Special mediators appointed amid B.C. Nurses\u2019 Union job action<\/p>\n
Published 1:33 pm Friday, July 10, 2026<\/p>\n
Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside has appointed two special mediators in the dispute between the B.C. Nurses\u2019 Union and the Health Employers Association of B.C.<\/p>\n
Long-time mediator Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers were named special mediators Friday, July 10, eight days after job action began.<\/p>\n
Ready and Rogers will work with the two parties for 10 days with the aim of helping to reach a settlement, or if needed, to provide recommendations to the minister.<\/p>\n
The ministry says the two were appointed under section 76 of the Labour Relations Code.<\/p>\n
Premier David Eby alluded to the Ready and Rogers\u2019 appointment hours earlier at an unrelated news conference. He said he was sure the goal on all sides is \u201cto get the nurses back to work as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur nurses are the glue that holds an incredibly strained system together and they deserve to be recognized for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The appointment of the special mediators comes after the B.C. Nurses\u2019 Union announced Thursday it would be expanding the picket lines across B.C.<\/a> and after alleging employer threats and intimidation<\/a> during job action.<\/p>\n B.C. Nurses\u2019 Union president Adriane Gear announced that the union would be beginning job action July 2 at noon after issuing a 72-hour strike notice on June <\/a>30<\/a>. Since then, there have been picket lines outside of Vancouver General and Surrey Memorial hospitals.<\/p>\n The news of the picket-line expansion came Thursday as the union said it has once again reached an \u201cimpasse\u201d in bargaining with the employer.<\/p>\n