Chris Vilness never imagined he would become a public voice for workplace safety. But in July 2021, his world changed forever when his 23-year-old son, Cailen Vilness, was killed in one of British Columbia’s most devastating workplace tragedies—the collapse of a tower crane in downtown Kelowna.
Cailen was one of five lives lost that day. The crane was in the process of being dismantled when it suddenly toppled, killing four construction workers and one office worker in a nearby building. The shock of the collapse reverberated through the community—and left families shattered.
“You just re-live that forever,” Chris later said. “And then you kind of become numb to it all.”
Cailen was working for a subcontractor on the site. He was a bright, hardworking young man with a promising future. What haunts Chris most is that his son was given minimal and very basic training before participating in the highly complex process of crane dismantling.
“Cailen had no proper training before he went out there to dismantle the crane,” Chris shared. “Who is responsible to decide he was competent enough to be doing that job?”
Since the accident, Chris has stepped into a deeply personal form of advocacy. He’s spoken out in media interviews, pushed for answers and accountability, and joined others in calling for more stringent safety training and oversight in construction. “This industry can’t be a free-for-all,” he said. “Five people passed away, including my son Cailen, due to a lack of training. This industry must be properly regulated.”
He has also called for the full release of investigation reports to help prevent similar tragedies from happening again. “I want to understand who is responsible for making the decisions that were made that day,” Chris said. “I want to know the technical mishaps that caused that tower to collapse.”
For Chris, the Day of Mourning is not just a symbolic date. It’s a chance to honour Cailen’s memory and to speak on behalf of families who never imagined they’d be part of such a story. It’s a reminder that behind every workplace fatality is a person—and the people who loved them.
As he continues his quiet but powerful work in Cailen’s memory, Chris hopes that greater awareness, better training, and stronger safety culture will become a lasting legacy—not just for his son, but for all those who never made it home.