Local Impact

HEALTH CARE CHAMPIONS BCNU President Adriane Gear and members of council present the union’s inaugural Health Care Champion award to Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Mayor Rob Fraser and municipal staff at the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Victoria on Sept. 24.

“Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has set an inspiring example in building a community where nurses want to live and work.”

With those words, BCNU President Adriane Gear presented Northern Rockies Mayor Rob Fraser with the union’s first-ever Health Care Champion award, a new effort recognizing local governments that support nurses and strengthen health care. (See sidebar for why BCNU selected Northern Rockies as its inaugural award winner).

Gear presented the award at the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention in Victoria last September, where mayors, elected councillors and area directors gather to set priorities, share information about the issues affecting their communities and advocate to senior levels of government.

BCNU leaders joined the convention to engage local governments across the province and build a broader base of support for the union’s priorities. The new award is part of the union’s latest effort to recognize communities that shine a spotlight on local governments that demonstrate leadership in retaining and recruiting nurses.

Why Local Advocacy Matters

“We need every British Columbian to see minimum nurse-to-patient ratios and nurse retention and recruitment as priorities,” says BCNU Vice President Tristan Newby. That’s why BCNU has devoted more energy in recent years to connecting with politicians at all levels, including elected municipal councils and the people who work for local governments. 

“Local officials want to hear directly from nurses because they respect the work we do and know we are the ones on the front lines in their communities.”

BCNU North West regional council member Teri Forster

“Local governments have tools that can make a real difference for members, from ensuring their communities have accessible and affordable housing and childcare to financial incentives like relocation assistance.”

Newby sees local advocacy as an effective way to build pressure at the provincial and federal levels. When nurses bring their issues to municipal leaders, these politicians in turn lobby the provincial and federal governments for investments in areas like nurse retention and recruitment and help educate the public about why those things are important, he explains.

The UBCM convention gave BCNU an opportunity to advance its priorities at the provincial and federal levels directly, as many MLAs and MPs attended as guest speakers or to engage with local governments and hear their concerns. 

As former mayor of Tofino, Health Minister Josie Osborne understands the influence local governments wield, and she appeared as a guest speaker at this year’s convention. BCNU North West regional council member Teri Forster, who also serves as a Prince Rupert city councillor, was among those who spoke with Minister Osborne about the issues union members are facing.

“The UBCM convention shows the huge number of allies BCNU has on our side – local government officials who understand and support our priorities,” says Forster. “We made it clear to the minister that communities across BC want the government to keep minimum nurse-to-patient ratio implementation on track. Municipal leaders know how important health care is in their communities.”

Along with Gear, Newby and Forster, BCNU representatives at the UBCM convention included regional council members Caitlin Jarvis, Denise Waurynchuk, Danette Thomsen and Meghan Friesen and BCNU’s regional lobby coordinator from the North East region, Raelene Stevenson. The delegation reflected the union’s broad geographic reach at an event where local connections carry weight.

“We’re increasingly seeing local governments speak up alongside us as allies.”

BCNU Vice President Tristan Newby

“It’s a great strength of our union that we’re present in communities across the province,” says Forster. “Local officials want to hear directly from nurses because they respect the work we do and know we are the ones on the front lines in their communities.”

BCNU’s elected regional lobby coordinators have grown that local presence over the past year by attending each of the local government association conventions and presenting to councils across BC. 

In October, BCNU South Fraser Valley regional lobby coordinator Gurmeet Mann briefed Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and city council on the many staffing and occupational health and safety challenges at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Mann asked the city to “be allies with nurses in advocating to the provincial and federal governments,” emphasizing the many ways municipalities can support nurses. 

“Thanks to our lobby coordinators and engaged members, policymakers are listening,” adds Newby. “They understand that nurses’ working conditions are patients’ care conditions, and we must improve both to have healthy communities. Because of this work, we’re increasingly seeing local governments speak up alongside us as allies, which will go a long way to advancing union priorities with every level of government.”

UPDATE (Winter 2025)