August 13,2025
RED FM News Desk
B.C.’s two largest health authorities have quietly begun limiting overtime pay and premiums for staff who agree to work last-minute shifts in Lower Mainland hospitals, CTV News has learned.
Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health acknowledge the changes are partly driven by budget concerns but say they are also aimed at supporting staff well-being.
“While overtime is an important and useful tool when used appropriately to ensure proper staffing, it is not a sustainable way of working and does not support staff wellness,” said Lynn Stevenson, interim president and CEO of Fraser Health, in an emailed statement. She added that the health system is looking for ways to improve efficiency and outcomes for both patients and staff.
Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed that overtime shifts are no longer automatically approved, and that leaders must now follow specific steps to authorize overtime when needed to maintain safe, quality care.
Normally, nurses receive extra pay when called in with less than 24 hours’ notice, but according to sources, those shifts are now rarely filled despite high attrition rates. Frontline workers describe severe staffing shortages in emergency departments and intensive care units, warning the situation could worsen under the new policies. They say staff are increasingly burned out from caring for too many patients at once. Workers spoke anonymously, fearing retaliation from hospital administrators for raising concerns about patient safety and staff well-being.
In June, the Ministry of Health announced that its review of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)—which manages province-wide agencies like BC Cancer and the BC Centre for Disease Control—would be expanded to all health authorities to cut costs and prioritize patient care.
Since then, Island Health has laid off 117 executives and non-frontline staff, while PHSA has closed 61 vacancies and confirmed 57 staff departures across several programs as part of its cost-cutting measures.
“We are in the process of reducing our leadership and administrative structures and are notifying affected employees and teams first, in phases,” said Dr. Penny Ballem, interim president and CEO of PHSA.
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