Day of Mourning held to remember workers

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On April 28, people across Saskatchewan took time to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job. During the past year, 20 workers were killed, while 25 workers lost their life due to injuries sustained at work during the previous year.

The Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the Job is held each year to help increase public awareness of the number work related injuries and deaths that occur, and to promote ways to prevent them from happening in the future.

As part of this year's Day of Mourning remembrances, provincial Labour Minister Deb Higgins stood up in the provincial legislature and read the names of the 20 workers who lost their lives over the past year into the official record.

"Across Canada, almost three workers a day die on the job and more than one million workers are injured every year. Today is a day to mourn, and a day to remember-a day to mourn all the people who have given their lives to the building of our communities, our province, and our nation," Higgins said.

"Today our thoughts and prayers are with all family members who have suffered the death of a loved one at work. We can never turn back time and make it possible for those mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers to come home again. But we can work to prevent other families from having to endure such anguish by renewing our efforts to do everything humanely possible to reduce workplace injuries and deaths."

Saskatchewan was the first Canadian province to observe the Day of Mourning, back in 1988. The first ever Day of Mourning in Canada took place in 1984, when the Canadian Labour Congress declared a day of remembrance. The date, April 28, was selected to mark the anniversary of the passing of Canada's first comprehensive Worker's Compensation Act. The first national Day of Mourning was held in 1991, and the day became an international observance in 1996. Currently, almost 100 countries set the day aside to remember workers who have been killed or injured on the job.