Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour issued the following statement today on Saturday’s unveiling of the Golden Tree monument:

“In a March 2007 accident, three women – Sarbjit Kaur Sidhu, 31, Amarjit Kaur Bal, 52, and Sukhvinder Kaur Punia, 46 – lost their lives in a van accident.

“It was a tragic loss of life and my heart goes out to the families and friends who lost their loved ones in such difficult circumstances.

“All of us – workers, the farming industry, WorkSafeBC and government – share the goal of keeping British Columbia’s farm workers safe.

“Since 2007 changes have been made that we expect will improve the safety of farm workers and all British Columbians, but we must remain vigilant and continually strive to enhance worker safety in our province.

“The government is pleased to have joined together with sponsors from throughout the province to contribute to the construction of the Golden Tree monument in Abbotsford.

“We believe that this monument is a fitting symbol to honour the memory of those lost in that terrible accident and we also hope that it will raise awareness of the important work that farmworkers do in British Columbia.”