Tentative agreement reached in eight-week long-term care strike in Nova Scotia

Long-term care workers, who have been on strike for eight weeks, are seen on a picket line in Eastern Passage, N.S. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

HALIFAX — The union representing thousands of long-term care workers in Nova Scotia says it has reached a tentative agreement that could end an eight-week strike.

In a Facebook post Saturday, The Canadian Union of Public Employees said picket lines across the province will stand down as its lead bargaining unit votes on the proposed new agreement. If the workers at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Halifax accept the new deal, it will then be presented to members across the province for a vote.

“It took months of negotiations, eight weeks on the picket line, countless hours spent fighting for what we know we all deserve, but we have gotten a deal that we unanimously recommend to our members,” the union’s Facebook post said.

If members don’t accept the deal, the strike will resume, the post said.

CUPE represents about 3,600 workers across 36 care homes, in a strike that began April 13. The employees’ collective agreements expired in October 2023 and they were fighting for better wages, benefits and other conditions.

The union said details of the agreement would not be made public until its members had seen and voted on the deal. CUPE hoped to have its lead bargaining unit vote on the new contract within 72 hours, its Facebook post said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia’s Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care said the government was pleased to confirm it had reached a tentative agreement with the union.

As of last week, the provincial government’s latest public offer included wage increases of between 12 and 24 per cent over four years and money to set up a defined benefit pension plan for workers without one. CUPE had said the proposal would bring the lowest-paid workers up to $23.57 an hour by 2028, which it said was below the current living wage in Nova Scotia.

Union members picketed at care facilities across the province, sometimes drawing support from the residents inside. Essential services were maintained throughout the strike, but many physiotherapists, occupational therapists and recreational therapists worked reduced hours.

Striking employees included nurses, continuing care assistants and housekeeping staff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press