On this Day of Mourning, please remember…

Day of Mourning, marked on April 28, began with Canadian labour unions which wanted to emphasize and recognize the many workers who are killed, injured and made ill in workplaces. For Threads of Life families, April 28 is one day when their personal, intimate story becomes a universal story; when they can join with others to acknowledge publicly the toll that workplace tragedy has taken on their lives.

Canada’s first national, official Day of Mourning was held in 1991. If you think of the thousands of workers and families affected just in the three decades we’ve been observing Day of Mourning, it’s overwhelming. Each of those workers was a unique individual with likes and dislikes, favourite t-shirts, good and bad habits, goofy jokes, irritations, plans and loves. So on Day of Mourning we join with our Threads of Life families to honour and remember those individuals.

This year, three of our Threads of Life volunteers – each of them a newly-trained member of our speakers bureau – share just a tiny glimpse of their story with you. Watch their video below.

Normally on Day of Mourning, Threads of Life speakers are invited to share their stories at public ceremonies across the country, and our family members and partners gather together to mark and honour all these lives. This year because of COVID-19 we will all miss that opportunity. Instead, on April 28 Threads of Life invites you to join us on Facebook at 12 noon EDT for a Day of Mourning candle-lighting led by our Executive Director Shirley Hickman.