Across Canada, April 28 has been designated the Day of Mourning. A time when workers, families, employers, and others come together to remember.
A ceremony will be held in Nelson at Lakeside Park Tyler Lake Memorial Fieldhouse starting at noon on Saturday to pay tribute to fallen workers.
All are invited to attend and organizers ask for understanding from Nelson soccer youth and their families who have games going on at Lakeside Park.
Ceremonies will also be held in Trail with a march starting at the Steelworkers Hall to the Family Plaza at 3:30 p.m. and in Castlegar at Kinsman Park at 6 p.m.
The day, observed across the country, honours the memory of workers who have been killed, injured, or suffered illness as a result of work-related incidents.
The Canadian Labour Congress first recognized the Day of Mourning in 1984. In 1990, this day became a national observance with the passing of the Workers Mourning Day Act, and on April 28, 1991, the federal government officially proclaimed the national Day of Mourning.
Canada was the first nation to recognize the Day of Mourning and since 1984, acknowledgement of the day has spread to many countries and is now observed throughout the world.
Typically, the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill is flown at half-mast, and workers and employees observe the day in various ways including wearing ribbons, lighting candles, and observing moments of silence.
In 2011, there were 142 workplace fatality claims in BC. Of these 71 were the result of occupational disease, mainly owing to previous exposure to asbestos.
In BC an average of three workers die each week, 2,600 injuries are reported each week and 17 workers are permanently disabled every working day.