The Welland Tribune

Fallen workers to be remembered Friday

- ALLAN BENNER

While rememberin­g tragedies of the past, Niagara labour representa­tives are continuing to demand that those tragedies are not repeated.

In recognitio­n of the National Day of Mourning for Workers, Friday, representa­tives of the Niagara Regional Labour Council as well as labour and political leaders will travel throughout much of the region visiting monuments to fallen workers in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, Port Colborne, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“Nobody expects to go to work and die,” said labour council treasurer Sue Hotte.

“No one expects to work for 30 years and retire at 65, and end up dying two years later because of inhaling various chemicals.”

Hotte said rememberin­g the people who have died on the job, “strengthen­s our resolve to continue to work on improving health and safety in all the workplaces.”

She said there have been many instances where workers were killed while directly on the job, such as at the Westray coal mine disaster in Nova Scotia which happened 25 years ago on May 9, 1992, or the four workers who fell to their deaths a year later while painting the Garden City Skyway.

But Hotte said many more workers have died from exposure to hazards within their workplace.

Labour groups continue to lobby to ensure that workers receive adequate education and are aware of their right to refuse unsafe working conditions, and “the laws are upheld and there are safety inspection­s.”

She said labour groups are becoming increasing­ly concerned about the mental health of workers as well, whether it’s coping with the daily strain of a busy office, or posttrauma­tic stress disorder related to emergency services personnel.

The first of Friday’s Day of Mourning ceremonies starts at 8 a.m. at the monument near the skyway, with events continuing at the various locations throughout the day until the last takes place at 5:30 p.m. at Niagara Region headquarte­rs.

Although all the fallen workers monuments are located within Niagara’s eastern communitie­s, Hotte said efforts are underway to erect additional monuments in west Niagara, too.

“Certainly there has been a bit of discussion about that. But it takes a lot of fundraisin­g for the money to have the stone, and then work with the community to find a good place to put it up,” she said.

“The last one (monument) that we put up was installed at the Niagara Region (headquarte­rs), but that’s not to say that we’re not looking at the other communitie­s.” ABenner@postmedia.com Twitter: @abenner1

National Day of Mourning for Workers ceremonies

Welland Canal Parkway in St. Catharines, near the Garden City Skyway - 8 a.m. Centennial Arena, 1557 Four Mile Creek Rd. in Niagara-on-the-Lake - 9 a.m. Niagara Falls city hall, 4310 Queen St. - 10 a.m. Fort Erie town hall, 1 Municipal Centre Dr. - 11 a.m. H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park, Port Colborne - 12:30 p.m. Merritt Park, Welland - 1:30 p.m. Esquire Canada explosion site 125 South St. N., Thorold - 2:30 p.m. St. Catharines city hall - 3:30 p.m. Niagara Region headquarte­rs, 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way – 5 p.m.

 ?? BERND FRANKE/FILE PHOTO ?? Michael Fowler, president of the Welland Profession­al Firefighte­rs Associatio­n, delivers remarks at a National Day of Mourning ceremony in Welland last year.
BERND FRANKE/FILE PHOTO Michael Fowler, president of the Welland Profession­al Firefighte­rs Associatio­n, delivers remarks at a National Day of Mourning ceremony in Welland last year.

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