Op-Eds
B.C. Building Trades, not taxpayers, financed my Red Seal training
Union representative responds to Tom Fletcher's column Another week, another anti-worker rant from Tom Fletcher. The intrepid legislative columnist for Black Press, Fletcher works tirelessly to deliver us biased news and views from Victoria. His last column was no...
Labour Code raid window changes would’ve increased worker rights: Sigurdson
If there are two things workers value – in addition to the obvious, like wages and working conditions — it’s choice and voice. And because of this, I’m frankly puzzled that those who purport to support workers’ rights were opposed to Labour Code amendments that would...
Duty to accommodate a human right
By Merrill O’Donnell - BCBT Advocate The duty to accommodate following a worker’s injury has caused longstanding confusion in labour-management relations in B.C. It is critically important for our members, building trades officers and contractors to realize that...
National and local unions fighting opioid crisis
View From Ottawa - By Arlene Dunn - Chief Executive Officer for Canada’s Building Trades Unions The opioid dependency epidemic affects a disproportionate number of construction workers across Canada; that number is even more pronounced in the province of British...
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it
We have all heard the expression, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And so let us take a moment to reflect on what happened in May of 1919 in Winnipeg. The First World War had just ended and soldiers returning from Europe had...
LNG Canada committed to B.C. workers and to apprentices
Temporary foreign workers at the LNG Canada project in Kitimat will comprise fewer than five per cent of the workers, as promised by LNG Canada. Put another way, 95 per cent of the workforce will be Canadian. These estimates were released last summer in briefing notes...
Anti-union rhetoric doesn’t hold up
LMS Reinforcing Steel Group president and chief operating officer Norm Streu's rhetoric is hard to swallow in his recent guest column in the Prince George Citizen on the provincial government's new Community Benefits construction framework. Let's recap: Streu concedes...
A Better Way To Manage B.C.’s Public Construction
B.C. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena offers a rebuttal to B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson’s criticism of the NDP approach to public construction. Special to Black Press. Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson’s commentary on Community...
Happy Labour Day from the BC Building Trades!
Date: Thursday, August 30, 2018 For many of us, Labour Day traditionally signals an end to those lazy, hazy days of summer and the beginning of cooler temperatures, shorter evenings and more golden leaves on the ground. Happy Labour Day, everyone! For many...
Government’s Union Deal Misrepresented
Re: Victoria councillors not unanimous in vote to remove Sir John A. Macdonald statue, Aug. 9 The removal of John A. Macdonald’s statue from the Victoria city hall precincts should be hailed as a victory for all those intent on destroying English Canada to clear the...
