Flush toilets to be legally required at large construction sites: premier
Posted October 16, 2023 8:25 pm.
B.C. will soon legally require flush toilets at all construction sites with 25 workers or more, according to a recent announcement by Premier David Eby.
This announcement comes after years of advocacy by the BC Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) to achieve sanitary alternatives to the standard port-a-pottie on construction sites.
Eby made the announcement at the BC Building Trades constitutional convention in Victoria Monday.
According to BCTC, there are $358 billion worth of current and future construction projects happening in B.C. and the construction industry contributed $25 billion to the provincial GDP in 2022.
“Construction workers build the infrastructure that British Columbians rely upon every day,” BCTC said in a statement. “And yet those same workers who create that wealth and build that infrastructure are forced to endure abject, unsanitary washroom conditions on the work site.”
While the full details of the new law are yet to be determined, the council says it’s already celebrating the premier’s responsiveness to their demands.
“With the premier’s help, construction workers across the province will have markedly better sanitary conditions on site. They’ll also have the dignity they deserve at work,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the BC Building Trades Council.
Eby told attendees of the convention that this is an important action for the province as it attempts to encourage more British Columbians to work in the trades.
“If we want to show people that this is a great way to support your family and build your community, the basic ability to go to a bathroom that doesn’t stink, that isn’t a mess, where you can flush a toilet, is a basic requirement for a decent job site,” Eby said.
The council’s recent re-launch of its ‘Get Flushed’ campaign amassed a lot of attention online, which it says helped raise the matter to the premier’s attention.
The campaign was initially launched amid health and safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
