Every day Canadians go to work to provide for their families. Unknown to many is that every year approximately 1,000 people don’t get to go home.
In Kingston, a national day of mourning ceremony echoed the sentiments that the battle for a safe work environment and companies taking responsibility begins with the voice of the people.
“The labour movement does work all year in making sure that we’re advocating for workers,” Briana Broderick, president of the Kingston and District Labour Council said. “We’re advocating for injured workers and those in unions and those out of unions as well.”
Broderick added today is also “about remembering the families.”
This is the first National Day of Mourning since the tragic events of December 14, when a helicopter crash near Tweed took the lives of four Hydro One workers.
On Thursday, Hydro One held Day of Mourning events across the province, including a special ceremony near the Tweed crash site, where monuments were placed in memory of the four workers who died.
“We will always remember James, Jeff, Darcy and Kyle and they will always hold a special place in our hearts,” Hydro One chief operating officer, Greg Kiraly said in an email to CKWS TV. “We continue to support their families and our employees as they grieve the loss of their loved ones and teammates.”
But Broderick believes employers need to be more proactive than reactive — to ensure safety in the workplace.
“But I think it’s important to remember that it’s not just when tragedy hits close to home that we have to act. It’s all the time.”