National Day of Mourning: a Time to Remember and Fight for Safer Workplaces
The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL) and workers across the province will gather on April 28 to mark the National Day of Mourning. In 2024, WCB statistics show that 20 workers in our province died due to workplace illnesses or injuries, said NSFL President Danny Cavanagh. These numbers represent real people and the families, friends, and co-workers who are left to mourn their loss.
Today and every day, we remind ourselves to keep fighting for strong safety laws, healthy workplaces, and accountability for employers and governments. Even one death at work is too many. Everyone deserves to work safely and return home at the end of their shift. Governments must do more to make this happen, Cavanagh added.
The NSFL continues to call for:
- Employers to provide safer workplaces.
- The government should create effective prevention strategies, enforce strong laws, and ensure those laws are followed.
- Transparency in health and safety records. Employees’ health and safety records are often kept private, but programs like Ontario’s” Check” allow the public to see businesses’ safety records.
- Better enforcement of the Westray Act to hold employers criminally responsible if a worker dies or is seriously injured because of negligence.
Cavanagh will speak at the NSFL Day of Mourning Ceremony on Monday, April 28, at the Nova Scotia Legislature (Province House) outside the grounds at 11:00 a.m. There will be a Wreath-laying after the ceremony.
He will also speak at the Pictou County Injured Workers’ Ceremony at 6 p.m. at Steeltown Park, 119 Park St, Trenton, N.S.
There will also be a Ceremony at Kentville Memorial Park at the Workers ‘ Memorial Stone Monument on April 28, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., with a wreath-laying followed by a reception at the District Labour Council Office at 362 Main St Kentville.
