GVLRA NEWS
April 1, 2026
Local Government Labour Relations Association (formerly GVLRA) Announces an Expanded Mandate and Search for New Leadership
VICTORIA, B.C. As it approaches its 50th anniversary, the Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA) members have voted to modernize and expand the association, officially rebranding as the Local Government Labour Relations Association (LGLRA). In a landmark vote at the April 1, 2026 Annual General Meeting, the Association members approved a new Constitution and Bylaws, allowing expansion of services and geographic reach beyond the Capital Regional District to serve local governments and publicly funded entities across Vancouver Island and, ultimately, all of British Columbia.
The new structure transforms the organization from a regionally focused single-service bargaining agent into a provincial "centre of excellence" for local government Labour Relations (LR) and Human Resources (HR) services.
Driving Taxpayer Value Through 100% Regional Participation
A primary goal of the LGLRA is to achieve 100% participation from local municipalities in collective bargaining mandates. Historically, uncoordinated bargaining has resulted in "whipsawing," where a high wage settlement in one municipality forces matching increases in neighboring jurisdictions. By acting collectively, participating employers minimize the effects of whipsawing, ensuring that wage increases are fair, competitive, and fiscally responsible. The GVLRA’s coordinated model has a proven track record of cost containment, but the prior business model resulted in member departures and fractured bargaining over the years, reducing the impact.
Through extensive engagement with GVLRA members, former members and potential members, it was identified that two aspects of the original structure were factors in members departures including the mandated use of the GVLRA negotiator and the high fixed cost of membership. In response to this feedback a new, flexible hybrid model is being implemented. Abandoning its former "one-size-fits-all" approach, the new model introduces a flexible, three-tier system:
- Base Membership: A low-cost subscription providing a professional hub for Local Government HR/LR professionals and CAOs, shared regional data (such as compensation benchmarks), industry updates, and customizable policy templates. This helps members provide consistent, professional, and safe work environments to reduce risk and union grievances.
- A-la-Carte Services: The LGLRA will act as a centre of excellence and pool of specialized HR and LR services. Members can access fee-based support services and strategic project assistance such as negotiations, workplace investigations, and salary grid reviews at below-market rates. • Bargaining: Members can participate in one or more Employer Accredited
- Bargaining: Agent Committees (EABACs) to set regional employer bargaining mandates. This also provides the ability to share costs related to mediation, arbitration, or other activities that can impact multiple members.
"Keeping control of labour costs while remaining competitive for highly skilled employees is an ongoing balancing act for local governments," said Kevin Murdoch, Board Chair of the GVLRA. "This modernized structure will allow us to adapt to the diverse needs of our members while reinforcing the undeniable financial power of a unified front. It will also reduce the fixed cost to members so people see direct value in the services provided. When 100% of our region's employers stand together to negotiate, we eliminate uncompetitive pattern bargaining and secure the best possible long-term results for our taxpayers."
To support a responsive and efficient organization, the LGLRA has instituted a new governance model, with a business-focused Executive Director role and a professional board, all of whom will help manage strategic growth and operations. Elected officials will still set regional mandates on arms-length Employer Accredited Bargaining Agency Committees (EABACs).
Call for Leadership
To spearhead this ambitious new chapter, the LGLRA is starting today actively recruiting a new Executive Director and a new Board of Directors.
“The LGLRA will be a fifty-year-old startup,” says Chair Murdoch, “the organization now has the opportunity to build a much bigger enterprise using the solid foundation which was built over decades.”
The Association is seeking a multi-disciplinary Board of Directors with expertise in areas like governance, finance, risk management, IT, business, HR, and Labour Relations to guide the strategic oversight.
Simultaneously, an executive search has commenced for a new Executive Director. The ideal candidate will possess an entrepreneurial drive and leadership skills to build the new business model, paired with knowledge of financials, labour relations, and the unique operational needs of the local government sector.
Julie Bradley, the current Executive Director who has successfully guided the Association through the last few years, intends to remain with the LGLRA in a specialized role as the Lead Negotiator, focusing heavily on EABAC support, Labour Relations support, and collective bargaining.
"We are essentially swapping the engine while driving, ensuring our members experience no interruption in the high-quality bargaining support they rely on," said Julie Bradley, current Executive Director. "This new model allows us to offer the strategic, project-based HR and LR services that municipalities have been asking for, while I can return my full focus to where my passion lies: supporting our members at the negotiating table to achieve sustainable agreements."
For more information on the LGLRA, membership inquiries, or to view the postings for the Board of Directors and Executive Director roles, please visit www.lglra.ca.
About the Local Government Labour Relations Association (LGLRA):
Founded in 1976 (formerly GVLRA), the LGLRA is a non-profit employers' organization acting as a centralized centre of excellence for Labour Relations and Human Resources in the local government sector. The LGLRA provides accredited collective bargaining services, shared regional data, and strategic HR support to municipalities, regional districts, police and fire boards, and library boards across British Columbia.
Local Government Labour Relations Association Media Contact:
Kevin Murdoch, Board Chair
250.896.4983
mayor@oakbay.ca
Website: www.lglra.ca
Additional GVLRA and Bargaining Agent Background:
The Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA) is an accredited bargaining agent established in 1976 under the B.C. Labour Relations Act in response to three consecutive settlements by three different employers totaling a nearly 50% increase (1973: 12%, 1974: 10.5%, 1975: 26%). Similar to the role unions play for employees, an Accredited Employer Bargaining Agent such as the GVLRA has responsibility for negotiating and ratifying collective agreements on behalf of its members. In GVLRA’s case, it negotiates for public sector employers within the Capital Regional District. Currently thirteen employers use GVLRA as their bargaining agent, covering 16 collective agreements.
The GVLRA helps members by creating an “arms-length” relationship between the members (councils, boards, and management staff) and the often-contentious world of contract negotiations. The separation of employers and their accredited agent is critical and intentional under the Labour Code. This separation allows the GVLRA to reduce political pressures on Boards & Councils and, by moving management to an advisory role, preserves the management relationship with the Union. Critically, the GVLRA’s mandate is to act in the best interests of both the members and the region on labour issues, particularly to prevent “whipsawing,” or using one settlement to affect others in pattern bargaining. The GVLRA is focused on achieving long-term and strategic benefit to all employers and their funding taxpayers, and to support stable and professional employment environments - both during negotiations and throughout the collective agreement duration.
Due to the structure of the GVLRA and the legal framework under the Labour Code, individual GVLRA member organizations do not have the legal right or ability to negotiate collective agreement terms with their Union(s) outside of the Accredited Bargaining Agent, and members are required to adhere to the mandate and ratified settlements established by the Bargaining Agent.
The GVLRA also allows for cost sharing of arbitrations, mediations, and legal opinions on issues that impact the broader membership. In this way, the GVLRA can also act as an insurance model, insulating individual members from bearing extraordinary cost.
View PDF News Release
October 12, 2022
CRD Union Negotiations
The Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA), and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1978, representing the Capital Regional District employer and employees respectively, reach an impasse in contract negotiations and will be moving to mediation.
The Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA), the accredited employer bargaining agent for the Capital Regional District (CRD), has engaged in 7 months of negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1978 bargaining team. The negotiations have been respectful, and we have reached some agreement to clarify the terms and conditions of the collective agreement for both employer and employees. We are committed to reaching a fair settlement.
There are still some outstanding issues on which the two sides haven’t reached agreement.
GVLRA, on behalf of the employer, has applied for a mediation process with the assistance of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board (BCLRB). While the Union has since sought a strike mandate, the mediation process must take place prior to any Union job action. In the best interests of the CRD, their employees, and the many municipal community members served every day, we will continue to work towards settling outstanding issues through the negotiation and mediation process.
The Greater Victoria Labour Relations Association (GVLRA) is an accredited employer bargaining agent under the BC Labour Relations Code and provides a broad range of labour relations services to its members. These services include bargaining on behalf of taxpayer-funded agencies, contract interpretation, and centralized labour relations expertise for consistency in labour practices across the region.
View PDF News Release