Calls for work delays as new tower cranes go up at site of fatal collapse

• WorkSafeBC still investigating fatal July collapse
• Petitions call for work delays until memorial built

Three months after a catastrophic collapse at a downtown Kelowna construction site, two new cranes are going up.

The project developer, Mission Group, said the cranes are needed to finish an office building and second condo tower at the Bernard Block project.

On July 12, a crane attached to a high-rise collapse while being dismantled. Four workers and an employee in a neighboring office building were killed. WorkSafeBC continues to investigate the collapse.

The new cranes, according to Mission Group, are being assembled and serviced by Morwest Crane & Services Ltd., who it called “a leader in the field and one of the most trusted crane service companies in North America.”

“The Safety Deployment Plan includes comprehensive procedures for crane assembly and dismantling including operator qualifications and safety training,” it added in a media release.

Work erecting the first of two cranes started Tuesday, and it is already causing controversy.

One online petition is calling for work on the project to stop.

The signatories want one of two things; the property be converted to greenspace, or work delayed until the WorkSafeBC investigation is complete and a memorial is installed.

“We feel this is in the interest of public safety as well as respect for the collective grief of the families and the community,” the petition, started by a group of close friends and some family, reads.

Some family members, according to the petition, were told a memorial would be revealed by Christmas.

Mission Group has not offered comment to the media regarding the petitions calling for work on the project to be stopped.