A large group of nurses employed by Island Health had their voices heard on Friday, Jan. 10 in downtown Nanaimo, part of a two-day nurse's conference ahead of contract negotiations, slated for later this year. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

nurses rally

VIDEO: Nurses rally in downtown Nanaimo ahead of contract negotiations

Jan 10, 2025 | 3:09 PM

NANAIMO — A group of nurses from across Vancouver Island descended on downtown Nanaimo on Friday, Jan 10, as part of a two-day regional bargaining conference prior to contract negotiations.

Starting at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre (VICC) on Gordon St. just after noon, around 250 Island Health nurses and supporters marched down Commercial St. chanting slogans and soliciting horn honks before setting up along Terminal Ave. near Gordon St. for speeches from union heads.

President of the BC Nurses Union (BCNU) Adriane Gear said two of the biggest issues they’re keeping in mind ahead of contract negotiations include maintaining their benefits and ensuring safe working environments.

“Despite all of our advocacy and really being very public about what some of the challenges are, nurses each and every day endure some actually unsafe situations, and sometimes it’s even violence.”

President of the BC Nurses Union Adriane Gear speaks to the crowd along Hwy. 1 in downtown Nanaimo on Friday, Jan. 10. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

nurses rally

VIDEO: Nurses rally in downtown Nanaimo ahead of contract negotiations

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The group was primarily made up of nurses from both Pacific Rim and South Island health regions, held signs and chanted in unison rallying cries like “fight for healthcare, fight for all, it’s time for change, hear our call!”.

Gear said staff shortages are another big issue preventing their members from providing optimum patient care.

She said her members see the value in implementing minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in all healthcare settings.

“That was an agreement we reached with government directly last round of collective bargaining, and although there has been some really good work in terms of determining what the ratios are, we’re not at implementation yet, and so many health care areas continue to work short.”

She said she heard stories from members about patients being deferred to other areas of the health system but never getting the proper care they need, along with understaffing in some of the most vital areas of health care.

“In acute care, we’ve got some really concerning examples that were shared where a unit that should maybe be staffed…in a ratio of one to four, is staffed at like, one to eight, one to 10, one to 12. And so you can imagine there’s no way you can provide the care that patients actually really require.”

(Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

While the noon-hour rally in downtown Nanaimo received a lot of honks of support from passing vehicles and encouraging words from people walking by, Gear said their message is directed at Island Health.

She said ensuring nurse’s safety is a good place to start to help turn the healthcare system around and successfully implement what they feel are proper nurse-to-patient ratios.

“Many of my members do not feel respected for the work that they do. They feel devalued, and this lies with the health authorities. And we don’t have to wait to have a collective bargaining session for them to do the right thing, they can start ensuring the safety of their staff, my members, anytime.”

Information gathered during this two-day event in Nanaimo will be forwarded to their elected bargaining team to determine their main priorities.

The BCNU’s collective agreement with the province expires on March 31.

Numerous expiring contacts among B.C. government unionized employees will undoubtedly challenge the recently elected NDP government, which reported late last year a projected record-high deficit of $9.4 billion this fiscal year.

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