The North Simcoe Muskoka & District Labour Council (NSMDLC) was among dozens of workers, unions, local government officials, and impacted families who held a brief and solemn ceremony at Tudhope Park in Orillia on Sunday to mark the Workers’ Day of Mourning. The Day of Mourning, marked across Canada and the world, is a day to remember workers who have been killed or seriously injured while at work.
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac was on hand to share a few words about the importance of workplace safety, and to reiterate the value in taking the time to remember workers who did not return home from their jobs due to injury. Orillia councillors Jay Fallis and Jeff Czetwerzuk were also in attendance to show their concern and support for safe workplaces. NSMDLC President Mike De Rose spoke at the event as well, focusing some of his remarks on the vulnerable populations which are more likely to be injured or killed on the job.
“We want to acknowledge that workplace accidents happen to every segment of the population. Every colour. Every creed,” said De Rose, “But they happen most often to the most vulnerable among us. They happen more often to workers in precarious jobs. They happen more often to workers who do not get paid sick days.They happen more often to workers of colour, workers whose first language isn’t English or French, or other marginalized workers. Workplace accidents happen more frequently to workers who are not unionized.
The statistics are stubbornly persistent over time, with the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) reporting that well over 200 deaths being recorded every year over the past 5 years in Ontario. The NSMDLC and local labour activists continue to call for increased mandatory and ongoing training and paid sick days for all workers, no matter their employment status or sector.
The NSMDLC has offered free or low cost Health & Safety Training to all workers in the region over the course of the last few years, and has seen an increase in uptake, especially among young workers and those who work in precarious or part-time work, including the gig economy.
“Not only is physical health an ever-present concern,” shared De Rose, “But mental health and wellness is growing widely, particularly in our public sectors like Education and Health Care, where government underfunding, and chronic understaffing are pushing the existing workforce to their limits. We continue to call on people to join our call to the Ford Government to do more in terms of Helath & Safety in the workplace and adequate funding for services to ensure jobs are done as safely as possible.”
The Day of Mourning Act, which was championed by worker advocacy groups, unions, and the NDP, became an official Federally marked day in 1991. In 2017, The NSMDLC erected a monument in Tudhope Park to keep worker health and safety front of mind for all workers, no matter the day of the year.
