By Cheryl Jahn

Mental health in business needs attention

Jun 9, 2022 | 3:40 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Thousands of people, predominantly men, work in construction in BC. But it carries suicide rates five times the national average. And there’s a certain mentality attached to it.

“Construction work sites remain male-dominated. Probably more than 90 percent of the people working on a construction site are men,” explains Chris Gardner, President, of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association. “So that culture of powering through the pain, sucking it up. Just get the job done. It’s a culture we need to change.”

The ICBA has joined forces with former NHL goaltender and gold medalist Corey Hirsch, who struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder throughout his career.

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“There’s a shame attached to it, there’s a stigma attached to it,” says Hirsch. “And, to be honest, it’s a joke that we don’t go get help. We get help for physical health but if we think it’s mental health, people think we’re crazy when, in fact, it’s the opposite. Some of the kindest people I know have mental health issues.”

The ICBA represents predominantly the construction industry, which has different demands.

“There are lots of resources out there for people struggling with mental health challenges,” says Gardner. “The issue for us in construction is that sometimes it’s not geared toward construction workers.”

Likely more than any other region of the province, Northern BC has a lot of construction camps, like Site C. Camp life is a vastly different construction environment than for those who go home to families at the end of the day. And the messaging is a little different.

“Well in some ways, yes, because they work in a unique environment. It is a very challenging environment,” says Gardner. “But on another level, no. Mental health is running thorugh every part of our economy.”

Twenty-five percent of Canadians suffer from some form of mental health struggle. Chris Gardener says how it differs from a physical illness is that it’s not overtly visible, but it should be treated the same.