National Day of Mourning ceremonies move online
The COVID-19 pandemic has again moved ceremonies for the National Day of Mourning into the virtual world.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is one of several organizations planning to host a virtual event to commemorate tomorrow’s occasion. Participating are WSIB chair Elizabeth Witmer, acting president and CEO Tom Bell, Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton, and Virginia Campeau, who will speak on behalf of Threads of Life, the Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support.
The WSIB normally hosts its ceremony in person at Toronto’s Simcoe Place.
The National Day of Mourning, which is also known as Workers’ Memorial Day, is officially recognized in nearly 100 countries worldwide. In Canada, flags on Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park fly at half-mast. Ceremonies and a moment of silence are held across the country to honour those who died, were injured or suffered illnesses in the workplace.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has listed a series of resources to promote the occasion, including podcast interviews with Threads of Life speakers.
The most recent data from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada shows that in 2019, 925 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada. This is a small decrease from the previous year. The fatalities were mostly (95 percent) male workers, and included 29 workers aged 15–24.
There were also 271,806 accepted claims (an increase from 264,438 the previous year) for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 33,615 from workers aged 15-24. As these statistics include only what is reported and accepted by the compensation boards, the total number of workers impacted is likely greater.
“One death is one too many. It's for this reason we look to strengthening our resolve to create safe workplaces and protect workers,” said CCOHS president and CEO Anne Tennier. “Behind every workplace death and injury are family members, friends, co-workers and loved ones whose lives are deeply impacted and changed forever.”
The Canadian Labour Congress has published a comprehensive list of virtual ceremonies on its website.