ICBC services hobbled in Surrey, B.C., as government workers’ strike action continues

By Canadian Press on September 3, 2025.

SURREY — The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia says strike action by the BC General Employees’ Union has hobbled driver licensing services in Surrey, B.C.

The public auto insurer says all appointments at its Guildford location are cancelled today, but drivers can rebook online or visit the company’s other location on 78th Ave.

The insurance corporation says wait times are higher than normal due to the “disruption” at its other centre in Surrey, and other locations in Langley, Port Coquitlam and Burnaby remain open.

It’s the second day of job action for government workers who hit picket lines Tuesday in pursuit of better wages after a deadline for strike action expired.

Barry Eidlin, an associate sociology professor at McGill University, says the union is holding off on calling its entire 34,000-strong public service membership to the picket lines in an “escalating strategy” to exert pressure on the provincial government.

Eidlin says B.C. public sector workers, like workers across the country, have been dealing with decades of wage stagnation and a post-pandemic spike in the cost of living, and they see now as the time “to start making up for lost ground.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025

The Canadian Press