EDMONTON, AB – Today marks International Women’s Day, and Building Trades of Alberta along with Build Together: Women of the Building Trades of Alberta, have launched Supporting Working Parents, a campaign that aims to bring labour, government and industry together to help tackle the unique challenges skilled trades workers face in finding affordable, accessible and quality childcare.

“If you don’t have childcare you don’t go to work, it’s that simple; and while we know childcare is not just a women’s issue – it affects all genders, families, the economy, industry and more – women are disproportionally impacted by a lack of affordable, accessible and quality childcare. In the skilled trades, that leaves many having to choose between a career and having a family. That’s not right,” said Chair of Build Together: Women of the Building Trades of Alberta, Alanna Marklund.

BTA’s Director of Communications and Relations Tyler Bedford said thousands working in the skilled trades have had to make this decision.

“This has done harm not only to individuals and parents working in the trades, but to the industries that rely on them also. We’re at a point again where demand for skilled trades labour is rapidly increasing and it’s far past time we get creative on removing roadblocks to rewarding trades careers, this includes finding solutions to childcare barriers and doing more to support working parents.”

BTA and Build Together: Women of the Building Trades of Alberta encourage folks to visit the campaign at www.supportingworkingparents.ca to learn more about the childcare issues facing skilled trades workers, and to review the comprehensive report, which outlines the problems and solutions to this challenge.

“We look forward to presenting this report to decision makers and working toward real results, shortly,” said Marklund.

Building Trades of Alberta proudly represents more than 60,000 members from 18 Alberta union locals across the province.

Build Together, Women of the Building Trades of Alberta’s mission is to attract and retain more women, youth, Indigenous, new Canadians and other underrepresented groups to the unionized skilled trades in Alberta.

30

For more information:

Tyler Bedford, BTA Director of Communications and Relations: tbedford@bta.ca