April 28 is the national Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured while on the job

United Steelworkers Local 6166 in Thompson joins other unions, labour organizations and Canadians in general in remembering and honouring the memory of those killed or hurt while at work on the national Day of Mourning April 28.

A nationally recognized date since the Canadian Parliament passed the Workers Mourning Day Act in 1991, eight years after day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the national Day of Mourning is usually recognized by flying flags at half-mast or observing a moment of silence at 11 a.m. 

Since being established in Canada, the date has been recognized in more than 100 countries and is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day and as International Workers’ Memorial Day by the International Labour Organization and the International Trade Union Confederation.

In addition to being a day to remember workers who were hurt and killed, April 28 is also an opportunity for Canadians to collectively renew their commitment to improving health and safety in the workforce to prevent more tragedies.

The Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada says that 925 workplace fatalities were recorded across the country in 2019, with 882 of those being male workers and 29 of them young workers aged 15 to 24. That same year, there were 271,806 accepted workplace injury claims in Canada, including 33,615 that affected workers between 15 and 24 years of age.