A victim of the deadly crane collapse in sa国际传媒 will be remembered Tuesday in Vancouver.听
Cailen Vilness, 23, was among the five people killed when the crane fell apart at a downtown sa国际传媒 high-rise project in July 2021.听
鈥淐ailen died on July 12, 2021, but for me, he dies every single day,鈥 his dad Chris Vilness said. 鈥淲hy do we have to wait for more and more disasters and more deaths to make meaningful change?鈥
Vilness is scheduled to speak Tuesday alongside Premier David Eby and union leaders at the Bentall Memorial in Vancouver. The event will mark the 44th anniversary of the deaths of four construction workers who fell 36 floors on Jan. 7, 1981 when they fell from a platform while building the Bentall IV tower.听
The annual memorial is held to call attention to what is said to be the ongoing need for better workplace safety inspections, improved regulations, and larger fines for construction companies that break the rules.听
In 2023, 39 construction workers died in sa国际传媒, according to WorkSafeBC. Seventeen died due to trauma while 22 died of exposure.听
鈥淚t is deeply disheartening to see another year where the death toll in the construction industry is so high,鈥 said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the sa国际传媒 Building Trades Council.听
鈥淭hose 39 construction workers went to work to provide for their families and build this province. They deserved to come home alive, with their health and safety intact,鈥 Bourke said.听
According to WorkSafeBC, there were 22 crane safety incidents between 2019 and 2023. The most deadly was the collapse of the sa国际传媒 crane which killed Vilness, along with his fellow construction workers Jared Zook, Eric Stemmer and Patrick Stemmer. A fifth man, Brad Zawislak, died when his office was struck by the falling crane.听
Last June, sa国际传媒 RCMP announced they had recommended a charge of criminal negligence causing death, but the BC Prosecution Service has yet to announce whether such a charge will be laid. It is unknown who, or what company, the police have recommended be charged.听
The crane that collapsed was owned by Salmon Arm-based Stremmer Construction and it was working on a high-rise being built by sa国际传媒-based Mission Group.听
A memorial to the men killed in the sa国际传媒 crane collapse will be built at the corner of Bernard Avenue and Ethel Street, a few blocks east of where the tragedy took place.听
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