National Day of Mourning: 190 Ontario workplace deaths
James Mulhern, president of the Lindsay and District Labour Council, raised the National Day of Mourning flag on April 28 in Victoria Park in Lindsay.
There were 190 deaths in workplaces in Ontario last year, with more than 257,000 registered claims for workplace injuries, according to a press release from the local labour council.
There will be a number of virtual gatherings happening across the country to align with public health directives that are keeping essential workers safe through the COVID-19 crisis.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and work,” says a press release. This year, more than ever before, it is important to highlight the rights every worker has to protect themselves.”
One workplace death is too many, all deaths, accidents, illness from occupational hazards are preventive. No worker should be dying for the job. On April 28 we mourn the dead but we fight for the living. The global COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live and work. While everyone is affected by the crisis, workers are on the front line. Many are doing critical work without the protections they need to keep themselves safe. Many workers have been deemed essential and go to work every day so that others can stay home as we all do everything we can to stop the pandemic. We owe it to all workers to make sure they have the protections and supports to work safely. COVID-19 doesn’t mean we weaken those rights- it means we strengthen them.