Message From Our Board Chair

In 2025, British Columbians experienced yet another year of significant change. Economic uncertainty and rapid technological advancements created increasingly complex conditions and heightened technical safety risks across the province.

Throughout this, Technical Safety BC’s resilience, sound governance, and steadfast commitment to safety helped navigate these challenges.

As a governance Board, our responsibility is to ensure transparent operations, prudent financial stewardship, and strong oversight that supports the organization’s aspiration to build confidence in a safety system that improves the well-being of British Columbians. With the province’s population and infrastructure continuing to grow and age, Technical Safety BC’s regulatory responsibilities have also grown and become more complex. In response, we have provided guidance to help identify, assess, mitigate, and oversee the heightened risks that accompany rapid growth.

This work is reinforced by the organization’s investment in a multi-year business transformation initiative to evolve and scale our digital capabilities. In 2025, the Board provided governance for a strategic reset of the transformation program that addresses the risks inherent in such a large-scale endeavour. We also oversaw progress in data governance and the development of responsible artificial intelligence (AI) policies and strategy, reflecting our commitment to strong governance of emerging technologies.

Our commitment extends beyond strategic oversight to a broader focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities, including meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities. To better understand technical safety equity for Indigenous Nations, Technical Safety BC began conducting analysis of permit and incident data to learn about Indigenous communities’ connections to the safety system. This information can be used to support and guide our operations work, advance our reconciliation strategy, and serve as a starting point for relationship-building.

Strong leadership is central to our success. I am confident in the guidance of this Board, the proven capability of our Executive team, and the resilience and dedication of everyone in the organization. Building on this strength, we welcomed John Bell to the Board in 2025. His extensive knowledge of the housing sector will be invaluable as we advance our strategy. I would also like to thank departing Board members Ivan Limpright and Michael Wrinch for their service and contributions to a safer British Columbia.

Thank you to our employees, clients, and safety partners for your trust and collaboration. Our shared commitment to the safety of British Columbians unites us. We truly are safer together.

A comprehensive overview of our efforts is available in our 2025 State of Safety report.

George Abbott
Chair of the Board