Photo: Wayne Moore

SRI Homes sign at facility on 9500 Jim Bailey Rd.

Employees at SRI Homes are still reeling after the company abruptly announced they are closing up shop in June.

"I can barely afford my bills, so I'm really stressed out about what I'm going to do," says Taryn Carlson, who has worked at SRI Homes for the past eight years.

Carlson says more than 150 employees were gathered at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 22 and told the company is closing its doors.

"When they had the crew meeting... there was no counselling, no help for the members, but they did have security in the parking lot," says Pat McGregor, president of United Steel Workers Union Local 1-423, who represents SRI workers.

SRI Homes general manager Darren Bassett says conditions beyond the company’s control as well as an increase in operating costs, led to the company's demise.

Bassett says future modular homes will continue to be built by affiliated companies like SRI Regent in Lethbridge, AB or Moduline Industries in Penticton, B.C.

McGregor says he feels there was a concerted effort to move operations away from the Lake Country facility and the union has been working without a contract for the past year, despite a brief one-day walkout in February.

"We've been at it a year, and we weren't getting anywhere. It was kind of a telltale sign. But you know, at the end of the day, that place has been productive for a lot of years, it's hard to think that all sudden things went down the toilet," says McGregor.

McGregor says he's seeing much of the work done at the Lake Country operation, moving south and east.

"We're kind of devastated. It's just not something that anybody should have to go through. I think the business is still viable, but according to them, they're losing money."

The union will continue to work with the company as they wind down operations, "there's just a lot of work ahead of us as they work through the shutdown. Unfortunately, I've been a part of a few shutdowns in the forest industry, so there's still a lot of work to be done," McGregor says.

SRI Homes has also been the subject of WorkSafeBC investigations for potential workplace safety violations.

WorkSafeBC inspected SRI Homes on Jim Bailey Road on Dec. 6, 2023, after receiving reports of potential mould concerns and exposure for its employees and management. SRI Homes was voluntarily shut down from Dec. 26 to Jan. 22, 2023, so any potential exposure for staff and management has been limited.

"It's just difficult on everybody involved, including us, and there's a lot of good people out there, and it really sucks that this is what came of it," says McGregor.

SRI will no longer be supplying homes from its Lake Country facility with the exception of those already scheduled.

Carlson says at the moment there are only 30 homes waiting to be built, that number is typically much closer to 70.

"That's very low for a good run rate. We like 75 homes at least," Carlson says.