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Vancouver Sun
15 hours ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Exclusive: B.C. public sector jobs have more than doubled under the NDP
The number of B.C. public-sector employees in health care, schools and government ministries who make at least $75,000 a year has more than doubled since the NDP was elected in 2017, data collected by Postmedia reveals. In the time since the NDP took power, the total number of taxpayer-funded positions in health authorities, K-12 schools and the core of government have leapt to 104,600, from 49,400. And the amount of money spent annually on salaries for those government workers has jumped from just under $5 billion to more than $11.5 billion in that time, according to the 12th edition of The Vancouver Sun's searchable public sector salaries database. ( You can search the database HERE .) Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. British Columbians may scratch their heads when learning that the number of workers paid at least $75,000 from the public purse has doubled — especially if their local emergency department has recently closed due to a lack of nurses or doctors, or if their grandmother's retirement home doesn't have enough care aides, or if there isn't a teacher for their child's classroom. Union leaders maintain their members in hospitals, schools and community services represent only part of this growth of government workers. They argue the biggest expansion has been in non-union staff and management roles, which they say increased disproportionately compared to workers on the ground. 'We've had this explosive growth in (non-union) management, and that hasn't resulted in a more efficient organization,' Paul Finch, president of the B.C. General Employees' Union, said of the public service. 'That should never have been allowed to happen.' The Finance Ministry, in a statement to Postmedia, said public sector salaries have risen an average of 23 per cent since 2017 through collective bargaining and that the government has launched efforts to hire more in-demand professionals such as nurses and teachers. It said three-quarters of the public sector is unionized, but did not address the unions' concerns that the overall percentage of non-unionized employees increased at a faster pace than the percentage of front-line workers in recent years. Postmedia's database contains the names and wages of nearly 170,000 workers who made at least $75,000 in 2023-2024 at approximately 100 public sector agencies, including the provincial government, city halls, universities and colleges, school districts, health authorities, Crown corporations, municipal police departments, and other agencies that use taxpayers' money to fund their payrolls. The Sun has created this searchable database for the 12th time because detailed information on how your tax dollars are spent on salaries is not otherwise easily available for the public to search, as it is in other provinces such as Ontario . The total amount the provincial government spends on salaries for its 600,000 public sector employees is $53 billion, representing 60 per cent of the provincial budget. Our database contains just the 170,000 workers who make more than $75,000. By comparing this database with an earlier version, Postmedia determined the number of people who worked directly for government ministries and were paid at least $75,000 ballooned by 135 per cent since 2017 — a faster pace than health and education workers. Job titles captured in that surge include directors, managers, policy analysts, team leaders and supervisors. The BCGEU's Finch used B.C. Public Service Agency data to determine the number of non-unionized and management workers grew by 45 per cent, increasing to 7,350 in 2024, from 5,202 in 2017. In that time, the number of unionized members in the public service increased by 31 per cent, from nearly 25,000 to just over 32,000 seven years later. That trend means that in 2010, there was one manager for every four unionized workers, but by 2024 that ratio was one-to-three, Finch said. 'That's a completely unacceptable ratio,' he said. 'We need to see ceilings put in place on ratios of management to front-line workers.' How to determine those ratios should be based on 'what serves the best interest of British Columbians,' he added. Postmedia's data shows that in some union jobs, such as child protection workers, wildfire fighters, probation officers and correction services staff, the number of people making $75,000 went from zero in 2017 to several hundred by 2024. Finch said those are not all new hires, but include existing staff pushed above $75,000 under collective agreement pay raises. The health sector also had significant growth in our database, with the number of provincial employees making at least $75,000 increasing by 122 per cent since 2017. B.C. Nurses' Union President Adriane Gear said she'd like the government to assess the number of managers versus front-line workers during the health sector expansion. During that period, BCNU membership grew by just 16 per cent, from 43,000 in 2017 to 50,000 in 2025. 'There have been nurses hired in this province, but has it kept up with the needs of British Columbians? No. Nurses continue to work extremely short-staffed, which means below safe levels of nurses to patients,' she said. Statistics Canada estimates B.C. has 5,600 vacancies for different types of nurses. Gear stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the premier in September, when the province announced improved nurse-to-patient ratios, in an effort to attract more nurses to B.C. But, she said, the details are still being worked out. 'I'm very frustrated. … We still don't have that deal inked yet,' Gear said. 'I'm puzzled how that doesn't seem to be one of the very top priorities.' The Hospital Employees Union maintains there is also a desperate need to hire more of their members, especially care aides who are in high demand in care homes and hospitals as the population ages. 'More than 50 per cent of our members are working short (staffed) at least one day and sometimes twice a week. And so this is a really big part of the problem,' said Lynn Bueckert, the HEU's secretary-business manager. 'Retention and recruitment are such big issues in the health-care system. Period.' HEU members, including lab assistants, cleaners, and staff who deliver meals, play vital roles for patients in hospitals. But they are unlikely to be represented in the database's 122 per cent growth in health workers making at least $75,000, because 'the vast majority' of those jobs don't pay that much, Bueckert said. The membership of the HEU expanded from 49,000 members in 2017 to nearly 68,000 in 2025, an increase of 39 per cent. Some of that growth was due to recruiting care home staff to join the union, said Bueckert. The third sector analyzed for this story, K-12 education, had a 70 per cent surge in staff making more than $75,000 since 2017. During that time, though, the B.C. Teachers Federation said its membership numbers rose from 46,200 to 52,600 — a 14 per cent bump. BCTF president Clint Johnston said he doesn't know the source of the growth in school district numbers. Government is making efforts to hire more teachers, but there is still a serious shortage. 'How many teachers we need versus how many teachers we actually have? That gap is growing every year,' he said. 'You can verifiably see it by the number of uncertified teachers who are being used in the province.' Postmedia's database shows twice as many teachers making at least $75,000 compared to our 2017 version, but Johnston said the number of instructors hasn't risen by that much. The increase could be due to wage enhancements pushing some teachers above the $75,000 threshold, as well as more veteran teachers at the top of the salary grid postponing retirement. BCTF members have raised anecdotal concerns about a hike in non-classroom staff, such as district learning coordinators or assistant superintendents, who would typically fall into the $75,000-plus salary bracket, Johnston said. 'That is absolutely an issue that they frequently talk about, the disproportionate growth in district staff who aren't in a classroom teaching, directly supporting kids,' he said. B.C. is short more than 900 teachers and nearly 600 education assistants and other support staff, positions that are advertised on the government's education-related jobs page . Johnston said the provincial education budget is large but does not keep pace with demand, which has forced school districts to cancel special programs like band and to find alternative revenue for inclusive education programs. Interviews with Finance Minister Brenda Bailey, Health Minister Josie Osborne and Education Minister Lisa Beare were requested for this story. They all declined. In written answers to our questions about the 135 per cent increase in government ministry workers, the B.C. Public Service Agency said ministry workers have an average salary today of $67,819. In 2017, the agency said, public service workers, on average, made less than health and school employees, which may explain why ministry workers earning more than $75,000 today have grown at a disproportionately faster rate. 'Those other data sets may already have had a higher percentage over $75,000, which would reflect in (health and education's) lower growth rates over the term,' the agency said in a statement. The Public Sector Employers' Council said ministries have fewer workers than in health care and K-12 education, which means the hiring of a few new staff can boost the percentage of sector employees more quickly. While the B.C. Public Service Agency and Public Sector Employers' Council minimized the apparent surge of workers in ministries and service agencies making more than $75,000, the government's own budget documents chronicle the growth of ministry employees across all salary ranges. Budget documents show full-time-equivalent staff in ministries and service agencies grew significantly over eight years, to 48,386 in 2025-26 from 32,865 in 2017-18 . This includes all ministry workers, regardless of their salaries, and the total money spent on wages for this group grew by 63 per cent over those eight years. The Public Sector Employers' Council acknowledged there are still shortages of key workers in other sectors, including health and education. The government has launched initiatives such as a K-12 recruitment and retention drive to find more teachers, the statement said. 'In health care, many efforts have been initiated to make recruitment easier from out-of-province and international health workers, including a new, fast-tracked credential recognition for U.S. trained and certified nurses last month,' the council said in a statement. The council noted there are three unionized workers for every non-unionized employee, but didn't answer questions about that ratio previously being four-to-one. Of the 600,000 people employed by the province, 44 per cent work in health but, on average, have higher wages that account for 52 per cent of money spent on salaries; 17 per cent work in K-12 education but their lower-than-average salaries mean they take up just 15 per cent of the salary budget; and the eight per cent working in ministries collect nine per cent of the money spent on salaries, according to government figures. The Health Ministry, in an email, said the database's 122 per cent growth in health staff is largely attributable to collective agreements pushing some workers' salaries above $75,000 as well as the hiring of more in-demand staff 'to keep pace with an increasing population and corresponding demand for services.' It said the Provincial Health Services Authority, for example, has hired more paramedics, cancer specialists, and Indigenous health leaders. When asked about union allegations that the percentage of non-unionized staff has grown at a faster pace than that of front-line workers, the ministry said these 'non-contract positions' represent more than managers. They also include people who support quality improvements in labs or medical imaging, nurse practitioners and associate physicians, and human resources staff to help with recruiting health workers. The ministry said it has committed to new nurse-to-patient ratios and is fast-tracking credentials for nurses from places such as the U.S. and Australia in an effort to expand their ranks. The number of nurses in B.C. has grown by 27 per cent since 2018, based on statistics from the nurses' regulatory body, the email said. It is not clear why that number is different than the BCNU's 16 per cent increase since 2017. In addition to trying to hire more nurses, the ministry said a program to recruit additional workers for care homes has filled 10,000 positions since 2020. The ministry defended its hiring practices. It said the Canadian Institute of Health Information found B.C.'s ratio of spending on finance and human resources, compared to on front-line health workers, was the second best in Canada. The Education Ministry did not answer Postmedia's question about the database's finding of a 70 per cent growth in staff in K to 12, or explain what types of jobs had expanded the most. It referred all queries to the B.C. Public School Employers' Association, but later provided this statement. When asked about BCTF allegations of a disproportionate increase of non-union and management staff compared to teachers and others in classrooms, the ministry responded that those decisions are up to school districts. 'Decisions about hiring are made at the local level for what makes sense in their community.' The statement acknowledged, though, that 'one of the biggest challenges the K-12 sector faces is hiring enough qualified teaching and support staff,' a problem that exists across Canada. B.C. is trying to hire more teachers by reducing barriers for internationally trained educators to work here, by offering hiring incentives of $500,000 for people to work in rural and remote communities, by increasing flexibility in teacher training programs to allow students to remain in their community to study, and by working with Indigenous groups to recruit more Indigenous teachers, the ministry said. Premier David Eby campaigned last year on every K-3 class having an education assistant. The ministry says 75 per cent of those classrooms have an EA, and it is exploring 'ways to support hiring more.' In our database, remuneration includes salary, overtime, bonuses and other one-time payouts or benefits, such as unused vacation time. It does not include expenses. The figures come from publicly available compensation disclosure reports and freedom of information requests. Some of the names and positions in the database may be out of date if someone has retired or moved jobs, but it provides a recent snapshot in time of public sector payrolls in B.C. lculbert@ ngriffiths@
Press and Journal
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
New roundabout plotted for Toll of Birness as part of multi-million-pound upgrades project
A new roundabout could be constructed at the notorious Toll of Birness after a years-long campaign pleading for 'crucial' safety upgrades. This the latest ploy aimed at tackling traffic issues at the A90 junction known for being one of the worst accident blackspots in the region. It comes as a recent Nestrans survey shows there have been more fatal crashes on that stretch north of Ellon than on any other A-roads across the country. A speed camera was installed at the fork junction last year as traffic bosses looked at ways to improve safety and prevent more incidents. However, locals pleaded for a more long-term solution to the problem – with a recent petition calling for the upgrades amassing nearly 900 signatures. Nestrans has now compiled a list of options – including creating a roundabout at Toll of Birness and the Cortes junction – that could improve safety and cut journey times. The report was recently presented to the Aberdeen City Region Deal joint committee. The survey explained that there were three main problems that needed to be addressed – safety, journey time reliability and long journey times. Improvements are also needed to make traffic flow a bit easier during peak times, while also encouraging more people to use public transport. The Nestrans survey found that 85% of travellers would like to take the bus more often – but were only put off due to lengthy journey times. The long list of options was eventually narrowed down to four possible upgrades, focusing on the most problematic areas of the roads network around Ellon. Under this preferred option, lanes leading up to and exiting the roundabout would be improved. A bus lane would be created southbound leading to the A90 helping buses pass through the roundabout faster and ultimately reducing travel times. An acceleration lane on the A90 northbound exit would be added to allow motorists leaving the roundabout to overtake slower vehicles. This work is estimated to cost around £3.6m. Similar changes would be made to the Ellon North roundabout, with a bus lane added southbound on the A90 and a bus only slip road from Ellon to the A90 northbound. A cycleway will be added too, as well as an acceleration lane on both the A90 northbound and southbound to allow overtaking. This could cost around £3.8m. Meanwhile, the proposed roundabout at the Toll of Birness is expected to cost £1.9m. Paul Finch of Nestrans told the committee they also considered building a flyover at the junction, however, this option was not deemed 'beneficial'. A compact roundabout costing around £2.2m could also be added to the Cortes junction. Its design would be similar to the one proposed at the Toll of Birness, but smaller due to the homes at Lakeview Garden Centre and Cortes Loch nearby. Aberdeenshire Council leader Gillian Owen, who created and led the Why Stop at Ellon campaign, praised the 'significant' step forward. She said: 'This project is very dear to my heart. 'Connectivity is key and these interventions will be crucial.' The selected options will now move to a detailed technical design process and an outline business case will be drawn up for them.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
B.C. Health Coalition urges province to end contract with U.S. owner of LifeLabs
Social Sharing A public health advocacy group is urging the B.C. government to end its contract with the American company that owns LifeLabs, the province's main provider of outpatient lab services. The B.C. Health Coalition has issued an open letter asking Premier David Eby to follow through on a directive he issued last week for all government bodies to review their connections to U.S. firms amid the tariff dispute, and cancel its contract with Quest Diagnostics. The American firm acquired LifeLabs locations across Canada last year for $1.35 billion, and is now involved in a labour dispute with its B.C. workers, who are eight weeks into strike action. The 1,200 striking workers, who are members of the B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU), have been conducting rotating job action, temporarily closing labs on certain days. WATCH | Rotating strikes continue at LifeLabs in B.C.: Rotating strikes continue at LifeLabs in B.C. 4 days ago Duration 6:16 It's been over seven weeks since workers began job action against their employer LifeLabs, which provides diagnostic care under contract to the government. Union president Paul Finch said the company, whose ownership is based in America, should be reviewed as part of the B.C. government's directive to rip up contracts with U.S. companies. The B.C. Health Coalition, which has about 800,000 members, says laboratory services should be fully brought into the public system. It says doing so would reduce wait times, save public money and improve both working conditions and patient care. Coalition members and striking LifeLabs workers rallied outside the B.C. Legislature on Wednesday, calling on the province to take action. "There is no economic justification to allow a U.S. corporation to provide outpatient diagnostic services in the province," BCGEU president Paul Finch said in a statement earlier this week. "Workers and the public are already noticing a decline in services since Quest took over last year." A poll commissioned by the employees' union suggests 74 per cent of British Columbians oppose American companies running health services in the province. In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Health said the province is currently in a 10-year contract with LifeLabs, which runs through March 2031. "Cancelling the province's contract with LifeLabs right now would cause significant delays in basic lab testing and put patients at risk," the ministry said. "It would also cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take resources away from frontline services elsewhere." While LifeLabs is now owned by Quest, the ministry noted it remains a Canadian-incorporated company. It is responsible for more than two-thirds of outpatient lab tests in B.C. — about 42 million, annually. The province said it will ensure LifeLabs complies with all contract terms to maintain the quality, accessibility and cost of lab services.
CBC
14-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
B.C. LifeLabs workers could start striking on Sunday, says union
Workers at B.C. LifeLabs locations could go on strike as early as Sunday morning. The B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU) issued a 72 hour strike notice on Thursday, after months of unsuccessful negotiations with the employer over wages and benefits. If the job action goes ahead, it would begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, LifeLabs told CBC News in an email. "As a designated essential service, LifeLabs will continue to operate," the company said. "However, some LifeLabs locations may be subject to rotating temporary closures." LifeLabs employees have been working without contracts since April 1, 2024. According to the union, ninety-eight per cent of workers voted in favour of strike action last November. Workers at LifeLabs are asking for wages and benefits to be aligned with what similar employers offer, and they want understaffing to be addressed, BCGEU said in a press release. Compared to similar employers, LifeLabs workers are paid four to 16 per cent less for the same work, said BCGEU president Paul Finch in a press release. On Sunday, Feb. 16 LifeLabs workers will be hosting a one-day rally at the Burnaby Reference Lab to begin the strike. "We're full steam ahead for the rally on Sunday, I'll be there and we've seen large community support," Finch said in an interview with CBC News. LifeLabs, which offers laboratory tests to help diagnose illnesses, is owned by an American company, Quest Diagnostics.
