Teacher Collective Bargaining 2025

The Provincial Collective Agreement between BCPSEA and the BCTF expired on June 30, 2025. Bargaining for a renewed Provincial Collective Agreement for teachers commenced in March 2025.

For further information about 2025 collective bargaining in the K-12 public education sector please see Collective Bargaining 2025 – Backgrounder – Process and Timeline.

Bargaining Updates

March 6, 2026

Following successful ratification votes by both the BC Public School Employers’ Association and the BC Teachers’ Federation, the 2025-2029 Collective Agreement covering all kindergarten to grade 12 public education teachers in the province is now in effect. The agreement is the result of 42 bargaining sessions that took place over roughly 11 months. A tentative agreement was reached on February 7, 2026, and it was ratified by teachers from March 2-4, 2026, and by the 60 Boards of Education on March 6, 2026.

The ratified agreement is based on the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate and includes additional funding to address teacher workload, teaching and learning conditions, and teacher recruitment and retention issues.

Highlights of the ratified agreement include:

Term

A four-year term from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029.

Wages

A general wage increase (GWI) of 3% per year in each of the four years, totaling 12% over the term of the agreement.

In addition to the GWIs, a 0.2% Flexibility Allocation in years 2 and 4 to address table specific issues of mutual concern, including teacher workload issues and improvements to learning conditions for students.

Newly appointed temporary/term contract and continuing employees will be placed on the third step of the salary grid. This is up from the second step in the previous collective agreement.

Teachers Teaching on Call (TTOCs) on the first or second lowest step of the salary grid who accept a contract will be paid at the third step of the salary grid for the term of the contract.

Benefits

  • Effective July 1, 2026, establishment of a provincial employer-paid premiums floor for Extended Health Benefits and Dental benefits at 85%.
  • Effective July 1, 2026, an increase in the amount provided for hearing aids from $3,500/48 months to $4,000/48 months.
  • Effective July 1, 2026, the addition of Audiologist coverage under the Speech Therapist grouping.
  • Effective July 1, 2026, new gender affirming care benefit that introduces a lifetime maximum for gender affirming care at $30,000; and increases to $50,000 effective July 1, 2028.
  • Effective July 1, 2028, an increase in counsellor services from $1,500/year to $1,750/year.

Reconciliation

First Nations Leave for External Employment: First Nations teachers can take an unpaid leave to work in their own traditional territories in B.C. at a First Nations school or public school.

Teacher of Indigenous Language: An annual allowance of $8,000 for teachers who teach Indigenous languages.

LOU 4 – Employment Equity – Indigenous Peoples: A commitment to support equity initiatives to recruit and retain Indigenous teachers.

Indigenous Cultural Leave: Updated terminology to reflect current culturally appropriate language.

Article E.2 Harassment / Sexual Harassment: Added culturally appropriate supports for Indigenous employees.

Beyond what’s been outlined above, additional funding was also provided to further address teacher workload issues and improvements to learning conditions for students as follows:

Teacher workload

Preparation time: An increase in elementary preparation time from 120 minutes per week to 130 minutes per week. An agreement to make reasonable effort to provide preparation time scheduled in blocks of not less than 30 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed to. Also, a post-bargaining committee to review secondary school preparation time.

Educational and curricular change: Commitment to discuss the provision of appropriate resources and support for employees when the Ministry of Education and Child Care introduces change(s) that substantially affect the duties and responsibilities of teachers.

Class sizes: An agreement regarding grades 4-12 class size maximums in the School Act.

Teaching and learning conditions

Counsellors: Lower ratios from 1 counsellor per 693 students to 1 counsellor per 513 students by the end of the agreement, which equates to roughly 213 more counsellor FTEs in schools across the province.

Learning Assistance Teachers (LAT): Lower ratios from 1 LAT per 504 students to 1 LAT per 480 students by the end of the agreement, which equates to roughly 43 more LAT FTEs in schools across the province.

Special Education Resource Teachers (SERT): Lower ratios from 1 SERT per 342 students to 1 SERT per 320 students by the end of the agreement, which equates to roughly 46 more SERT FTEs in schools across the province.

Recruitment and Training Fund: Supplementary funding up to $10,000,000 one-time to establish a recruitment and training fund for School Counsellors, Learning Assistance Teachers, and Special Education Resource Teachers.

LOU 12 – Agreement Regarding Restoration of Class Size, Composition, Ratios and Ancillary Language: A post-bargaining committee, facilitated by an independent third party, to discuss and review class size, class composition, ratios, ancillary language, compliance, and remedy.

Recruitment and retention

LOU 5 – Teacher Supply and Demand Initiatives: An increase in the allowance for teachers teaching in rural and remote schools to $5,000/year by the end of the agreement. This is up from $3,035.

Psychologists: Annual salary allowance based on FTE up to $8,000.

Adult Educators: A post-bargaining committee to examine collective agreement language pertaining to Adult Educators.

February 14, 2026

On February 7, 2026, the BC Public School Employers’ Association and the BC Teachers’ Federation reached a tentative Memorandum of Agreement on a renewed four-year collective agreement (July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029) covering all kindergarten to grade 12 public education teachers in the province. The tentative agreement is based on the main elements of the 2025 Balanced Measures Mandate and includes some additional funding to address delivery of critical services in K-12 schools and improve learning conditions for students.

The tentative Memorandum of Agreement must be voted on by teachers and by BCPSEA’s membership representing the 60 boards of education in order to be ratified and to come into effect. BCPSEA’s ratification vote is scheduled for March 6, 2026.

Further details about the Memorandum of Agreement will be shared following ratification.

January 30, 2026

BCPSEA and the BCTF met on January 26 and 29 this past week. Good progress was made with an additional three items signed, bringing the total of agreed-to items up to 14.

Next week, the parties are bargaining on February 2, 3, 5 and 6.

January 21, 2026

Negotiations between the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) will resume the week of January 26, 2026.

January 18, 2026

Work continues into this week with the goal of bringing the parties back to the bargaining table. The pre-scheduled date of January 29, 2026, will be held with the hope that bargaining will resume.

January 14, 2026

On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the 35th bargaining session between BCPSEA and the BCTF took place. The Provincial Collective Agreement between BCPSEA and the BCTF expired on June 30, 2025. Bargaining for a renewed Provincial Collective Agreement for teachers commenced in March 2025.

From the employers’ perspective, we have made good progress on many items and reached agreement specifically on 11 of them. This is more items agreed to than in the previous round of bargaining. Teacher workload is the primary area where agreement has not yet been reached.

BCPSEA believes we can reach an agreement that supports students, teachers and boards of education in the K-12 public education sector. We appreciate the collegial and collaborative negotiations we have had thus far with the BCTF and look forward to continuing negotiations with the BCTF to successfully conclude this round of bargaining.

November 26, 2025

Provincial bargaining continues for both teachers and support staff. Thus far, agreement has been reached on 11 items with the BCTF and nine items with the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions. Both tables continue to discuss monetary items. The next provincial bargaining dates with teachers are December 16 and 17, 2025, and for support staff the parties are currently booking dates, likely in January.

November 4, 2025

Provincial bargaining continues for both teachers and support staff. Thus far, we have reached agreement on seven items with the BCTF and nine items with the K-12 Presidents’ Council and Support Staff Unions. The next provincial bargaining dates with teachers are November 17, 18, 24, and 25. The next provincial bargaining dates with support staff are November 19 and 20.

October 2, 2025

Collective bargaining continues at the provincial level with progress being made and items agreed-to at the table. Bargaining dates are set between BCPSEA and the BCTF for October 6, 7, 14, 15, 28, 29 and 30.

On the local teacher bargaining level, all 60 Local Matters Agreements are now ratified by the BCPSEA Board of Directors. There are a few outstanding local vote ratifications, but otherwise all tables are done.

July 31, 2025

The provincial parties have met for a total of 18 bargaining sessions thus far. The next bargaining dates are set for September 8, 9, 15, 18 and October 6, 7, 14, 15, 28, 29, 30.

May 30, 2025

Local teacher bargaining 

Local teacher tables have closed and ratification processes are ongoing. Thus far, 32 local matters agreements have been fully ratified.

Provincial teacher bargaining 

BCPSEA and the BCTF have had 11 bargaining sessions so far. Three more blocks of dates in June are scheduled, up until June 27, 2025.

Bargaining has been collegial and respectful with meaningful discussions happening at the table.

April 29, 2025

BCPSEA and the BCTF met for our fifth and sixth bargaining sessions on April 7 and 8, 2025. At these meetings, the remainder of both parties’ opening proposals were tabled.

April 4, 2025

On March 13, 2025, BCPSEA and the BCTF reached a bargaining protocol agreement, which was then signed on April 1, 2025.

The parties met again on April 1-3, 2025, where both parties began tabling their non-monetary opening proposals.

March 12, 2025

The BCPSEA provincial bargaining table team for teacher bargaining is as follows:

  • Justin Rempel – Lead Negotiator
  • Alison Jones – 2nd Negotiator
  • Tara Sweet – BCPSEA bargaining team member
  • Diana Lozano – BCPSEA bargaining team notetaker
  • Dawn Lang – BCPSEA Director trustee representative
  • Ken Dawson – Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat representative
  • Linda Beddouche – Ministry of Education and Child Care representative
  • Shawn Johnston (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) / Brian Norris (Surrey) – Sr. HR representatives
  • Ron Amos (Qualicum) / Bruce Tisdale (Revelstoke) – Secretary Treasurer representatives
  • Stephen Petrucci (Peace River North) / Mike McDiarmid (Bulkley Valley) / Adam Baumann (North Vancouver) – Superintendent representatives

The dates for provincial teacher bargaining are as follows:

  • March 13
  • April 1 – 3
  • April 7 – 8
  • April 30 – May 2
  • May 5 – 6
  • June 3 – 5
  • June 16 – 17
  • June 25 – 27