British Columbia nurses launch targeted job action
On Thursday, July 2 2026, the British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU) began a targeted job action after issuing a 72‑hour strike notice on Monday. Starting at 12:01 p.m., nurses across the province stopped performing non‑nursing duties and refused all non‑essential overtime, aiming to focus on safe, quality patient care.
The action follows a vote in which 98.2 % of the union’s more than 50,000 members supported job action and 67 % rejected a tentative collective agreement negotiated in May. Union president Adriane Gear said the government has not responded with urgency, and the measure is the first phase of a broader escalation plan that could expand if negotiations do not resume. The dispute also involves an arbitrator‑ordered cap on massage‑therapy benefits, set to decrease in the coming years, though no immediate changes to benefits will occur before a new plan takes effect on Jan 1 2027.
The BCNU has indicated that further actions will be announced in advance, emphasizing a commitment to patient care while pressuring the provincial government to return to the bargaining table.