By The Canadian Press

B.C. announces mandatory crane-related licensing after string of fatal accidents

Mar 3, 2026 | 11:01 AM

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government says it will make crane-related licensing and permitting mandatory in a bid to increase safety after a string of deadly accidents over the last five years.

The announcement comes after a WorkSafeBC report last year on the February 2024 death of worker Yuridia Flores at the Oakridge Park development site in Vancouver found “several critical safety failures” leading to the fatality.

A statement from the B.C. government says it will introduce the new WorkSafeBC crane program aimed at making sure crane-related operations “meet consistent, high-quality safety requirements.”

Currently, crane operators in the province must be certified and registered, while those who own, maintain, repair, move or disassemble the structures are not.

The province says that was a gap identified in safety reviews conducted by the Crane Safety Table involving regulators, industry, labour and experts since June 2025, and one that the new licensing program is aimed at addressing.

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The BC Federation of Labour issued a joint statement welcoming the changes alongside BC Building Trades and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, saying the new measures will “save lives and make construction sites safer” across B.C.

Federation president Sussanne Skidmore says the announcement is the culmination of years of work by the labour movement, especially construction unions.

“The urgency of that work has been sadly underlined by tragedies like the Kelowna crane collapse,” the statement says, referring to a collapse that killed five people at a construction site in that city in July 2021.

The B.C. government says there have been seven fatalities in the province related to cranes in the last five years, and there are 373 cranes in operation.

“British Columbia will be a leader in crane safety — with the highest standards of training, certification, technology and oversight — to protect workers and the public on every project, every time,” Premier David Eby says in the statement, adding the issue takes on extra importance as B.C. embarks on “major nation-building projects.”

The province says it also plans to advance skilled-trades training and certification for crane operators as part of the new announcement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2026.

The Canadian Press