Tradespeople in British Columbia living with chronic pain will have access to new supports through a text-based service launched by the provincial government in partnership with Pain BC.

Health Minister Josie Osborne said the program, known as the Guide Line, is designed to make it easier for workers to seek help.

“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,” Osborne said in a statement. “With the Guide Line, it takes just a text message for a tradesperson to connect to support to help them work through chronic pain.”

The free and confidential service connects users with trained staff who provide guidance on managing chronic pain and its effects. It also offers referrals to counselling, pain programs and clinics, as well as community-based supports across the province.

In addition to pain management, the service provides access to mental-health resources, including help finding counsellors and tools for managing anxiety, depression and stress. It also connects users to substance-use and addiction supports, such as harm-reduction services and peer-led groups tailored to people in the trades.

The province is investing $1.8 million in the initiative, which will also fund the development of peer-support groups and educational resources aimed at both workers and employers.

Maria Hudspith, chief executive officer of Pain BC, said the physically demanding nature of trades work leaves many workers dealing with chronic pain without adequate support.

“For too long, they have lived with pain in silence,” Hudspith said. “We’ve launched the Guide Line to ensure that no tradesperson has to manage the impacts of pain alone.”

Data from the BC Coroners Service shows that in 2025, 69 per cent of those who died from toxic drugs were between the ages of 30 and 59, and 77 per cent were men. The agency also reported that 21 per cent of those deaths involved people working in trades, transport or equipment operation.

The British Columbia Construction Association says men make up 95 per cent of the province’s trades workforce.

The province says the new service is part of broader efforts to expand mental-health and substance-use care, including thousands of publicly funded treatment and recovery beds, youth services and supportive housing across British Columbia.