BC Building Trades launches campaign to tell British Columbians the unionized construction industry and workers are building the Province

Posted on October 24, 2016 10:54 am

Vancouver, BC. The umbrella organization for BC’s 35,000 unionized construction workers is launching a provincial campaign to raise public awareness of the importance of unionized construction workers to the province’s future.

The BC Building Trades campaign includes a year-long television advertising campaign as well as local newspaper advertising, community presentations and speeches, and other steps to reach all corners of BC. The campaign tells British Columbians that everything the BC Building Trades builds gets its Seal of Approval, meaning it is constructed to the highest standards, with no compromises on safety or the environment.

“Construction is a cornerstone of the provincial economy,” says Tom Sigurdson, Executive Director. “And it’s important that when we build British Columbia, we do it with the most qualified workers we have, which are the 35,000 British Columbians in the BC Building Trades.

“Our affiliates and their members are the most experienced and the most highly skilled people in construction, including men, women, First Nations and apprentices,” Sigurdson said.

“Together, we build the vital infrastructure BC needs to keep our economy growing and to keep people employed. Projects like Site C, the Massey bridge, LNG terminals and energy pipelines need to have the BC Building Trades Seal of Approval — which means building on time, on budget and with no compromises on safety or the environment.”

“Everything we build gets the BC Building Trades Seal of Approval, which brings over 100 years of bringing excellence to the building of our province and training British Columbians in these important jobs,” said Sigurdson.

“BC Building Trades affiliates indenture thousands of apprentices every year who have higher completion rates than those who are outside of our training structures. These young men and women need time on the job to complete their apprenticeships and to become the next generation of skilled construction workers.

Sigurdson points out that a province-wide opinion survey commissioned by the Building Trades in May showed that 88 percent of those sampled want BC apprentices hired on to construction projects before out-of-province workers are hired.

He adds that the survey showed little public awareness of the Building Trades but strong positive views (61 percent support) when those surveyed learned about the Trades’ tradition of craft skills, apprenticeships, productivity, and commitments to building the province.

“This strong preference for BC workers and BC apprentices first is important for government and industry to appreciate when contracts are bid and work begins,” says Sigurdson. “The Trades also have a strong track record for bringing into the workforce more women, aboriginal people, and new Canadians which reflects the values of British Columbians.