2,200 workers from 22 Nova Scotia long-term care homes expected to strike

Nova Scotia's provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

HALIFAX — Workers from 22 long-term care homes in Nova Scotia are expected to strike this week after contract negotiations reached an impasse.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees submitted their notice on Friday to begin striking Monday morning at 7 a.m.

Ty Loppie, a spokesperson with the union, says the workers feel they have been pushed to this job action as they fight for a living wage.

CUPE says the first wave of the strike will have more than 2,200 people from 22 homes on the picket lines, with more care homes expected to follow suit in the coming days.

Bargaining between the Nova Scotia government and CUPE is for long-term care agreements that expired in 2023.

Nova Scotia’s minister of seniors and long-term care says the labour action will cause challenges, but all affected facilities have service agreements in place so essential care continues.

“To residents, families and staff of those facilities, I know how worried you must be... the care and safety of residents remains the number one priority,” Barbara Adams said in a statement Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2026.