By Jason Foster, AFL Staff

April 28th was a day to remember and a day to pledge action against the scourge of workplace death. The 5th International Day of Mourning focussed public attention on an issue that receives too little limelight.

This year’s events were made more poignant due to the fact that the three months preceding April 28 were among the deadliest in history. The reality that more workers are being killed than ever despite government rhetoric that everything is better brought home the need for renewed commitment to fight unsafe working conditions.

This year events were held in every major centre in the province. Also, hundreds of worksites held small ceremonies or marked the day in some fashion.

In Calgary, a lunch hour ceremony brought hundreds of workers together to commemorate the day. AUPE held a vigil at 11:00. The AFL Day of Mourning plaque was this year presented in Hinton at the Yellowhead Labour Council ceremony. In Edmonton, an evening candle ceremony was again held at City Hall.

AFL President Audrey Cormack summarizes the need to keep talking about workplace death as a way to work for its end. "We need to keep talking about the issue, not just on April 28, but everyday of the year. Talking creates a bond between us that no employer, no politician can break."

"Ultimately we are our own canaries," adds Cormack. "We are our only warning system and our own catalyst for change. We cannot rely on the government, the employer or the WCB to make change happen for us. We need to make it happen ourselves."