Home / Health / B.C. Nurses' Union Demands Faster Implementation of Emergency Department Ratios
B.C. Nurses' Union Demands Faster Implementation of Emergency Department Ratios
18 Nov
Summary
- B.C. was first to embrace nurse-to-patient ratios, but work has stalled on applying them in emergency departments
- BCNU president concerned about delays, as ERs face long wait times and closures
- Union hopes to secure measures to hold government accountable for ratios and increase transparency
As of November 18th, 2025, the B.C. Nurses' Union (BCNU) is in ongoing bargaining discussions with the provincial government, with a key focus on accelerating the implementation of nurse-to-patient ratios in emergency departments across British Columbia.
Two years ago, B.C. became the first province in Canada to establish rules for the number of patients a nurse can care for, in an effort to address burnout among healthcare workers. The province has already started implementing these ratios in intensive care units and general medical/surgical departments as part of the first phase rollout this past summer. However, BCNU president Adriane Gear expresses concern that work has stalled on applying the ratios to emergency departments, even as ERs face long wait times and closures due to staffing shortages.
Through the current bargaining process, the BCNU is hoping to secure measures that will hold the government accountable for meeting these nurse-to-patient ratio commitments, potentially including additional pay for nurses when their unit falls below the set ratios. The union also wants to increase transparency to allow patients to know when a unit is understaffed.
While B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne says work is underway to address staffing challenges, the ministry has not provided details on the timeline for full implementation of the nursing ratios or the number of net new nurses hired since the initiative was announced. Premier David Eby acknowledges that it will take time to fully implement the ratios, but stresses the province's commitment to moving faster on this issue.
