B.C. paramedics and emergency dispatchers set February date for strike vote

VANCOUVER — The union representing ambulance paramedics and emergency dispatchers in British Columbia says its more than 6,000 members will be taking a strike vote in early February.

Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia says the vote will happen Feb. 2, after negotiations for a new collective agreement hit “an impasse” last week.

President Jason Jackson says in a statement that the union met with the employer in an effort to advance negotiations and avoid any disruption to services but “no positive progress was made.”

He says the government’s offer continues to fall short of what members need to support themselves and their families and protect their mental health and safety.

The statement says voting will take place electronically over two weeks and once an essential services order is in place, workers will be in a legal strike position.

The Health Employers Association of B.C. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The union says the ambulance service operates under significant staffing pressures and paramedics are deployed across the province to address long-term service gaps, particularly in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

“Not only does government’s offer fail to address the serious challenges we face, but it also doesn’t even live up to what other public sector workers have already been guaranteed,” Jackson says in the statement.

“Our members have stepped up time and time again to ensure patients across the province get the urgent care they need, but they are being stretched to their breaking point. It’s time for the B.C. government to recognize the desperate situation we’re in, and work with us to find solutions.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026

The Canadian Press