Veteran Mediator Vince Ready to Step in to Try to End the BC Nurses Dispute

Members of the BC Nurses’ Union picket outside Surrey Memorial Hospital, in Surrey, B.C., on July 9, 2026. The Canadian Press/Darryl DyckVeteran mediator Vince Ready has been appointed to try to help settle the British Columbia nurses’ dispute as the union steps up its job action.Premier David Eby says the goal is to get the nurses back to work as soon as possible.The premier wouldn’t name the mediator, but a Health Ministry spokesperson says Ready—a long-time troubleshooter in such disputes—will take on the job.The BC Nurses’ Union said yesterday that negotiations broke off with the Health Employers Association, leading to a “significantly new phase” of job action with an expansion of pickets to additional care centres across the province.So far, nurses have been picketing in front of care centres in Surrey and Vancouver, while the union has implemented an overtime ban and says its members won’t do non-nursing duties.The union called for the provincial government to step in to help end the dispute and give the employers group a mandate to improve contract offers.Nurses and the employers association reached a tentative deal in May that would have given members a 12 percent pay increase over four years, but almost two-thirds of those who took part in the vote rejected the agreement.