Day of Mourning - April 28

Each year on April 28, we observe the National Day of Mourning

The National Day of Mourning is a commemoration of workers who have been injured, made ill, or who have died as a result of workplace injuries and illnesses across Canada.

In Ontario, the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) received 240,222 registered claims in total last year. Of those claims, the WSIB denied nearly 30%.

For 2023, the WSIB allowed 68,479 lost time claims and 102,185 no lost time claims. These included:

• 90 traumatic fatality claims;

• 22,237 occupational disease claims;

• 2,377 mental stress claims, and;

• 4,877 COVID claims.1

Employer premiums were reduced in 2022 to the lowest rate in 20 years, and approximately $1.2 billion was paid back to employers from a "surplus" in 2022.

So why do so many injured and ill workers, who rely on workers' compensation benefits, still struggle to make ends meet?

Join your community, co-workers, and Local Union to Mourn for the Dead, and Fight for the Living. Find a Day of Mourning ceremony near you at ufcw175.com/events.

Did you know?

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) first declared the National Day of Mourning in 1984.

In 1991, the Canadian government passed the Workers Mourning Day Act, making April 28 the official National Day of Mourning.

Does your city or town have a Worker memorial statue, plaque, or other commemorative space?