WorkSafeBC’s Policy, Regulation and Research Division has released a discussion paper on determining workplace status with options and draft policy to stakeholders for comment. “Workplace status” refers to whether someone is an employer, worker, or independent operator. A person’s status defines the rights and responsibilities the person has under the Workers Compensation Act, including compulsory coverage for workers, and…
Read MoreConstructors marshal resources to tackle mental health
Journal of Commerce | Don Wall | November 24, 2021 Ontario’s construction stakeholders identified shining examples of progress being made in treating mental health issues and addictions in the sector during recent conversations but several added that gaps remain. Awareness and program development have accelerated in the past five years, observers say, but some sectors such…
Read More‘As soon as I sobered up, I realized why I had gone through that 16 years of insanity’
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | November 24, 2021 In the second part of this Cracks in the Foundation: Mental Health, Substance Use and Construction series video, Angela Gismondi, staff writer for the Daily Commercial News, talks to Julian Toy, substance abuse professional and founder of Addiction Consultants in Recovery, about the fit for…
Read More‘I experienced happiness very quickly in recovery and I didn’t look back’
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | November 22, 2021 Julian Toy of Addiction Consultants in Recovery is a substance abuse professional trained in addictions and mental health. As an alcoholic/addict in recovery since 2000, Toy believes the best training comes from someone who has been there. In the first of this two-part Cracks in…
Read MoreSpecial to the DCN/JOC: The lingering impact of COVID-19 on eDiscovery
Journal of Commerce | Candice Chan-Glasgow | November 22, 2021 One of the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is the change in business communication patterns. During the pandemic, many organizations shifted to remote work and implemented new technologies and practices, including the use of messaging and collaboration applications such as Teams or Slack. These communication…
Read More‘Pandemic, flood, fire — construction is always in the thick of it,’ says BCCA’s Atchison
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | November 19, 2021 BC is in a state of emergency as many major routes remain severely damaged by flooding and landslides and thousands are evacuated or are on evacuation alert. The body of one person has been recovered and several people remain missing. “Provincial, federal and local governments are…
Read MoreOverview: Changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, December 1, 2021
In May and July of 2021, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. This document provides an overview of the changes that will come into effect on December 1, 2021. These amendments will apply to the following areas: Combustible and flammable liquids (Parts 1, 5, 22, and 23) Ionizing…
Read MoreWhy it can be hard to prove a vaccine caused a bad outcome
Vancouver Sun | Sharon Kirkey | Nov 13, 2021 The big challenge is that ‘most of the conditions, pretty well all the conditions, that can occur with adverse events following vaccination can also be triggered by other things’ Doctors in Canada who willfully refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should be prohibited from seeing patients…
Read MoreElectrical employers ‘have to be very agile’ on COVID vaccination updates
Journal of Commerce | Dan O’Reilly | November 15, 2021 A recently completed survey has shed a spotlight on Canada’s electrical sector employers’ vaccination and return to work policies. But the survey is very much a snapshot in time, says the head of the industry association that conducted it. “I would say the situation right now…
Read MoreFour fines issued after unprotected worker falls to his death from B.C. bridge
Journal of Commerce | The Canadian Press | November 8, 2021 FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Two companies and two supervisors have been fined in provincial court in Fort St. John, B.C., after a worker fell to his death from a bridge under construction in March 2019. A release from WorkSafeBC, the provincial worker safety agency, says when…
Read MoreBCCA 2021 BC Construction Industry Survey
The annual BC Construction Associations (BCCA) Industry Survey helps the BCCA to understand the issues that are important to the employers and skilled tradespeople in BC’s construction industry. It provides the data and personal stories that will help the BCCA advocate on your behalf. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes, and by…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
November 8, 2021 Construction incident summaries are based on information obtained as soon as possible after the incidents: they are preliminary and subject to change. Details have been edited to protect workers’ privacy. See additional summaries online. Injury Type: Abrasions and contusions Core Activity: House raising or structural moving of buildings or heavy equipment Location: Lower Mainland Date of…
Read MoreDecember 2021 virtual public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments
WorkSafeBC will be holding a public hearing on proposed amendmentsto the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the public hearing will be held virtually. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on December 8, 2021with two session times. The first will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 3 to 5 p.m. View…
Read MoreFitzpatrick advocates take case to top B.C. government ministers
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | November 2, 2021 espite major setbacks in court, advocates of Sam Fitzpatrick, who was killed in a workplace incident on a Kiewit hydroelectric project in 2009, are continuing their efforts to seek justice and reform the system. A group recently met with B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains and Attorney…
Read MoreNew cranes going up at deadly Kelowna collapse site
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | October 26, 2021 KELOWNA, B.C.—Two new cranes are going up at the site of a deadly crane collapse in B.C. Mission Group, the developer behind Bernard Block in Kelowna, announced it has been working with Emry Formworks Inc. to develop a safety deployment plan to assemble two new…
Read MorePetition calls for work at site of Kelowna crane tragedy to halt immediately
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | October 28, 2021 Friends and family of those killed during a crane collapse at a Kelowna construction site this summer are urging the project team to pause work with new cranes. The group has started an online petition, which as of Oct. 27 had more than 600 signatories, who…
Read MoreCOVID-19: The good, the bad and the surprising
Journal of Commerce | Peter Caulfield | October 29, 2021 COVID-19 has made our lives miserable for more than a year and a half. The Journal of Commerce recently asked four western Canada experts on, respectively, medical geography, epidemiology, economics and mental health, what has struck them as noteworthy about COVID-19, including how it compares to…
Read MoreThe B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Weighs in on Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies
roper greyall | Article by: Sarah Blanco Christopher Munroe | August 2021 As vaccination rates increase, and the province continues to progress through each phase of its reopening plan, one of the biggest questions facing employers is whether to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for employees and, in some cases, customers. This is a complex and…
Read MoreRennie predicts major economic boom for Metro Vancouver
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | October 25, 2021 VANCOUVER — Metro Vancouver is poised for a new phase of growth, experts at development and real estate firm Rennie say. The company’s research shows low unemployment and high job creation could transition the region from a protracted period of recovery into a new phase…
Read MoreICBA sees mental health support demands spike
Journal of Commerce | Russell Hixson | October 25, 2021 The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) in B.C. is seeing a surge of uptake on its employee assistance program. The group says the increase highlights the pressure the pandemic has put on businesses and their employees as well as the need to further reduce the…
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