April 26, 2023 at 11:35 AM
Marked annually in Canada on April 28, the National Day of Mourning is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives, suffered injury or illness on the job, or experienced a work-related tragedy.
According to the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC), in 2021,
there were 1,081 workplace fatalities recorded in Canada, which:
- Male workers: 1,009
- Female workers: 72
- Young workers (aged 15-24): 18
In addition to these fatalities, there were:
- Worker compensation claims accepted: 277,217
- Worker compensation claims for young workers (aged 15-24) accepted: 34,548
- An increase of 23,820 lost time due to a work-related injury or disease from 2020.
One must remember that these statistics only include the lost time that was reported and accepted by compensation boards. If all injuries were recorded, the number of workers impacted would be even greater.
Beyond the statistics, with each worker tragedy, there are loved ones, family members, friends and co-workers who are directly affected, left behind, and deeply impacted – their lives are also forever changed.
On April 28th, please take a moment to remember workers who have died, were injured, or became ill from their job and commit to protecting workers and preventing further workplace tragedies.
Thank you.
In Solidarity,
Sylvie Schmitt - Unifor 2002 National Health and Safety Coordinator
Manon Boucher - National Health and Safety Coordinator - Jazz Aviation Customer and Aircraft
Jeff Decker - National Health and Safety Coordinator - Jazz Technical Services
Anees Munshi - National Health and Safety Coordinator - Jazz Aviation Line Technical Services