This is the propose permanent memorial to be built in Knowles Park.
Image Credit: Submitted/North Okanagan Labour Council
July 11, 2024 - 4:34 PM
Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the crane tower collapse that killed five people in downtown Kelowna, and the money for their memorial has been secured.
Mission Group, the developer whose site had the fatal crane collapse, and the City of Kelowna have helped secure the $310,000 needed for the memorial, according to a press release from the city.
The Rise Memorial will honour the five people who died in the collapse: Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, Eric and Patrick Stemmer and Brad Zawislak.
The tragedy occurred in July 2021 when a tower crane at the Mission Group’s Brooklyn Highrise in downtown Kelowna collapsed as it was being dismantled. Numerous lawsuits were filed in relation to the collapse, including against the crane manufacturer Liebherr Canada.
The North Okanagan Labour Council organized an online community fundraiser that gathered $160,000 and the Rise Memorial Foundation applied for $150,000 in grants to cover the rest of the memorial.
READ MORE: 'Dangerous defect': Construction firm in deadly Kelowna crane collapse suing manufacturer
The City and Mission Group have agreed to put up the $150,000 if the grant money is denied so construction of the memorial can begin as soon as possible. The memorial has been two years in the making as cost estimates have fluctuated and it has taken time to gather the money.
“With rising labour and material costs, the City understands that the foundation recently announced a potential funding shortfall, which is delaying the start of construction,” Kelowna’s mayor Tom Dyas said in the release.
“We are inspired by the community’s fundraising success over this last year, which raised over $160,000 towards the memorial’s construction. This contingency funding will ensure that the project can commence without delay.”
The memorial will be built in Knowles Heritage Park to commemorate the lives lost, and highlight the importance of worker safety. It will include seating, pollinator gardens.
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