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 t...