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BC provincial government has quietly ended a $500 bursary that helps new nurses cover mandatory licensing costs

Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena and Official Opposition Critic for Mental Health, Addictions and Housing Supports, says her office has been inundated with emails from constituents after learning the provincial government has quietly ended a $500 bursary that helps new nurses cover mandatory licensing costs in September, 2025, citing fiscal pressures.

“I’ve been hearing from a growing number of worried constituents about this,” said Rattée. “At a time when British Columbia is desperate for nurses, the government is choosing to nickel-and-dime people right as they’re trying to enter the workforce. That makes no sense.”

The bursary, introduced by the province under a Health and Human Resources Strategy, helped offset licensing costs faced by new graduates. On top of years of tuition, textbooks, and unpaid clinical placements, a new graduates first year of licensing and registration can often amount to thousands with many graduates also needing to travel to write their exam. “This is after they’ve already paid for all of their schooling,” Rattée added. “Now the government is pulling back support at the exact moment we should be removing barriers.”

Dr. Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health, said the decision sends the wrong message to frontline workers.

“We cannot claim to take healthcare shortages seriously while cutting support for new nurses at the door,” said Kindy. “This bursary is modest, but it matters. Removing it shifts costs onto graduates and undermines recruitment, especially in rural and northern communities where staffing gaps are already critical.”

Rattée and Kindy are calling on the government to reverse the decision and immediately reinstate the bursary as part of a credible plan to support and retain healthcare workers across BC.

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