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Thousands of nurses in British Columbia have voted in favour of job action, which their union says will be used to push for progress at the bargaining table for a new collective agreement.
A total of 98.2 per cent of more than 50,000 nurses voted in favour of giving the union a strike mandate, with the union calling it “powerful and historic.”
“This vote is a defining moment,” union president Adriane Gear said. “Nurses across British Columbia are demanding that respect, safety and fair contract they deserve.”
The vote took place between May 8 and 11 and came a few weeks after the union reached an impasse in April with the Health Employers Association of BC.
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An internal email obtained last month by Global News showed the BC Nurses Union saying arbitrator Vince Ready had ruled that massage therapy coverage would be capped at just over $1,400 in 2027 and reduced again the following year.
The union said it is one of several sticking points.
Their last contract expired in March 2025 and the union and the nurses’ employer have been in contract talks since October 2025.
“Nurses need a contract that respects the critical role they play in keeping this health-care system running,” Gear said in a statement.
B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said the government respects the right of workers to bargain, including conducting a strike vote. She acknowledged it’s a step in the bargaining process, but doesn’t mean job action will occur. She stressed the hope is a deal will be found at the bargaining table.
“In the event of any job action, essential services plans are in place to help ensure the continued delivery of services and essential care for people,” Osborne wrote in a statement.
Global News has reached out to the Health Employers Association of BC for comment.
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