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Father of crane collapse victim frustrated by lack of information on his son’s death

The father of a construction worker killed in a crane collapse at a job site in downtown Kelowna, B.C., almost two years ago is frustrated about the lack of information being released in an ongoing RCMP criminal investigation into the incident.

Chris Vilness is also disappointed that no details are being made publicly available about a now-complete WorkSafeBC investigation into the cause of the incident and any contributing factors.

But Vilness isn’t the only one frustrated by the lack of information and transparency.

The United Steelworkers union is calling on WorkSafeBC to release the findings in its report on the tragedy, which was announced as completed on May 16 – information that is currently being withheld, as the RCMP report into whether there was any criminality in the matter is still ongoing.

Vilness’s son, Cailen, was one of five workers who died on the morning of July 12, 2021, when the arm of a crane fell about 25 storeys as it was being dismantled at the site of a residential tower under construction by the real estate company Mission Group. The arm smashed into a neighbouring office building and a seniors’ home.

(with files from CBC News and Vancouver Island Free Daily)