Four-day strike vote begins in B.C. nurses' labour dispute with province

The union representing 55,000 nurses began a four-day strike vote in its labour dispute with the province.

British Columbia nurses have begun a strike vote in their labour dispute with the province, the union representing them said Friday.

A statement from the BC Nurses’ Union said members of its bargaining association have been asked to cast their votes over a four-day period ending Monday night.

The voting is being conducted digitally, and the union has held several town hall events with members to instruct them on the strike vote process.

The union represents about 55,000 registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and psychiatric nurses employed across B.C. health authorities in hospitals and non-hospital settings.

Union president Adriane Gear said in April that talks with the provincial Health Employers Bargaining Association had reached an impasse, with a strike vote required to gain the ability to take job action with 72-hours notice.

B.C. Premier David Eby said Friday that the province remained “at the table” with the nurses’ union, and he was confident they would be able to reach an agreement.

“I don’t think there’s a British Columbian who hasn’t had a positive experience with a nurse at some point in their life,” Eby said during an unrelated news conference, calling nurses “a foundational group of people” that keep health care running “under incredible stress and strain as a result of the challenge of recruiting.”

Gear had previously said B.C. has about 4,500 vacant nursing positions that the province has not been able to fill, adding that an accepted workplace claim from a nurse requiring time off happens once every 16 hours on average.

The last contract expired in March 2025, and bargaining talks have centred around benefits, compensation and the implementation of a 2023 agreement on nursing ratios.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2026.