Latest news with #crane collapse
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Kelowna memorial unveiled on 4th anniversary of crane collapse that killed 5 workers
A permanent memorial garden honouring five men killed in a catastrophic crane collapse in Kelowna was unveiled Saturday, marking four years since the fatal workplace incident. The Rise Memorial Gardens, located at Knowles Heritage Park in downtown Kelowna, was created to honour Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, brothers Eric and Patrick Stemmer, and Brad Zawislak. The five men died on July 12, 2021, when the arm of a tower crane collapsed from about 25 storeys up during the dismantling process. The crane, which was being used to build a residential tower by Mission Group on St. Paul Street, crashed into a neighbouring office building. Vilness, Zook, and the Stemmer brothers were working on the construction site at the time. Eric and Patrick Stemmer, aged 32 and 28, were employed by their family's company, Stemmer Construction, which had been contracted to operate the crane. Zawislak, 43 at the time, was inside his office at Protech Consulting when the crane struck. Space for reflection On Saturday, the families of the five men gathered alongside community members for the memorial's unveiling. The space features five dogwood trees, one for each man. "The trees surround a legacy oak tree that represents the cohesion between the families and the community that built the space," said Kelly Hutchinson, secretary and treasurer of the memorial's foundation. Hutchinson said the garden is meant to be a peaceful space for grief, healing, and reflection not just for the families of the five men, but for anyone affected by workplace tragedies. "There's actually been many tragedies and accidents since and there's been no place that invites someone to come in and be at peace, process, and remember. So now it exists." Pam and Steven Zook, whose son Jared died in the collapse, described the unveiling as a deeply emotional moment. "Mixed emotions…sadness of remembering what we're missing out on, but just the joy of seeing what was accomplished here with this memorial," said Steven. "It'll be a peaceful place to come because we know it's a representation of our son," he added. "In a sense, he's sitting there with us." Pam said her son, known affectionately as "Uncle Bear" was deeply family-oriented. "He was warm and fuzzy," she said. "Family was everything to him." Layne Vilness remembers his brother Cailen Vilness as someone who "wore his heart on his sleeve." "You couldn't find a single ounce of hate in his heart," he said. Union demands justice for families While the memorial marks a space for remembrance, families and labour groups say the lack of accountability over the incident continues to weigh heavily. The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 115, which represents crane operators across B.C., issued a statement Saturday calling on the B.C. Prosecution Service to move forward with a criminal trial and deliver justice to the victims' families. In February 2024, the Kelowna RCMP recommended a charge of criminal negligence causing death in connection with the crane collapse. "The families are no closer to seeing justice for their loved ones," said IUOE Local 115 business manager Bryan Railton. "And the industry is no closer to understanding what happened that day." WATCH | 'Multiple' deaths after crane collapse in Kelowna, B.C.: 'Multiple' deaths after crane collapse in Kelowna, B.C. 4 years ago Duration 2:53 The union says there have been four other tower crane incidents in the province since the 2021 collapse. In a statement, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed it received the RCMP's report but said "the complex police investigation and charge assessment process is ongoing," and no timeline for a decision has been provided. For the Zook family, the garden is both a tribute and a quiet demand for safety and accountability. "There needs to be a continued push for workplace safety that still has to be the most important part because we do not want any other families be affected like us," said Steven Zook.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Union pleads for action four years after B.C. crane collapse that killed five people
A section of the vertical column of a construction crane is lowered past the mangled section of the fallen boom in Kelowna, B.C., Wednesday, July 14, 2021, following a fatal collapse of the crane on Monday. (Desmond Murray / The Canadian Press) BURNABY — Officials from a B.C. construction union say it's been four years since a crane collapse killed five people in Kelowna, and their families and the industry are still waiting for answers from WorkSafeBC about what happened, and from prosecutors about possible criminal charges. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, which represents hundreds of crane operators in the province, says it's calling on the BC Prosecution Service to move forward with a criminal trial to 'deliver justice to the victims' families.' The union says there's been four more crane collapses since the tragedy in Kelowna on July 12, 2021, that killed Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, brothers Patrick and Eric Stemmer and Brad Zawislak, who was killed when the crane fell on the building next door. Josh Towsley, the union local's assistant business manager, says Kelowna RCMP's investigation recommended that prosecutors lay a charge of criminal negligence causing death more than a year ago, and WorkSafeBC has also probed the crane collapse but has not released its investigation report. Towsley says the WorkSafeBC report has 'remained hidden from the public and industry,' hampering the union and the industry's ability to understand what happened and how to protect 'members and the public from future tragedies.' The BC Prosecution Service says in a statement that it has received the RCMP's report but 'the police investigation and charge assessment process is ongoing,' and it doesn't have a timeline for completion. Towsley said in an interview Friday that the delays in laying criminal charges and releasing the WorkSafeBC report are cause for concern. 'My fear is twofold,' he said. 'My fear is that industry hasn't made the changes necessary to prevent this type of accident from ever happening again because we haven't been able to evaluate the report from WorkSafe. And secondarily, my fear is that the families will never receive the justice that I believe they're entitled to.' WorkSafeBC said in a statement that it recognizes 'the lasting impact of this tragedy on families, friends, co-workers, and the wider community, and we understand the ongoing desire for answers and information.' It said its investigation report will not be released while prosecutors mull charges, and though the report hasn't been made public, WorkSafeBC says it 'has incorporated all key learnings from the investigation into its crane safety initiatives, including for tower crane operation, assembly, disassembly, and repositioning.' This report by Darryl Greer of The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
