News and media

The proposed amendments to the OHSR Parts 4, 13, 14, 20 and 31 are much needed, especially in relation to tower cranes. Strengthening the requirements for equipment to be inspected and certified both before being operated and periodically over time will help to prevent serious injuries and save lives. We urge the Board of Directors to seriously consider our recommendations so we meet our goal to ensure that BC health and safety regulations set high standards for the prevention of injury and death for workers.

A new private member’s bill by the federal NDP would restore bargaining rights the Liberals have been all too willing to trample, BCFED President Sussanne Skidmore said today. Introduced on Monday, Bill C-247 would amend the Canada Labour Code by removing section 107, which allows the Minister of Labour to short-circuit collective bargaining by referring labour disputes to the Canada Industrial

The BC Federation of Labour appreciates the opportunity to provide our recommendations with respect to the proposed amendments for Part 6, Combustible Dusts and subsequent changes to Part 4, General Conditions, Part 5, Chemical Agents and Biological Agents, and Part 31, Firefighting in the OHS regulation. The proposed combustible dust regulation resulted from the tragic dust explosions at the Babine Mill in Burns Lake and Lakeland Mill in Prince George in January and April of 2012. The Babine Mill explosion killed Robert Luggi Jr. and Carl Charlie and injured 19 workers. The Lakeland Mill explosion killed Alan Little and Glenn Roche and injured 24.

The BC Federation of Labour’s Executive Officers today voted unanimously to declare a boycott of the Coast Hotel Victoria & Marina over the hotel’s lockout of its frontline staff, members of UNITE HERE Local 40. “We reserve boycotts for the worst of employer behaviours, and this is certainly a case in point,” said BCFED President Sussanne Skidmore. “There’s no excuse for locking out workers who

by Sussanne Skidmore and Hermender Singh Kailley First published in the Vancouver Sun August 29, 2025 If there’s one bright spot in the tariff war Donald Trump is waging on us, it’s the way we’ve come together to support each other and build up our local economy. Many of us are heeding the call to “Buy BC” around everything from wine and fresh produce to where we take our vacations, with steep

A pdf of the complete submission can be found here. Introduction The BC Federation of Labour (“BCFED”) is committed to ensuring that workers' rights and well-being are maintained and strengthened as we make the necessary shift to a clean economy. In the current moment, with our governments looking for province- and nation-building projects to ensure energy sovereignty and security, there is huge