Here are the B.C. ministries, provincial agencies and roles affected by job action

An Octoberfest event in Vancouver has been cancelled, the latest casualty of the ongoing BCGEU job action.

About 26,000 members of two unions representing British Columbia professionals and public service workers are participating in escalating job action as they push for pay increases in new contracts with the provincial government.

The weeks-long strike action includes more than 1,000 members of the Professional Employees Association and close to 25,000 members of the B.C. General Employees’ Union.

More than 20 provincial ministries, Crown corporations and agencies are affected. Here is a breakdown:

BCGEU job action

• Citizens’ Services (including Service BC)
• Education and Child Care
• Energy and Climate Solutions
• Finance
• Housing and Municipal Affairs
• Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation
• Infrastructure
• Jobs and Economic Growth
• Mining and Critical Minerals
• Office of the Premier
• Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
• Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
• Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
• B.C. Crown corporations and agencies
• BC Pension Corporation
• Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement
• Employment Standards Branch
• Forest Practices Board
• Liquor Distribution Branch, including all BC Liquor and BC Cannabis stores
• Royal BC Museum

Professional Employees Association job action

The union representing professionals says all of its members, excluding essential workers, are on strike at the following ministries:

• Attorney General
• Health
• Mining and Critical Minerals
• Transportation and Transit
• Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

The union says some but not all of its members are on strike from these ministries:

• Agriculture and Food
• Energy and Climate Solutions
• Environment and Parks
• Forests

Professional designations and workers participating in job action include:

• Agrologists
• Engineers — environmental protection officer, geohazard and slope stability geoscientist, highway safety engineer
• Foresters
• Geoscientist — dam safety officer, groundwater hydrologist
• Lawyers — legal counsel, litigation
• Mines — reclamation specialist, inspectors for health, safety and permitting

The union says examples of essential workers who would never be on strike include hydrologists with B.C.’s River Forecast Centre and child and youth psychologists with the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2025.