IMPACT
REPORT
2023 Vancouver Island Construction Association
Greetings from the Tailgate Toolkit A Message from the CEO When VICA was approached to develop a construction industry-specific program to address the growing drug poisoning crisis in B.C., it was obvious the role our association could play. As the Tailgate Toolkit has developed and expanded, I am pleased to reflect on the work done by our team. As this report will reveal, our work has left a positive impact on the construction industry and would like to thank the companies and individuals who have participated in our program. Health and safety have always been an industry priority, and through the Tailgate Toolkit, we’re providing the tools needed to ensure workers are safe both on and off the job site. Solutions to the toxic drug crisis are complex and a significant social concern that is also affecting our workers, but I can take solace in knowing that the work being done by the Tailgate Toolkit team plays a small part in helping reduce the number of drug poisoning deaths in our province.
Rory Kulmala
CEO, Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA)
We are pleased to provide you with this update on the Tailgate Toolkit. As the program matures, we are continuously looking at ways to improve delivery and accessibility as well as ensuring the content we’re providing is relevant and accurate. I welcome your thoughts and feedback as we strive to improve how the Tailgate Toolkit serves our industry. I’m proud of the impacts outlined in this report and look forward to delivering the Tailgate Toolkit across British Columbia for years to come. Rory
A Message from CAI Men account for 79% of illicit drug deaths in British Columbia. Moreover, 35% of those employed at their time of death worked in trades, transport, or as equipment operators. Tough working conditions, high injury rates, and reluctance to talk about substance use, out of fear of being judged or losing their jobs, make it difficult to reach out for help, and there are few specialized substance use resources available for men in trades.
Emily Wagner
Acting Executive Director, Community Action Initiative (CAI)
As the number of young men lost to the poisoned drug supply continued to climb, the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) knew they needed to act. VICA’s Tailgate Toolkit project aims to create a new kind of safety culture on the job. Through informal talks at morning “tailgate” meetings and structured training for worksite managers, the project provided tradespeople with practical tools to have open conversations about substance use, stay safer if using substances, and connect with care if they need help. In just 18 months, their team delivered training and resources to over 6500 workers, trainees, managers, and leaders in the industry. They visited construction sites, skilled trades schools, community, and industry events, reaching communities across the province. Through these dedicated efforts, the Tailgate Toolkit team has truly changed the conversation around substance use in the industry, creating a new kind of comradery where workers look out for one another, and feel safe asking for help when they need it. It has been inspiring to witness the Tailgate Toolkit grow and I look forward to seeing how the program evolves in the coming years. Emily
About The Tailgate Toolkit Men in trades are overrepresented in the number of illicit drug poisoning deaths in British Columbia. In response, the Tailgate Toolkit Project aims to educate employers and employees of BC’s construction sector about the resources available to them. The Tailgate Toolkit Project consists of three educational components and an industry-specific support group; on-site/virtual toolbox talks, supervisory training for site and company leaders, region-specific resource guides, and our support group for folks working in the construction/trades industry. Beginning with a partnership with Island Health and the Vancouver Island Construction Association in 2019, the Tailgate Toolkit program received additional funding from the Government of British Columbia, allowing the program to expand its work provincially. Through the network of regional construction associations across British Columbia, we have Tailgate Toolkit coordinators in the offices of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association, Southern Interior Construction Association and the Northern Regional Construction Association, in addition to staff in Victoria at the Vancouver Island Construction Association. Funding for the Tailgate Toolkit is provided by the Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions, The Canadian Mental Health Association (BC Division), and the Community Action Initiative (CAI). Tailgate Toolkit’s programming is at no cost, with more information on the program available at www.thetailgatetoolkit.ca. The 2023 Tailgate Toolkit Impact Report is based off the findings and survey results from Reichert & Associates 2023 Evaluation Report. I want to take a moment to express our gratitude on behalf of the entire Tailgate Toolkit Team, the Vancouver Island Construction Association, our valued members, and our dedicated Board of Directors. We are truly thankful for the support of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, The Canadian Mental Health Association (BC Division), and the Community Action Initiative in sustaining the Tailgate Toolkit Project.
Amie Flint
Director of Operations, Vancouver Island Construction Association
Moreover, I’d like to extend our sincere appreciation to our parters at the BC Construction Association, Vancouver Regional Construction Association, Southern Interior Construction Association, and Northern Regional Construction Association, for their continuous support and active involvement. Thank you for being part of our mission to make a positive impact on British Columbia’s construction industry. Your contributions are deeply valued and bring us one step closer to achieving our goals.
Meet The Team
Colby Young Program Lead colby@vicabc.ca
Greg Hemminger
Coordinator, Lower Mainland greg@vicabc.ca
Mika Dumont Coordinator, Interior mika@vicabc.ca
Rose Olsen
Coordinator, Lower Mainland rose@vicabc.ca
The Tailgate Toolkit: What We’ve Done so Far Based on findings showing a high percentage of overdose-related deaths among individuals in construction and transport trades, VICA secured funding from Vancouver Island Health Authority (Island Health) to initiate Phase 1 of the Tailgate Toolkit project on Vancouver Island. Expanding upon Phase 1 funding, the Tailgate Toolkit Harm Reduction Program received Phase 2 funding from the Community Action Initiative, via the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, to extend the program to a provincial level. Phase 2 funding, effective from January 2022 to June 2023, was managed by the Vancouver Island Construction Association’s Harm Reduction project team. Additional staff, including regional coordinators for the North, Interior, Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island regions, were hired to facilitate provincial expansion. During Phase 2, the team aimed to roll out the training and educational materials created in Phase 1 throughout British Columbia. In the short run, these resources aimed to raise awareness about the stigma linked to substance use, promote understanding of harm reduction approaches, and educate on overdose signs and interventions like naloxone training. Collectively, the work being undertaken by the Tailgate Team, educating the industry and reducing stigma around substance use, pain and mental health, will result in a safer, healthier industry. The toxic drug crisis is affecting all industries, with the Tailgate Toolkit being our answer to reducing deaths in the construction industry.
From January 2022 to June 2023, Tailgate Toolkit staff distributed the following resources across BC:
435
Naloxone Kits
Resource Guides
3697
Wallet-sized Resource Cards
Pain Management Pamphlets
2963
2677
1742
Hammer Time Resources
Tailgate Toolkit Info Rack Cards
1629
Supervisor Training: Empowering Leaders Much of the success of the Tailgate Toolkit can be attributed to our Supervisor Training course. This multi-day course equips company and site leaders to confidently discuss substance use, mental health, and pain management with their teams. Through classroom sessions and guest speakers, the class explores the complex issues surrounding substance use and toxic drug poisoning, the history of the crisis, how its affecting the industry, and how to recognize, support and refer employees in need. “For me it was the realization, I thought I knew lots. I knew the tip of the iceberg but there’s way more that I don’t know! I realized what I thought I knew and had control of I really did not have a control of as far as awareness was. So now have a better awareness and I know there’s some stuff I have to dive into myself so I can present this to my owners and say here’s where we’re at and where we need to go and here’s a course of plan of how we’re going to try and do that.” – Supervisor training participant Supervisors’ understanding of key concepts of the overdose crisis, stigma, harm reduction, and others increased after attending the supervisor training.
When asked to select topic areas where their understanding increased following Supervisor Training, 103 of 118 respondents chose “the current overdose crisis,” 103 chose “My obligations under Duty to Accommodate,” and 102 chose “stigma.”
Toolbox Talks: Speaking Directly to Industry Having access to members of the construction industry that allow Tailgate Toolkit staff to speak directly to their crews on-site is what sets the Tailgate Toolkit apart from similar type programs. During Toolbox Talks, coordinators lead introductory conversations about substance use, mental health, the current toxic drug supply and what harm reduction/recovery services are available in each region of the province. From January 2022 to May 2023 the project team facilitated 188 Toolbox Talks, with 4,030 attendees representing 57 companies or organizations. The greatest number of talks were held in the Lower Mainland, with Vancouver Island having held the second greatest number of talks.
Hammer Time: An Industry-Specific Support Group Supervisor Training In response to requests from several interview participants in the Phase 1 of the project, VICA partnered with the Umbrella Society toThe offerfollowing an industry-specific support group those struggling with substance use of anda supervisor working in thetraining construction industry. report presents thefor feedback and impact analysis The group is not a twelve-step program, fully anonymous, anduse, participants don’t need to be sober to participate. The group is program focused on mental health, substance and chronic pain. The report highlights facilitated by twofrom Umbrella Society staffregarding who have lived experience survey virtually responses participants their ofawareness substance useof andresources, previously/currently in the construction industry. ability work to support colleagues, and perception of the training’s effectiveness. AdditionFrom 2022 toon May 2023, 73 course Hammer components Time support group meets ally,January feedback specific and thewere held. Attendance performance has been consistent, with the number of attendees varying instructor’s is discussed, along with the from 3 - 6 perorsession. As wenext movesteps into theofnext of the Tailgate Toolkit realized planned thephase supervisors. program, we look forward increasing the exposure of Hammer Time through marketing and outreach campaigns. According to survey responses, the most valuable aspects of the training were learning about mental health, stigma, and substance use. Participants also appreciated gaining knowledge about available resources and their responsibilities in supporting employees seeking help. Duty to accommodate and networking opportunities with like-minded individuals were mentioned as additional Tailgate valuable components. Hands-on naloxone training, The Toolkit’s official website, www.thetailgatetoolkit.ca, went live on conversation roleplay, learning about language use, and January 12, 2022. the instructor’s wealth of knowledge were also highlighted. The feedback suggests the training enhanced to in create a Between January 2022 and June 2023,that it garnered 25,270 pageviews fromawareness 9,861 visitors.and VICAprovided strategicallytools invested advertising resilient open discussions about mental health andGeorge. substance use are billboards, across variousworkplace locations suchwhere as Victoria, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver, Kelowna, and Prince This encompassed encouraged. print ads, digital promotions, and social media outreach.
Spreading the Word: Outreach and Engagement
Advertising initiatives were sustained throughout the project, with a focused push from June to September 2022. The project team also capitalized on community ties, securing additional ad grants from Island Health and securing in-kind advertising space from the City of Langford. Furthermore, during this period, media mentions (print, radio, TV, podcasts) reached an 97 times, extending the project’s reach from Victoria to Toronto. Survey expressed overall Between March 2022 and May 2023, the project team participated in 36 events aimedrespondents at engaging the industry and raising project satisfaction with the instructor’s knowledge of the curriculum and facilitation skills. The instrucawareness. TThe majority of these events were in-person, with four being online events. These events included BUILDEX events, tor was described asbycalm, diplomatic, capable of subtly participants’ views.across conferences and gatherings regional construction and associations, college campuschallenging events, and expos. The total attendance Thisevents positive indicates the instructor effectively delivered the training content, these rangedfeedback from 10 to 220 attendees,that culminating to 2,382 participants. creating an engaging and informative learning environment. Participants reported an increased ability to recognize signs and symptoms of mental health issues and initiate conversations to provide support. Additionally, interviewees described their next steps following the training. One supervisor took the initiative to make organizational documents more inclusive. Another supervisor discussed the training during safety committee meetings and with the safety superintendent and other on-site personnel. As a result of the training, the company updated its drug and alcohol policy based on the “duty to accommodate” module. Furthermore, supervisors expressed their intention to disseminate the information learned from the training to their employees.
Program Supporters & Industry Partners Solutions to the toxic drug crisis requires an all-hands approach, and we are incredibly thankful to our partners, program supporters, Indigenous partners and industry stakeholders so see the value in our programming. We thank you for your continued support of the Tailgate Toolkit and your commitment to building a safer, healthier construction industry in British Columbia.