Capital Daily for Thursday, July 2

B.C.'s nurses are in a legal position to begin job action at 12:01 p.m. today, after the BC Nurses' Union filed a 72-hour strike notice on Monday.

The move follows a tentative agreement reached on May 22 that 67% of members voted down, even though it included improvements to benefits and shift premiums. The sticking point is wages. Members want a general increase that reflects what they say is a healthcare system operating beyond its limits, in crowded hospitals and understaffed long-term care.

The pressure has been building for a while. Between May 8 and 11, 50,850 nurses voted province-wide, and 98.2% backed job action. The union's collective agreement with the Health Employers Association of B.C. expired in March 2025.

The BCNU says it's still committed to reaching a negotiated deal, and promised more details Thursday. For patients across the South Island, what job action actually looks like at Royal Jubilee and Victoria General is the open question.

Teachers at two Saanich schools have been cleaning up mouse droppings out of their own classrooms, even though WorkSafe says they shouldn't be the ones doing it.

The rodents have turned up across SD63, with Brentwood Elementary and North Saanich Middle School on the district's radar. Parents took to a Brentwood Bay Facebook page to vent, one describing staff throwing out classroom supplies fouled by droppings. The district says it has things under control.

Part of the trouble traces back to 2023, when BC banned certain rodenticides over their harm to birds. That left the district with cleaning, food storage rules and filling holes as its defence. "Basically, our most effective tool was taken away with that ban," said Rob Lumb, SD63's director of facilities.

Lumb points to the traps as evidence the tide is turning. Brentwood's principal, Vijay Pereira, wrote to parents that regular walkthroughs and pest control have started to bring activity down, and that food sources are being sealed or removed.