Firefighters join B.C. public service job action amid mediated talks

British Columbia's public service workers' union is expanding its job action even as it takes part in mediated talks with the government to end its dispute. 

The B.C. General Employees' Union says in a statement that its members from the BC Wildfire Service and the Ministry of Forests are joining the picket lines. 

The wildfire service says there are 94 active wildfires still burning in the province, with 90 per cent of them considered under control, and the union says essential services remain in place to ensure public safety. 

The latest escalation means that more than 25,000 of the union's 34,000 members are taking strike action, with over 550 worksites across the province behind picket lines. 

The union and government began non-binding talks with veteran mediator Vince Ready over the weekend aimed at resolving the dispute. 

The strike is in its eighth week, disrupting hundreds of services to the public, stopping the work of government ministries and squeezing off the supply of liquor and cannabis in the province. 

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns