The union representing hundreds of crane operators across the province is calling for charges to be laid in the case of the Kelowna industrial accident that killed five.
"The families are no closer to seeing justice for their loved ones, and the industry is no closer to understanding what happened that day," Bryan Railton, of IUOE Local 115, said on the fourth anniversary of the tower crane collapse in Kelowna claimed the lives of Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, Brad Zawislak, Patrick Stemmer, and Eric Stemmer.
"Our members, like many in the public find themselves, increasingly frustrated because there is no conclusion to this deadly incident and no reason why it couldn't happen again."
Late last month the BC Prosecution Service said it had received a report to Crown Counsel and a charge assessment was still underway. A representative from the Crown said that no estimated timeline could be shared, "but complex investigations such as this can take some time to review."
It's been nearly 16 months since RCMP recommended a charge of criminal negligence causing death to the BC Prosecution Service.
Since the 2021 Kelowna collapse, B.C. has had four more tower crane incidents and the union said the workplace investigation should have been released to better protect workers.
"WorkSafeBC completed their investigation nearly two years ago and the results have remained hidden from the public and industry," Josh Towsley, Assistant Business Manager of IUOE Local 115 said.
"As labour advocates, we demand the release of the WorkSafeBC report so we can continue to better protect our members and the public from future tragedies."
Saturday, on the anniversary of the tragedy, the Rise Memorial Garden in Kelowna's Knowles Heritage Park was officially opened to the public, and hundreds of people came out for the ceremony.
A number of family members of the five men who were killed spoke at the event, providing heartbreaking testimony about the lasting impacts the tragedy has had.
Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas and B.C. Minister of Labour Jennifer Whiteside, along with several labour representatives, also spoke about making regulatory changes to prevent future workplace accidents.
