Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, has issued the following statement:

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the terrible incident involving a construction crane in Kelowna today. My thoughts are with the workers affected, and I send my sincere condolences to the families, friends and co-workers of the victims.

“Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of the day, and I feel awful for the loved ones and colleagues impacted by this tragedy.

“All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace – even one injury or death is too many. This is a heartbreaking reminder that we must strive to ensure the safety of all workers to prevent incidents like this from happening.

“I thank the emergency personnel and investigators now on scene. Agencies including WorkSafeBC, the BC Coroners Service and the RCMP are now investigating. We will have more to say as further details become available.”