Children walk with their parents to Sherwood Park Elementary in North Vancouver for their first day back-to-school on Sept. 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER — The head of British Columbia's teachers' union says parents will see better supports for their school-aged children after its members ratified a four-year collective agreement with the province.

The B.C. Teachers' Federation said in a statement that those members who cast a ballot voted 91 per cent in favour of ratifying the agreement, which includes a three per cent wage increase over four years.

"That advocacy that we've been doing sees some modest improvements here for kids and for classrooms, and for public education," BCTF president Carole Gordon said in an interview Thursday.

The union, which represents52,000 educators in the province, said the contract follows a year of negotiations where it raised priorities such as improved classroom conditions, stronger mental health supports for children and plans to recruit and retain teachers.

Gordon said the agreement includes commitments to add counsellors, learning-assistance teachers and special education resource teachers in schools across the province.

She said the deal was reached before the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, which renewed conversations around mental health resources in B.C. schools.

"What we're seeing here is a commitment to better supports for kids. And in particular through counsellors and psychologists and more support for youth mental health," Gordon said.

The deal also includes added preparation time for elementary school teachers and special allowances for psychologists, Indigenous language teachers and for those teaching in rural and remote schools.

Gordon said that while the union was able to get a modest increase for elementary teacher prep time, it was unable to secure a similar increase for secondary school teachers.

The agreement also does not reduce class sizes, an ask Gordon said hasn't been achieved in more than 25 years.

"We know there's a lot of disappointment that we can't continue to see improvements in that," she said.

In a statement Thursday, the Ministry of Finance said the agreement was based on the government's balanced measures mandate, a negotiating framework meant to support government priorities and strengthen B.C.'s public sector.

The deal "includes some additional funding to recognize commitments that provide supports to classrooms, … as well as other measures that address teacher workloads," the statement said.

The ministry said B.C.'s 60 education boards are expected to vote on the agreement on Friday.

Gordon said the union will continue to advocate for better classroom conditions and more time, resources, and support for teachers to help their students.

The B.C. Public School Employers’ Association is still in the process of approving ratification among its members and until that is complete the final agreement will not be released publicly, the statement said.

If fully ratified, the contract is retroactive to July 1, 2025, and remains in effect until June 30, 2029.

"Voter turnout among BCTF members was 67 per cent," the statement said.

— With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2026