Today, April 28, marks the National Day of Mourning across Canada.
More than two dozen people gathered in the atrium of the Civic Centre on Friday morning to conduct a brief ceremony and hold a moment of silence in observance of the Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured in workplace accidents.
Denise Lidster, manager of occupational safety for the municipality, spoke of the origin of the day.
Although the day of mourning began in 1984 it didn’t become a national observance until 1990. It is now observed in more than 80 countries.
She noted that 951 workers died in Canada in 2017 and urged everyone to “speak up for safety.”
Mayor Darrin Canniff said in addition to fatalities thousands more people are injured each year.
He stressed that injuries happen at home as well as at work and urged vigilance everywhere.
Chatham-Kent’s General Manager of Corporate Services Cathy Hoffman confirmed the municipality’s commitment to work with all employees to create a safer workplace and thanked those whose efforts help create a safe workplace.
Chatham-Kent Councillors Anthony Ceccacci, Amy Finn and Karen Kirkwood-Whyte also attended the ceremony.
The flags at municipal locations across Chatham-Kent were lowered in remembrance of the victims of workplace deaths or injuries.
