A Prince George contracting business is being honoured not only for its work on the job and in the field, but its contributions to the community as well.
Westcana Electric Inc. received two distinct receptions from the 2019 Builders Code Champion Awards (BCCA) in Victoria on thursday (Nov. 28), a province-wide event recognizing businesses within the industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector.
Westcana took home Contractor of the Year and the Community Champion Award.
For the Contractor of the Year honour, Westcana, according to a news release, completed initiatives that caught the BCCA’s attention, including:
- Employing 30 women in trades that are either apprentices or journeyperson electricians
- Partnering with the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Education and Training Association’s Women in Trades program
- Creating their “Apprentice-Shop Program” to provide youth with hands-on experience in an electrical warehouse (60 per cent have gone on to trades training)
- Providing more than $300,000 in sponsorship for activities, teams and organizations
- Winning a 2018 ITA award for carrying the most apprentices to journeyperson
- Winning the NRCA Construction Leadership award in 2018 and 2019
Its Community Champion nod is based on other initiatives by the Prince George company, including signing memorandum of understandings with Indigenous communities to facilitate work experience and training for young women.
The following was also considered in Westcana’s win:
- Creating their “Apprentice-Shop Program” to provide youth with hands-on experience in an electrical warehouse (60 per cent have gone on to trades training)
- Providing more than $300,000 in sponsorship for activities, teams and organizations
- Providing gender appropriate washroom facilities and ensuring PPE and clothing is appropriately sized for women
- Providing on-going training for managers, supervisors, and staff to ensure they are knowledgeable about what constitutes an Acceptable Worksite
- Integrating Builders Code best practices into their HR hiring practices
“On behalf of everyone at BCCA, Minerva BC and all our Builders Code partners, I want to thank our winners for their support of the Builders Code and congratulate them for creating and maintaining outstanding workplaces that support the safety and protection of all employees,” said Chris Atchison, BCCA President in a statement.
“As an industry facing a serious labour shortage, the retention of tradespeople, and especially tradeswomen, in our sector is critical. By demonstrating their commitment to their workforce, our winners have distinguished themselves as outstanding role models in the construction industry.”
