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By CKPG Today

Lodge operator responds

Horizon North responds to union concerns following bus accident

Jun 20, 2023 | 4:13 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The company that manages the lodge north of Prince George where workers were being bussed to and from work has stopped those bussing operations until an investigation has been completed.

Horizon North said so in a statement released Tuesday. The Parsnip Lodge is the lodge workers were headed to last Friday morning when it was involved in an accident. Eighteen of the 30 people on board the bus were injured. Seventeen of those 18 had been released from hospital as of Friday evening.

“We take the health and safety of our people very seriously and on behalf of Horizon North, a part of Dexterra Group, we wanted to share an updated response regarding the June 16th bus accident that took place on Firth Lake Forest Service Road north of Prince George, B.C.

“Given the lodging onsite was at peak capacity, we were instructed by clients to take temporary measures to move an operations team to lodging off-site. However, until our investigation is complete, we are not allowing any daily bussing of our operations teams to or from Parsnip Lodge. Our own investigation of the incident is still underway, and we are cooperating with the RCMP and other government agencies in their investigations as well.

“In the meantime, we are in talks with Unite Here Local 40 through the arbitration process, which is unrelated to transportation safety.

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“We continue to offer support to the 24 employees, who were passengers on that bus on June 16^th, and to their families to help alleviate any harm that may have been caused. Beyond our group EFAP benefits, we have been in touch with each affected employee to offer any further assistance that would help ensure their health and well-being.”

Horizon North’s statement comes just one day after UNITE HERE Local 40, the union representing the mostly immigrant housekeepers at the lodge, released a statement of its own. That statement pointed out the union had previously raised travel concerns.

“Our first concern is with our members and their families who have gone through a terrifying experience. This never should have happened. Workers told management that this was not safe. We expect Horizon North to work with the Union to ensure workers’ health and safety is prioritized and not put at risk,” said Zailda Chan, President of UNITE HERE Local 40.

UNITE HERE Local 40 says they filed a grievance against Horizon North, which manages the Lodge, earlier this year after management unilaterally moved all the housekeepers out of the camp and began bussing them to and from the site. Workers are expected to travel up to four hours each day to and from camp, and along a forest service road, because they are no longer provided housing at the camp.