WATCH: Remembering a Kelowna tragedy

There were tears, reflections, and reminders on Tuesday as families, friends, and members of the community remembered the five men whose lives were lost in the downtown crane collapse tragedy exactly a year ago.

Hundreds gathered at the corner of Bernard Ave. and St. Paul St., the site where, at 10:55 a.m. on July 12, 2021, a construction crane collapsed killing Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, Patrick and Eric Stemmer, and Brad Zawislak.

Family members of Zook and Vilness spoke at the event, reflecting how the loss has continued to affect them.

Pamela Zook, the mother of Jared, described her son as someone who prioritized family, with a generous spirit.

“Whenever we get to talk about our son, it’s a good day. He’ll forever be a part of our story,” she said. “Even when he was going through challenges, he didn’t let that keep him from making others laugh, with his witty comebacks and comments often what others were thinking, but Jared was bold enough to say.”

Chris Vilness, father of Cailen, said it has been a challenging year and they’re still hoping for answers as soon as the Kelowna RCMP and other agencies conclude their ongoing investigation.

“We need to know the why. That’s the biggest thing for us right now. Why this crew was chosen to dismantle a tower crane, and who made those choices and what kind of pressure there was,” he said.

Vilness and others are pressing for a permanent memorial to be erected in honour the five men. He said the victims should be remembered as the people they were.

“If you look at each one of them and their personalities, they were all loving, caring and good family men who came from good families. That’s what they should be remembered for; not just about the crane accident, but the individuals they were,” he said.

Danielle Pritchett, the mother of Cailen, stood on stage as sirens rang out to mark the formal moment of silence. Other construction sites across the city also marked the occasion.

“A piece of me died that day. But today we have to take today as today. If we keep looking back, we’ll never move forward,” she said.

Pritchett reminded everyone in the construction industry that safety should be critical everywhere and at every opportunity.

“No timeline, no budget, no pressure from your foreman, your bosses, your general manager, is worth overlooking safety,” she said.

Jessica Berglund with WorkSafeBC said at the event they are near completion of their extensive investigation and details would be released soon.

In a media release Kelowna RCMP said their criminal investigation is separate from WorkSafeBC’s probe, and there are no further details at this time.