The British Columbia government has appointed Richard Grounds to a three-year term as chair of the Skilled Trades BC Appeal Board, effective Aug. 18, according to the Ministry of Attorney General.
The board provides an independent forum where decisions made by Skilled Trades BC can be appealed, the ministry said Friday. Skilled Trades BC is the Crown corporation that leads the province’s skilled trades system and works with employers and training providers to issue credentials and manage apprenticeships.
Legal background and tribunal experience
Grounds has been a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 1998 and served on the appeals board since 2018, according to the ministry. He previously worked in the forestry and construction industries before beginning his legal career as a federal and provincial Crown prosecutor.
For the past 23 years, Grounds has worked as an independent lawyer focusing on private workplace investigations and adjudication work for B.C. and federal tribunals, the ministry said. He currently serves as a member of the British Columbia Employment Standards Tribunal and previously sat on the British Columbia Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal.
Appeal board operations
The appeals board reports to the attorney general and receives support from the ministry’s tribunal and agency support division, which handles operations for the tribunal sector and independent offices, according to the ministry.
The government said Grounds was selected through a merit-based recruitment process that included a written assignment and panel interview before his recommendation to the attorney general and confirmation through an order-in-council.
Skilled Trades BC works with employers, employees, industry, labour and training providers to set program standards and create opportunities in the trades, the ministry said.
