By Canadian Press

New deal for B.C. midwives increases wages, provides support for Indigenous midwifery

Aug 11, 2023 | 1:08 PM

VICTORIA — British Columbia midwives and the province have ratified a new three-year, wage-increasing agreement with the overwhelming support of health-care workers.

The new deal includes a series of fee increases and measures that the province says will provide more supports for Indigenous midwifery.

A vote among members of the Midwives Association of British Columbia on July 31 garnered 99 per cent support for the agreement, with 89 per cent of eligible association members taking part in the ballot.

The agreement is effective retroactively from April 2022 until March 2025.

Fees increase by 3.24 per cent, 6.75 per cent, and two per cent over the course of the deal.

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Health Minister Adrian Dix says the agreement “will be transformative in helping grow the profession.”

Lehe Spiegelman, co-chair of the midwives association, says in a news release that the deal will allow midwives to focus on maternity care in B.C., which she says has the highest rate of midwifery-involved births in the country.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2023.

The Canadian Press