Registered Nurse Manjot Kaur Munday prepares with her PPE at Surrey Memorial Hospital on June 4, 2021. (Image Credit: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
Nurses Strike

BC Nurses’ Union bargaining reaches impasse, preparing for strike vote

Apr 21, 2026 | 3:58 PM

VANCOUVER — Nurses in B.C. are moving closer to job action after a new ruling on benefits pushed contract talks to a breaking point.

In an internal email obtained by Global News, the BC Nurses’ Union says arbitrator Vince Ready has ruled that massage therapy coverage will be capped at just over $1,400 in 2027 and reduced again the following year.

The union says it is one of several sticking points and it’s now preparing for a strike vote. Their last contract expired last month.

“We’ve been meeting diligently with the employer for the last eight months,” Adriane Gear, president of the BC Nurses’ Union, said.