Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, has issued the following statement on the death of Ralph McGinn, board chair of WorkSafeBC: 

“I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Ralph McGinn. He was a man of integrity, who had a joy for life and a commitment to leave the world a better place.

"Ralph cared very much about the safety of workers, and over the span of a long career, he was ambitious and energetic when it came to protecting those in the workplace. Ralph’s legacy spans the globe — he made a tremendous difference in mining safety, health and environmental protection as far away as Australia, South America and Africa.

"Closer to home, Ralph held many leadership roles at WorkSafeBC. One of his greatest achievements was overseeing the revision of B.C.’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, which came into effect in 1998. His work resulted in systemic improvements that we still benefit from today. It was this leadership in workers’ compensation that led me to appoint him as chair of the board of directors of WorkSafeBC in 2017, where he was driving work to achieve our vision to make workplaces the safest in Canada. I appreciate his dedication to this goal, which I commit will continue.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Labour, I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all his colleagues who are mourning his passing. Ralph will be missed.”