THE B.C. Liberals said on Friday that after months of refusing to use WorkSafeBC surplus funding to help workers and businesses buy much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE), it’s been discovered what the NDP has chosen to spend that money on instead: hoodies, tote bags and stainless steel water bottles.

“To say this is an absolute gross mismanagement of funds is an understatement,” said BC Liberal Labour Critic John Martin. “The NDP Minister of Labour Harry Bains said just a few months ago that WorkSafeBC didn’t have any money to help buy masks, gloves and other PPE for workers, but they somehow found the means to buy a bunch of swag with the company logo on it? Every worker who has contributed their hard-earned money to WorkSafeBC should be outraged.”

The request for proposal is currently listed on the BCBids website and has been up since August 4. Some of the items include stress balls, microfleece hoodies, soft-shell jackets, tote bags, ball caps, stainless steel water bottles, among others.

“Andrew Wilkinson asked John Horgan on May 12 to use some of WorkSafeBC’s nearly $2 billion surplus to help businesses and workers with PPE and we were shocked to hear Harry Bains say that money was gone,” said Martin. “We never thought the NDP would be so disrespectful to the hard working people of British Columbia by pulling a stunt like this. What do they need any of this merchandise for, anyway? In a time where people are out of work, parents are terrified to send their kids to school and COVID-19 case numbers are on the rise, it is very telling just how little the NDP cares about people when they think this is a good idea.”