Nurses across Vancouver Island, including those serving View Royal, are back on the job after more than three weeks of job action. Province-wide picketing ended at midnight on July 24, and Island Health says services are returning to normal at all its facilities.
The Nurses’ Bargaining Association accepted settlement recommendations from mediators Amanda Rogers and Vince Ready, bringing the longest nurses’ strike in British Columbia history to a close. About 55,000 nurses took part in the job action, which began July 2, 2026, after 67 per cent of voting members rejected a tentative agreement in June.
The action had a real impact on local care. Picket lines went up at Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital and Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on July 12. Appointments were postponed and some services were cut back as nurses refused non-nursing duties and limited overtime.
With the job action over, Island Health says patients should expect regular access to care again. If you have an appointment coming up, keep it unless someone from the health authority calls to reschedule.
The settlement deals with workplace violence and non-nursing tasks, but money issues like wages will go to binding arbitration this fall. The union says the fight was always about protecting public health care and making sure nurses can do their jobs safely.
