Metro Vancouver workers strike Monday over safety, pay

More than 700 outside workers at Metro Vancouver are striking Monday morning starting at 7 a.m., marking an escalation after 17 months without a contract.

All non-essential workers maintaining regional parks, watersheds, water and sewer infrastructure, and construction sites will be off the job, according to union spokesperson Bill Tieleman. The B.C. Labour Relations Board has designated which workers must remain on site for essential services, and management will also step in.

Regional parks affected include Pacific Spirit Park, Grouse Mountain (including the Grouse Grind), Capilano River Regional Park, Deas Island Regional Park, and Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. Worker safety is central to the dispute — the union cited two major confined space incidents in recent years, including a near-fatal 2024 accident at a New Westminster water main job site that led WorkSafeBC to fine Metro Vancouver nearly $170,000 for high-risk violations.

On March 13, 2026, workers voted 97.8 per cent in favour of strike action. Beyond safety, the union is pressing demands on job security, contracting out, and recruitment and retention. Union leadership also flagged what it calls dramatic compensation increases for managers while taxpayers foot the bill for costly mismanagement — notably the North Vancouver wastewater treatment project that ballooned from a planned $700 million to $3.6 billion.