Metro Vancouver’s outside workers picketing projects tied to Burrard Inlet dredging
Posted August 18, 2026 12:11 pm.
The union representing Metro Vancouver’s outside workers has taken job action to shut down a major watermain tie-in, a move it says could potentially delay a major Burrard Inlet dredging project.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District Employees’ Union (GVRDEU) says it has pulled its workers and set up picket lines outside two projects: the Seymour Main No. 2 Repair Project and the BV5 Decommission Project in North Vancouver. These projects both need to be completed before the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority can begin the dredging necessary to allow oil tankers to transport larger cargoes underneath the Second Narrows bridge, the union says.
Union president Jesse Medeiros says negotiations have stalled and no future talks are scheduled, despite the fact the last collective agreement expired 19 months ago.
“GVRDEU members are fed up, they are angry, and they are willing to keep increasing job action to affect critical projects — including dredging Burrard Inlet for oil tanker traffic — because we can’t get Metro Vancouver to come back to negotiations with a new and fair contract proposal, and we’re done,” said Medeiros.
“If it takes job action that impacts major projects and disrupts municipal elections in October, that’s on Metro Vancouver, not its workers.”
According to the union, 25,000 cubic metres of material need to be removed from Burrard Inlet to increase tanker capacity. Medeiros says this work needs to be done between August 2026 and February 2027 to minimize impacts on fish and fish habitats.
The dispute between outside workers and the regional district has already triggered a number of job actions, including picketing and strike action in non-essential positions.
Union president Jesse Medeiros says the group “is not interested in stopping major federal, provincial or municipal projects,” but workers have not been able to reach a deal with Metro Vancouver.
“Until we negotiate and ratify a new contract, this union will escalate job action, including shutting down projects like Burrard Inlet dredging,” he says.
