Nearly 1,000 Canadians died on the job in 2022.
And on Sunday, April 28, they and others who have lost their lives in the workplace will be remembered on the annual Workers Day of Mourning.
The New Westminster and District Labour Council (NWDLC), which serves the Tri-Cities, along with the City of New Westminster will co-host a ceremony at 11 a.m. at Westminster Pier Park to pay tribute to lost and injured workers.
They will also call attention to the Canadian Labour Congress’ "Safe Work Now!" campaign to demand police and lawyers get the right training to enforce legislation to make workplaces safe.
It is also calling on government agencies like WorkSafeBC to do inspection blitzes to uncover safety violations and hold employers accountable.
Sunday’s ceremony comes after Coquitlam’s council in committee on Monday, April 22, heard from Candace Knoll, a Coquitlam resident, NWDLC delegate and retired United Steelworkers Local 1944 member, who spoke about workplace safety.
Knoll said the 2022 deaths “are just the tip of the iceberg because they only include the fatalities accepted by the workers compensation system.”
That year, she said, WorkSafeBC recorded 3.99 million days off work by B.C. residents due to work-related incidents and disease.
“Work shouldn’t hurt and work shouldn’t kill,” Knoll said before asking the committee to observe a moment of silence (Coun. Dennis Marsden was not present).
Mayor Richard Stewart, who sustained a workplace injury as a young man, said workplace dangers exist every day and he cited the murder of a police officer in Coquitlam’s City Centre last September.
The Day of Mourning, he said, “is an important reminder every year of what’s at stake.”
Port Coquitlam proclamation
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, April 23, Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West and city council proclaimed April 28 as “Day of Mourning in Port Coquitlam” before NWDLC delegate and Port Coquitlam resident Josh Towsley took the stand. (Coun. Dean Washington did not attend the meeting.)
Towsley, of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115, said his group is sounding the alarm about tower crane accidents: Three years ago, one incident took the lives of construction workers Patrick and Eric Stemmer, Jared Zook, Cailen Vilness and Brad Zawislak; a memorial in Kelowna is planned. One criminal charge has been recommended by police.
“We still haven’t taken the necessary steps to improve safety in and around tower cranes,” Towsley said. “Our province missed an important opportunity to become the leaders in tower crane safety across Canada following that incident.”
Towsley also highlighted that 2024 marks the 20th year since legislation was passed following the Westray mine explosion in 1992 when 26 men were killed.
West, whose father died on the job in Vancouver, said he visited the Westray site and the “scars that that tragedy has left on that community are still deeply, deeply felt,” he said.
The NWDLC represents more than 65,000 affiliated union members in 14 municipalities in the Lower Mainland.
Below, Port Coquitlam’s proclamation:
WHEREAS: Every year, more than 1,000 Canadian workers are killed on the job;
and WHEREAS: Thousands more are permanently disabled and hundreds are injured;
and WHEREAS: Thousands of others die from cancer, lung disease, and other aliments caused by exposure to toxic substances at their workplaces;
and WHEREAS: April 28 of each year has been chosen by the Canadian Labour Congress as:
- a Day of Mourning for these victims of workplace accidents and disease;
- a day to remember the maximum sacrifice they have been forced to make in order to earn a living;
- a day to renew approaches to governments for tougher occupational health and safety standards, and more effective Compensation;
- a day to rededicate ourselves to the goal of making Canada’s workplaces safer.
- WHEREAS: April 28th was proclaimed a “Day of Mourning” by an Act of Parliament of February 1st, 1991.
NOW THEREFORE: I, Brad West, Mayor of the Corporation of the City of Port Coquitlam, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM April 28, 2024 as “DAY OF MOURNING IN PORT COQUITLAM.”
