SkilledTradesBC Announcement Today we celebrate an exciting day as we transition to our new name SkilledTradesBC. Our new name will make it easier for people across the province to understand who we are and what we do. While our role in advancing B.C.’s skilled trades system hasn’t changed, it has expanded. This includes a larger…
Read MorePolicy, Regulation and Research Department Announcement
At the October 26, 2022 WorkSafeBC Board of Directors meeting, the following items were approved: Other Matters (alcoholism) The Board of Directors approved policy changes to Item C4-32.00, Other Matters, of the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual (RS&CM), Volume II to replace outdated terminology referring to the worker as an “alcoholic” and language which describes the pattern of…
Read MoreWorkers’ comp changes leave industry in ‘no man’s land’: Baspaly
Journal of Commerce | Evan Saunders | November 14, 2022 Dr. David Baspaly, CEO of the Council of Construction Associations in B.C., says the industry was not consulted on changes to workers’ compensation put forth by the province. “We’re pretty angry that the construction sector as a whole didn’t get an opportunity to consult, didn’t get…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
November 23, 2022 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: Close call Core Activity: Crane operation / Concrete pumping Location: Vancouver Island/Coastal B.C. Date of Incident: 2022-Nov On a large construction…
Read MoreEby introduces Housing Supply Act
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | November 22, 2022 VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby has introduced new legislation to increase the province’s housing supply. The aptly named Housing Supply Act is intended to speed up housing development by allowing the province to set housing targets in certain municipalities where demand and projected growth…
Read MoreKevin Falcon calls for new P3 era in British Columbia
Journal of Commerce | Warren Frey | November 22, 2022 British Columbia’s new opposition leader is calling for a new day for the P3 model in the province. Kevin Falcon, leader of the B.C. United (formerly B.C. Liberal Party), was the keynote luncheon speaker on Nov. 21 at the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) annual…
Read MoreWorkSafeBC and CEU reach recovery agreement
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | November 21, 2022 VICTORIA — WorkSafeBC and the Compensation Employees’ Union (CEU) have announced a tentative agreement under the Shared Recovery Mandate. Details about the agreement will be released after ratification is complete, a news release reads. The CEU represents roughly 3,000 employees working in positions WorkSafeBC. Negotiations…
Read MoreLife saving innovation: Ledcor celebrated for excavation rescue system
Journal of Commerce | Evan Saunders | November 16, 2022 Improving safety on construction sites is everyone’s business. Ledcor Group recently won the Construction Workplace Health and Safety Innovation award presented by the Vancouver Regional Construction Association for their excavation extraction rescue system (EERS). The system is designed to safely and quickly remove injured people from…
Read MoreConsultation on proposed B.C. Exposure Limits (ELs) based on the new or revised 2019 and 2020 ACGIH TLVs
WorkSafeBC Each year, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) publishes a list of substances for which they have set new or revised Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). A TLV is an airborne concentration of a chemical substance where it is believed that nearly all workers may be exposed over a working lifetime and experience…
Read MoreCanada’s Construction Labour Market is a Wonder
Journal of Commerce | Alex Carrick | November 10, 2022 After a string of months with barely positive or back-tracking employment change, Canada struck it rich in October, +108,000 jobs. The biggest portion of the +108,000 gain was provided by services jobs, +63,000 according to Statistics Canada, but manufacturing and construction also had good hiring months, +24,000…
Read MoreECABC announces new chair and president
The Remi Network | Tuesday, November 8, 2022 The Electrical Contractors Association of BC (ECABC) has appointed Derek Fettback as its new chair and confirmed its board of directors for 2023. Fettback is the vice-president of Western Pacific Enterprises Ltd. (WPE) and will serve as chair for a two-year term. He has served on the…
Read MoreSupply chain woes dissipating CIBC’s Tal tells ACEC forum
Journal of Commerce | Don Wall | November 7, 2022 Count economist Benjamin Tal among those who do not see a housing crash in Canada in the near future. Tal, the deputy chief economist at CIBC, also suggested during a recent speech to engineers that the world’s producers are showing signs of coming to grips with…
Read MoreRecent work-related incidents reported to WorkSafeBC
November 2, 2022 Constrction 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: Fractured arm, bruised ribs Core Activity: Concrete placing, finishing, surfacing, or repair / Industrial, commercial, institutional, or highrise residential…
Read MoreThe Fed versus International Stock Markets; Landing Knockout Punches
Journal of Commerce | Alex Carrick | November 2, 2022 North America’s major stock markets sailed through the latest October in fine fettle. October historically has been the month when some of the biggest stock market disasters have occurred. There was the infamous Crash of 1929 and Black Monday of 1987. But this time around, it…
Read MoreB.C. planning better support for injured workers
Journal of Commerce | DCN-JOC News Services | November 2, 2022 VICTORIA — It could soon be easier for injured workers to get support as B.C. plans changes to its Workers’ Compensation Act. Among the changes to the policy is ensuring employers accommodate and re-employ injured workers when they are ready to return and making WorkSafeBC…
Read MoreSelect Standing Committee on Health Report – Closing Gaps, Reducing Barriers: Expanding the response to the toxic drug and overdose crisis
On April 4, 2022, the Legislative Assembly empowered the Select Standing Committee on Health to examine the urgent and ongoing illicit drug toxicity and overdose crisis. For more information, please see the Terms of Reference. The Committee released its report titled Closing Gaps, Reducing Barriers: Expanding the response to the toxic drug and overdose crisis on November 1,…
Read MoreNovember is Apprenticeship Recognition Month
Apprenticeship Recognition Month starts at the beginning of November and ITA wants to help you recognize your great apprentices! Nominate an apprentice in your life to thank them for their hard work and dedication. Have an apprentice in mind? ITA has provided two nomination options to either recognize an individual apprentice or a group/class of…
Read MoreWorkers’ compensation changes put injured workers first
Press Release | Victoria | Monday, October 31, 2022 2:16 PM Amendments to the Workers Compensation Act will better support workers in British Columbia. These changes will restore fairness for workers injured on the job and their families, and bring British Columbia in line with other provinces in providing benefits for injured workers. “People injured…
Read MoreWCB changes are a welcome start, recognizing much more is needed: BCFED
BC Fed Website | October 31, 2022 | News Release Today’s announcement of changes to the Workers Compensation Act is a welcome start, while recognizing many of the changes injured workers need are yet to come, BCFED President Laird Cronk said today. “This is a step forward for injured workers and their families,” Cronk said. “It will make…
Read MoreAsbestos Certification and Licensing Update
WorkSafeBC is now accepting expressions of interest from training providers who wish to be approved by WorkSafeBC to deliver asbestos abatement training. Workers, employers, consultants, and trainers involved with the asbestos industry in B.C. played a key role in achieving this milestone, as their feedback was essential in developing an understanding of the core competencies…
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