Across Canada, April 28 has been designated the Day of Mourning. This day provides an opportunity for workers, families, employers, and communities to come together at ceremonies held around the province to remember those who have lost their lives to work-related incidents or occupational disease, and renew our commitment to creating healthy and safe workplaces.
This year, WorkSafeBC, the B.C. Federation of Labour, and the Business Council of British Columbia will co-host a public ceremony in Vancouver to honour the occasion on Tuesday, April 28, at the Hastings Park Centre Grounds at 10:30 am. For more details about the ceremony click here. Last year, 144 B.C. workers died as a result of workplace incidents and diseases, and many more were injured or became ill.
Over 1,000 workers are killed across Canada every year for simply trying to make a living to support their families. The number of people killed at work each year in Canada has risen for the past 15 years. In addition to workers killed at work, there are many others where the death goes unreported if they die of a disease unrecognized as an occupational disease. This Day of Mourning is the time for all of us — as workers and employers — to talk openly, honestly, and positively about what we can do together to make our job-sites safer, to improve training for new staff, and to ensure that everyone at work looks out for the safety of everyone else.
United Way British Columbia and the Labour movement have a strong partnership and work together to advocate for living wages and safe working conditions, among other issues. A caring community is built together – on April 28 we encourage our community to gather together to mourn for the dead and continue to work with us to fight for the living.
To learn more about the United Way and Labour partnership, click here.
Topics : Labour