File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

STRIKE VOTE

Paramedics strike vote to begin Monday; impacts could disproportionately affect vulnerable populations

Jan 28, 2026 | 3:16 PM

KAMLOOPS — Negotiations have stalled between the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia (APBC) and the province as the two sides work toward a new collective agreement.

A strike vote will begin next Monday (Feb. 2) and run for two weeks, with more than 6,000 paramedics and dispatchers set to cast a vote. The union called the move a last resort, noting the majority of issues have been agreed to.

“The general wage increase is 3 per cent over four years. That is kind of the public sector mandate — we understand that,” said Ian Tait, communications and social media director for APBC. “What we are fighting for is the extra pot of money that goes toward benefits and improving collective agreement processes. We talk about mental health and wellness funding, we talk about weekend and evening premiums, other forms of compensation to try to help with staffing and recruitment is where we think the money is best spent.”

Paramedics and dispatchers are an essential service, meaning any strike action would not see ambulance service cut off but staffing levels affected. However, with staffing levels already low and more than 400 full-time positions currently unfilled in B.C., service could be affected.

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“We are really concerned that the most vulnerable people in our population are going to be the ones who are affected,” added Tait. “Rural, remote, Indigenous communities, the unhoused people who are suffering with addictions… we are already struggling to meet the demand that that brings in health care. When we look at [emergency room] closures, as well, in so many communities, we are the healthcare system when those hospitals go down. The last thing we want is fewer ambulances staffed on a day-to-day basis.”