VANCOUVER – In light of evidence that has been revealed during the course of the Coroner’s Inquest, the BC Federation of Labour is renewing its call for a full independent public inquiry into the Lakeland and Babine sawmill explosions.
Below is a statement from Irene Lanzinger, President of the BC Federation of Labour:
The BC Federation of Labour joins with United Steelworkers, family members, workers, First Nations and the larger community in calling for an independent public inquiry into the tragic explosions at the Lakeland and Babine mills in 2012.
The Officers of the BCFED, leaders of British Columbia’s largest public and private sectors unions, have voted unanimously to renew this call. It is vital that we get a full account of what happened at the two mills. The families deserve answers, the workers deserve answers and the public deserve answers.
Evidence revealed during the course of the Coroner’s Inquest suggests larger, systemic issues within the WCB, including the failure to enforce existing health and safety regulations, which must be fully examined. The mandate of the Coroner’s Inquest, as a strictly fact-finding process, is too restrictive to achieve this.
The BC Federation of Labour has long advocated for more prescriptive regulations and stronger enforcement mechanisms to ensure the health and safety of all workplaces and workers in BC.
We are joining the effort, led by the United Steelworkers, the workers, and the family and friends of the killed and injured workers, calling on Premier Christy Clark to establish an independent public inquiry to ensure tragedies like these never happens again.
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Media contact: Jaime Matten 604-561-2663