACTRA and Directors’ Guild of Canada, on the development of an online incident reporting system – providing artists with a platform to report inappropriate behaviour in the workplace to their union. Until the new reporting platform is launched, Equity members are encouraged to report incidents of inappropriate behaviour by email at notinourspace@caea.com and an Equity Respectful Workplace Advisor will follow up.

“Though we had hoped to find a replacement for HAVEN that offered the same services, an online reporting tool seems the best solution at this time,” said Arden R. Ryshpan, Equity Executive Director. “Getting that up and running – and available to artists – as quickly possible, is the priority.”

Equity was informed that TELUS Health had made their decision after an evaluation process in which they determined, “that while continued program enhancements may improve in some areas, they will not satisfy the needs expressed by the CAEA.” A similar letter was sent to ACTRA and DGC, terminating services to those associations as well.

Equity, ACTRA, and the DGC had been working collectively, meeting with TELUS Health regularly over the past two years, in an effort to have TELUS Health address issues raised by members of all three organizations about improving the level of service to ensure it met our needs.

For more information, please contact communications@caea.com.