Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Minister Shirley Bond bristled at a suggestion by NDP MLA Harry Bains that her government isn't doing enough to ensure B.C. sawmills are safe.
During question period Wednesday, Bains said Bond is "sleeping at the switch" because two years after the fatal mill explosions at Babine Forest Products near Burns Lake and at the Lakeland mill in Prince George, a report this week by WorkSafe BC found that 61 of 144 mills aren't in compliance with provincial dust-management regulations.
"The member opposite has no need to remind me of the impact of an explosion that took place in my community," Bond replied. "I can assure the member opposite that I take the safety of workers in British Columbia as an utmost priority."
Bond said she will meet with WorkSafe and the CEOs of forestry companies to ensure more steps are taken so that all mills treat dust issues seriously and don't allow it to accumulate to such a level that it becomes dangerous.
But Bains said Bond and the government have had two years to address the dust issue and that it's not acceptable that so many mills continue to violate the policy and put worker safety at risk.
"These explosions that killed four workers and injured 43 were tragic," Bains said. "What would be more tragic? If this government failed to ensure that this will never happen again, and more lives are lost. Workers' safety is a trust. It's a sacred trust of government and WorkSafe BC."
Bond rejected the notion that the trust was being violated and said she knows first hand the devastation caused by the explosions in 2012.
"There are few people in this House who have the personal experience of having that situation happen in their community," she said. "We are committed to ensuring workplaces are safe, and we will continue to work to do that."
