BC nurses expand pickets to major hospitals after impasse

Nurses in British Columbia have significantly escalated their job action, expanding picket lines to major hospitals across the province after declaring a bargaining impasse. The British Columbia Nurses' Union (BCNU) announced on Thursday, July 9, 2026, that the work-to-rule campaign, which began on July 2, would intensify with physical pickets at multiple facilities starting this weekend.

Picket lines were first established on Thursday morning at Surrey Memorial Hospital and the nearby Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. The union plans to expand these demonstrations, with pickets scheduled for Victoria General Hospital on July 12, Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on July 13, and Royal Jubilee Hospital and the South Island Surgical Centre on July 14. Essential services will be maintained at all locations to ensure urgent and emergency care continues.

The escalation follows the collapse of negotiations between the Nurses' Bargaining Association and the Health Employers Association of BC (HEABC). Union President Adriane Gear stated that talks had broken down because the employer could not move beyond a provincially mandated bargaining framework. She called for direct...