Vancouver (Ambulance Paramedics of BC – CUPE Local 873): The Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia (APBC) have been in collective agreement negotiations with the employer since September 2025. While some progress was made at the bargaining table, talks broke down before Christmas.
As a result, the union is now engaging its membership about potential job action, including the possibility of a strike.
“This is not where we expected or wanted to be,” said APBC President and Lead Negotiator Jason Jackson. “Paramedics and dispatchers are more essential to British Columbia’s healthcare system than ever before. We are deeply concerned about what will happen if government fails to take these negotiations seriously.”
Paramedics across the province have long warned about growing system pressures, including significant organizational growth, chronic staffing shortages, empty ambulances, and increasing reliance on overtime.
Similar to challenges facing doctors and nurses, recruitment and retention remain critical issues. When emergency departments or hospitals are forced to close, it is often local paramedics who step in to fill the gaps and keep communities safe.
“Our members have stepped up time and time again without hesitation,” Jackson said. “Yet we continue to see ambulances sitting unstaffed and hundreds of vacant positions across the province. Without meaningful improvements to wages, benefits, and wellness initiatives, we will continue to lose skilled professionals—and communities will pay the price.”
The union is seeking improvements in several key areas, including stronger protections against contracting out, better deployment models for underserved and rural communities, and enhanced mental health and wellness supports for frontline workers.
