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Above, family members hold portraits of<br />
Sukhvinder Kaur Punia, Amarjit Kaur Bal, and<br />
Sarbjit Kaur Sidhu.<br />
families were devastated by the accident<br />
and the loss of their mothers, wives,<br />
daughters, sisters, aunts, and cousins.<br />
But even in the midst of their grief, the<br />
families stated they wanted one thing<br />
and that was justice. With the assistance<br />
of the Federation of Labour the<br />
families lobbied for regular inspections<br />
of farmworker vans as well as for an<br />
immediate inquest into the accident.<br />
The families have made significant<br />
strides in their quest to bring awareness<br />
to the working conditions of Canadian<br />
farmworkers. We hope that this artwork<br />
will serve as a symbol of their strength,<br />
love, and determination, as well as a lasting<br />
reminder of the need for meaningful<br />
change. We are deeply honoured to have<br />
been involved.<br />
—Dean and Christina Lauzé, artists, D’arts<br />
Following the inquest, the BC coroner’s<br />
office delivered 18 recommendations,<br />
including the need for regular and<br />
mandatory van inspections conducted by<br />
the Ministry of Transportation, instead<br />
of private companies. Initially, the driver<br />
of the van and RHA Enterprises, the<br />
company that owned the van, faced<br />
eight commercially related charges. The<br />
crown dropped six of them. In the end,<br />
the driver was fined a mere $2,000 and<br />
prohibited from driving for one year.<br />
The police had recommended 29 criminal<br />
charges, however the Crown did not<br />
act on any of the recommendations.<br />
Inspections are still done by the<br />
private sector. Not all of the coroner’s<br />
recommendations are yet in force either.<br />
Although the Golden Tree can never<br />
replace the women whose lives were lost,<br />
its presence is a beautiful reminder of the<br />
collective determination of the labour<br />
movement, communities, and families<br />
to improve both the safety and working<br />
conditions for all BC farmworkers.<br />
Besides her accomplishments as an artist,<br />
Christina Lauze teaches in Mission, and<br />
is a proud BCTF member who attended<br />
her first BCTF AGM last year. The BCTF<br />
donated $1,000 to the building of the<br />
Golden Tree.<br />
November/December 2015 TEACHER 15
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