Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | October 17, 2023
VICTORIA – Construction sites of 25 workers or more will now have flush toilets, Premier David Eby announced Oct. 16, stating it will now be a legal requirement.
“If we want people to work in the trades, if we want to show people that this is a great way to support your family and build your community, the basic ability to go to a bathroom that doesn’t stink, that isn’t a mess, where you can flush a toilet, is a basic requirement for a decent jobsite,” Eby stated at the BC Building Trades constitutional convention in Victoria.
While full details of the plan are in development, the BC Building Trades is celebrating the premier’s promise.
“We are excited about the premier’s responsiveness to this important issue,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the BC Building Trades Council, in a statement.
“With the premier’s help, construction workers across the province will have markedly better sanitary conditions onsite. They’ll also be given the dignity they deserve at work.”
The BC Building Trades recently re-launched its ‘Get Flushed’ campaign in order to get the word out and push the issue further.
“The extent to which the flush toilet campaign was covered in the media and the intensity of the discussion that followed really proves that this is an important issue that requires action from government now, and clearly the premier agrees,” added Bourke.
The ‘Get Flushed’ campaign was initially launched following significant health and safety concerns in the construction industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, visit https://getflushed.ca/.