This is not a typical Day of Mourning in the Okanagan.
A crowd usually gathers at Kelowna’s Ben Lee Park to hear from speakers and remember those who have died or been hurt as the result of injuries or illness related to their work.
However, physical distancing measures designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus have made that type of memorial impossible this year.
Instead a video marking the day is being released online.
Ian Gordon, head of the North Okanagan Labour Council, said he will be taking the day “to remember all those workers that have paid the price for going to work and getting injured.”
The COVID-19 crisis, Gordon says, has put an even greater emphasis on personal safety at work.
Last year, 140 people in B.C. were killed on the job or died from illnesses or injuries related to their work.
Gordon hopes a focus on workplace safety can prevent workplace-related COVID-19 deaths from driving that number up this year.
A video marking the Day of Mourning in British Columbia will be released Tuesday morning at dayofmourning.bc.ca