British ColumbiaThe B.C. General Employees’ Union says members from the B.C. Wildfire Service and the Ministry of Forests are joining the picket lines, even as the union takes part in mediated talks with the province. Members from the B.C. Wildfire Service and the Ministry of Forests are joining the BCGEU picket linesThe Canadian Press · Posted: Oct 22, 2025 3:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 22The B.C. government says negotiations will resume Monday between the province and the BCGEU. (Ben Nelms/CBC)B.C.’s public service workers’ union is expanding its job action even as it takes part in mediated talks with the government to end its dispute. The B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) said in a statement that its members from the B.C. Wildfire Service and the Ministry of Forests are joining the picket lines. The union says essential services remain in place to ensure public safety, with 94 active wildfires still burning in the province, 90 per cent of which are considered under control.More than 25,000 of the union’s 34,000 members are taking part in strike action, with over 550 worksites across the province behind picket lines. The union and government began non-binding talks with veteran mediator Vince Ready over the weekend aimed at resolving the dispute. The strike is in its eighth week, disrupting hundreds of services to the public, stopping the work of government ministries and squeezing off the supply of liquor and cannabis in the province.
Wildfire fighters join B.C. public service job action amid mediated talks
