On Thursday, April 28th, 2016, the Amalgamated Transit Union was present at a memorial ceremony for Day of Mourning, at Larry Sefton Park in Downtown Toronto.
Dozens of citizens, labour unions and affiliates came out to the ceremony hosted by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), to mourn those who tragically lost their lives in workplace incidents.
Speakers included OFL President, Chris Buckley and Michelle Cote, whose father suffers from mesothelioma, the consequences of asbestos.
Numerous other touching speeches were delivered, along with a beautiful musical performance.
The message of the day: Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living.
As released by the Toronto & York Region Labour Council: the organization is pledging to fight for safe workplaces, healthy lives free of occupational injuries and disease.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) records that one worker dies from a workplace injury or work related disease every 15 seconds worldwide. This also means that every 15 seconds a family somewhere in this world is losing a fair chance at a better life, income and health.
Every year thousands of Canadian workers are being exposed to asbestos in their workplace. Asbestos is Canada’s leading workplace killer, yet the government of Canada continues to allow the import and use of products and materials containing asbestos.
The Toronto & York Region Labour Council calls on the government of Canada to commit to a full ban on Asbestos. Canadian lives depend on healthy workplaces and strong policies that make this law.