B.C. Health Coalition urges province to end contract with U.S. owner of LifeLabs

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 16, 2025 7:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

A nationalist wellness advocacy radical is urging the B.C. authorities to extremity its declaration with the American institution that owns LifeLabs, the province's main supplier of outpatient laboratory services.

The B.C. Health Coalition has issued an unfastened letter asking Premier David Eby to travel done connected a directive helium issued past week for each authorities bodies to reappraisal their connections to U.S. firms amid the tariff dispute, and cancel its declaration with Quest Diagnostics. 

The American steadfast acquired LifeLabs locations crossed Canada past twelvemonth for $1.35 billion, and is present progressive successful a labour quality with its B.C. workers, who are 8 weeks into onslaught action.

The 1,200 striking workers, who are members of the B.C. General Employees' Union (BCGEU), have been conducting rotating occupation action, temporarily closing labs connected definite days. 

WATCH | Rotating strikes proceed astatine LifeLabs successful B.C.:

The B.C. Health Coalition, which has astir 800,000 members, says laboratory services should beryllium afloat brought into the nationalist system. It says doing so would trim hold times, prevention nationalist money and amended some moving conditions and diligent care.

Coalition members and striking LifeLabs workers rallied extracurricular the B.C. Legislature connected Wednesday, calling connected the state to instrumentality action.

"There is nary economical justification to let a U.S. corp to supply outpatient diagnostic services successful the province," BCGEU president Paul Finch said successful a connection earlier this week. "Workers and the nationalist are already noticing a diminution successful services since Quest took implicit past year."

A canvass commissioned by the employees' national suggests 74 per cent of British Columbians reason American companies moving wellness services successful the province.

In a connection to CBC News, the Ministry of Health said the state is presently successful a 10-year declaration with LifeLabs, which runs done March 2031.

"Cancelling the province's declaration with LifeLabs close present would origin important delays successful basal laboratory investigating and enactment patients astatine risk," the ministry said. "It would besides outgo hundreds of millions of dollars and instrumentality resources distant from frontline services elsewhere."

While LifeLabs is present owned by Quest, the ministry noted it remains a Canadian-incorporated company. It is liable for much than two-thirds of outpatient laboratory tests successful B.C. — astir 42 million, annually.

The state said it volition guarantee LifeLabs complies with each declaration presumption to support the quality, accessibility and outgo of laboratory services.