Seven-month Vancouver Island transit strike ends after ‘deeply disruptive’ dispute

DUNCAN — A strike by transit workers in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley is over after more than seven months of job action.

Unifor says its members and employer Transdev have agreed to abide by recommendations from provincial mediator Vince Ready, which will be released in coming weeks.

Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside says the end of the strike is welcome news for Cowichan Valley residents, after the “deeply disruptive” dispute.

Whiteside says both sides are engaged in the return-to-work process, and Unifor says employees are being recalled immediately to begin planning for the restart.

The union says it may still take some time to get the buses up and running, and the timing will be up to BC Transit.

Workers have been on strike since February over wage parity with other BC Transit employees.

“We thank our members for standing up for what they believed in and fighting for fairness for transit drivers across the system,” Unifor national president Lana Payne says in a statement.

The dispute involved 44 striking transit operators and related workers with Unifor Local 114, as well as HandyDART workers with Local 333-BC.

The union had rejected Ready’s previous recommendations in July.

Transdev is contracted by BC Transit to operate the Cowichan Valley Regional Transit System.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.