Nurses are pictured on the picket line outside Vancouver General Hospital in Vancouver, B.C. on July 7, 2026. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Special mediators have been appointed in the nurses strike after talks between the province and B.C.’s nurses stalled this week.

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On Friday, B.C.’s Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said the government has appointed Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers as special mediators in the labour dispute between the Health Employers Association of B.C. and the B.C. Nurses’ Union.

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She said the special mediators will work with the parties for 10 days to help reach a settlement and, if needed, provide recommendations to the minister.

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Following a “breakdown of negotiations,” the B.C. Nurses’ Union announced it would be picketing Surrey Memorial Hospital beginning Thursday, and preparing to erect picket lines at three Vancouver Island hospitals this weekend.

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“We have reached a critical point in this dispute,” said BCNU president Adriane Gear, adding that nurses “have bargained in good faith” while participating in limited strike action with a ban on overtime and non-nursing duties. The provincial government can end this dispute. It can provide health employers with a mandate that retains nurses, strengthens public health care and prevents further disruption. We are calling on government to act.”

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Gear’s statement noted that the expansion of strike action is also spurred by reports from nurses of workplace intimidation for participating in limited job action.

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Since July 2, more than 2,300 reports have been received by members who say they were intimidated, coerced or threatened with discipline and warnings for not performing non-nursing duties.

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As a result, the BCNU has filed an unfair labour practice case with the B.C. Labour Relations Board to halt employer interference of job action.

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Under the B.C. Labour Relations Code, employees are legally allowed to strike if bargaining has broken down, a strike vote has been conducted and a majority of members support strike action.

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In a strike vote held this spring, 98.2 per cent of nurses supported job action.

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The Health Employers Association and the Nurses Bargaining Association went back to the bargaining table, resulting in a proposal that was later rejected by 67 per cent of nurses.

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According to the union, while the tentative agreement included bumps to benefits and shift premiums, nurses felt it fell short in terms of a general wage increase. The rejected agreement had offered a 12 per cent wage increase over four years — the figure accepted by other public sector unions — as well as additional funding to improve minimum nurse-to-patient ratios.

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In addition to Surrey Memorial, a picket line also went up Thursday at the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre in Surrey.