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.”
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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.
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.
Global News has reached out to the Health Employers Association of BC and Health Minister Josie Osborne for comment on the vote results.
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