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Expanding supports for tradespeople living with chronic pain

Press Release

April 21, 2026

VICTORIA –

Summary

  • A new confidential text line connects tradespeople with trained staff to talk about how pain is affecting their lives so they can start building a plan to reduce its effects on their well-being
  • The Guide Line provides tools, emotional support and links to resources, including counselling, pain programs, and mental-health and substance use supports
  • The Guide Line operates Monday to Thursday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
  • People can text TRADES to 1-833-261-PAIN (7246) for support

People in trades who are living with chronic pain will have better access to supports, as the Province, with Pain BC, launches a new service to help with pain management.

“Chronic pain can have a huge impact on a person’s life and too many choose to suffer in silence or avoid reaching out for help,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “With the Guide Line, it takes just a text message for a tradesperson to connect to support to help them work through chronic pain. It’s about helping people connect to care quickly as we continue to build out a co-ordinated system of mental-health and substance-use care.”

One text message can connect people to care

The Guide Line, launched by Pain BC, connects tradespeople with trained staff to talk about how pain is affecting their lives so they can start building a plan to reduce its effects on their well-being. The free and confidential service connects tradespeople, as well as family, caregivers and loved ones, to a number of services, including:

  • support for chronic pain, such as emotional support, free or low-cost counselling and pain programs, information about pain clinics, and help people understand what services are available and how to access them, as well as referrals to community supports throughout B.C.
  • mental-health tools and services, such as help finding a counsellor and information about managing anxiety, depression or stress
  • substance-use and addiction resources, including ways to reduce risk and access harm-reduction tools, peer-led support groups and resources specific to substance use in the trades

Connecting people to care to save lives

Government is investing $1.8 million for Pain BC to ensure tradespeople living with pain receive the support they need. In addition to the Guide Line, the investment will support the development of customized pain support and wellness peer-support groups, as well as tailored education to ensure workers in chronic pain have accessible support and employers are aware of the impact and influence of pain on trades workers.

“The physical demands of the trades industry mean this workforce carries a disproportionate amount of chronic pain with almost no dedicated support,” said Maria Hudspith, CEO, Pain BC. “For too long, they have lived with pain in silence. We’ve launched the Guide Line to ensure that no tradesperson has to manage the impacts of pain alone.”

According to the BC Coroners Service, in 2025, 69% of people dying from toxic drugs were ages 30 to 59, and 77% were male. In addition, 21% of those who died were in the trades, transport or equipment operators’ industry. According to the British Columbia Construction Association, 95% of people working in the trades in B.C are men.

Expanding supports for people living with chronic pain, and adding mental-health and substance-use supports for people in trades is part of government’s work to build a comprehensive system of mental-health and substance-use care. This includes more than 3,785 publicly funded beds that support people with addictions, of which more than 829 treatment and recovery beds are new since 2017, launching the Opioid Treatment Access Line, opening Foundry youth centres, First Nations healing facilities and building thousands of supportive-housing units.

Quotes:

Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions –

”People in trades who live with chronic pain may hesitate to reach out or may struggle with accessing supports that fit their specific needs. The Guide Line will help tradespeople get free, confidential and fast access to services when they are ready to reach out for help on their journey to wellness.”

Ben Marsolais, trades and pain advisory committee member, Pain BC –

“The trades workforce has a culture of pushing through pain and staying silent about it. That’s not toughness, that’s a crisis. This campaign is sounding the alarm about the need to challenge a culture where pain is too often dismissed, hidden or pushed through. Workers deserve support that takes their pain seriously.”

Learn More:

Contact:

Ministry of Health
Media Relations
250-952-1887

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