Hundreds gathered April 28 for two ceremonies marking the 40th annual Day of Mourning, a tradition born in Sudbury and now internationally observed. It is a chance to mourn those who have died on the job, and for this year, a chance to recommit to the work of ensuring a safe workplace.
The Sudbury and District Labour Council held their annual ceremony at Laurentian University's Fraser Auditorium, following which the United Steelworkers Local 6500 held a private Day of Mourning ceremony at the Steelworkers Hall on Brady Street.
“The day of mourning is a reminder that every life is valuable, and that every walk loss is a profound tragedy,” said Jessica Montgomery, Sudbury District Labour Council president. “As we remember the lives that have been lost, we must also find strength and resilience; Today is not only about grieving, but also renewing our commitment to workplace health and safety.”
For Jamie West, the feeling of speaking at the 40th anniversary of the Day of Mourning was “frustrating.”
He said while he has been attending the event for 20 years and speaking at it for 10, and that the Day’s origins in Sudbury made it “a point of pride for him,” the “flatlining” numbers of workplace deaths per year is unacceptable.
“We shouldn't be talking about new deaths every year,” he said. “All of our new hires in the last 10 years shouldn’t know anybody who died in their workplace, it should be stories about people in the old days.”
West said it was deeply important to mourn the dead, but at the same time, action is needed.
“What we need to do is more than mourn, what we need to do is honour the dead; the second half of the Day of Mourning is to fight like hell for living.”
Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas was brought to tears when she spoke of her friend and colleague Don Morin who died April 19. Morin, a long-time advocate of workers' rights, served as the Nickel Belt riding association president and past president of the Sudbury and District Labour Council.
Gélinas was brought to tears as she spoke to his dedication. “It didn't matter where I went with Don: he couldn't walk into a store without looking at the shelving to make sure that nothing was going to fall on one of the workers, he couldn't go into a corner store without looking at the cashier to make sure that their workplace was ergonomically arranged to be as safe as possible for an eight hour shift,” she said. “This is what we all have to do.”
The United Steelworkers Local 6500 hosted their annual luncheon and ceremony in the afternoon of April 28, with another 250 people attending. At the entrance to the hall, a table displayed what are called “Scrolls,” and they list the names of those mourned each year.
Steelworkers Local 6500 president Nick Larochelle told Sudbury.com that “since the late 1800s, all the people's names that have passed while working at Inco or Vale are on the scrolls.” He said there were 15 “surviving families” of those lost on the job at the luncheon and ceremony, and they were honoured with white roses as a tribute to their loved one.
“It's very important for us to be able to spend the afternoon with the families, health and safety committees, and the company, just to reflect on the serious nature of the work that we do,” said Larochelle. “And to make sure people think about the work that they do and the impacts that it could have.”
At the Laurentian ceremony, Dr. Sandra Dorman, director of the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH), asked the attendees to think about the stories they have to share that could teach someone else to protect themselves, before issuing a challenge for the year ahead.
“Think of an inexperienced person that you work with, or maybe somebody within your community, maybe younger family members, and talk about what you know about work,” she said. “Pass on that knowledge so they're just as passionate about health and safety as we all are.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter at Sudbury.com
