About 100 people came out to the annual Day of Mourning ceremony held Thursday (April 28) at Mission’s Public Works Yard.
The event commemorates workers who have been killed as a result of their jobs. Family survivors will be joined by workers, employers, local labour councils and WorkSafeBC to mark the day with more than 25 ceremonies throughout the province.
The Canadian Labour Congress created and held the first National Day of Mourning ceremony on April 28, 1984, making Canada the first country to formally commemorate workers killed in the workplace.
Today, Day of Mourning ceremonies take place around the world and the day is recognized by the federal and provincial governments, as well as by municipalities across B.C.
In 2015, there were a total of 122 work-related deaths in B.C., 72 were caused by occupational disease primarily resulting from exposure to asbestos decades ago and 50 resulted from traumatic injuries.
