CUPW is deeply saddened to hear the news that former BCGEU President Stephanie Smith has passed away.
Our condolences go out to Stephanie’s family, friends, colleagues and her labour family.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 07, 2026
BCGEU mourns the passing of former president Stephanie Smith
BURNABY, B.C. — The BCGEU is mourning the loss of former president Stephanie Smith, who passed away Monday night, July 06, 2026.
Born in Montreal but a proud New Zealander and ‘kiwi by choice’, Smith was the proud mother of two and made her home in Richmond, B.C. Smith made history as the first woman elected president of the BCGEU in its more than 100 year history. She took office in 2014 and served as president until 2024. Over a decade of leadership, she reshaped our union and left a lasting mark on the lives of working people across B.C.
An early childhood educator by training, Smith began her involvement in the labour movement in 1981, first in New Zealand, and later in B.C. with the Children’s Services Employees’ Union, which joined the BCGEU in the mid-1990s. For her, solidarity was not a slogan, but an everyday practice of working people standing with one another. She rose through our union as a steward and leader from the community social services sector, serving as first vice-chair of the community social services component, sitting on the Provincial Executive from 2008 and serving as BCGEU treasurer before her election as president.
Throughout her career, Smith was a fierce and tireless advocate for affordable, accessible, quality child care. This is a cause rooted in her own work as an early childhood educator and one she carried to provincial, national and international stages. Her advocacy helped elevate the child care sector and the workers within it.
Her leadership also advanced Reconciliation within our union and beyond. During her tenure, Smith strengthened relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations, supported the Choose Children and Closing the Circle reports, participated in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, established the Provincial Executive Indigenous Advisory Committee and championed the adoption of the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Stephanie showed generations of members, especially women, what was possible,” said Maria Middlemiss, BCGEU treasurer. “Like so many of us, she came up through our union as a steward and an activist. She was someone who saw injustice and used every bit of power she had to do something about it. She broke barriers as our first woman president, and she never stopped fighting for the workers who care for our children, our families and our communities. Her legacy lives in every member she inspired to lead.”
“Behind the history she made was a warm, funny, relentless person who made everyone around her believe they could achieve real progress for working people,” said BCGEU President Paul Finch. “That is how I will remember Stephanie. Our thoughts are with her family and everyone who loved her.”
Premier David Eby shared his condolences and memories of working with President Smith, “Stephanie was a tireless advocate for working people and a respected leader who always stood up for what she believed in. We worked closely together over the years, and I saw firsthand how deeply she cared about strong public services, safe workplaces, and the people who relied on them. Her roots in childcare shaped who she was, bringing a kindness, compassion and a genuine warmth to everything she did. But when it came time to stand up for workers, she was a determined and fearless advocate who never backed down.”
The BCGEU extends its deepest condolences to Stephanie’s family, friends and the many members and colleagues whose lives she touched.
The BCGEU is one of the largest and most diverse unions in British Columbia with over 100,000 members in 470 bargaining units in the public and private sector.
Media contact:
Emma Rae Lierley, Associate Director – Communications
communications@bcgeu.ca