Show Your Support on April 28: National Day of Mourning

April 25, 2018 – Hamilton, ON – Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

On April 28 the flags on Parliament Hill will fly at half-mast to commemorate the National Day of Mourning. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), along with organizations around the world, will remember those who died, were injured, or made ill from their work. It will also be a day for organizations and individuals alike to reflect on how we can prevent further workplace tragedies in our country.

Employers and workers will observe the National Day of Mourning in a variety of ways. Some will attend ceremonies, light candles, lay wreaths, wear commemorative pins, ribbons or black armbands, and pause for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m.

In an effort to create a concerted show of support for Day of Mourning on social media channels, CCOHS has invited people to join their Thunderclap, which will send a single message that will be mass-shared, simultaneously, through the accounts of those who sign up.

More information about the National Day of Mourning, the Thunderclap campaign, and other free resources to help promote awareness in the workplace of this important day, can be found on the CCOHS website.

Quotes

“On this day we honour and remember those whose lives have been cut short or forever altered simply by going to work. Our thoughts are also with the families and loved ones whose lives have been forever changed by these workplace tragedies, most of which were preventable. One injury or life lost is one too many. And the most fundamental right of workers in Canada is to return home from the job, safe and sound.”

- Anne Tennier, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

Quick Facts

  • In 2016, 905 workplace deaths were recorded in Canada, including the deaths of 6 young workers aged 15-19; and another 20 workers aged 20-24.
  • During the same period, 241,508 claims were accepted for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 29,588 from workers aged 15-24.
  • Statistics source: Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC).
  • In 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act making April 28 an official Day of Mourning.
  • The Day of Mourning has since spread around the world and is recognized as Workers’ Memorial Day and as International Workers' Memorial Day by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

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