The annual Day of Mourning observances will be held at noon tomorrow at a ceremony organized by SAFE Workers of Tomorrow, a Winnipeg based organization that is dedicated to promoting workplace health and safety, particularly among young workers and high school students who are in, or about to enter the paid workforce.

The Day of Mourning was first observed in 1984 by the Canadian Labour Congress, mainly through the efforts of the CLC’s then Executive Vice-President and former MFL President, the late Dick Martin. It is a day set aside to remember and mourn for workers who have been killed or injured in our workplaces.

On December 28, 1990, the Parliament of Canada passed a private members Bill, sponsored by Churchill NDP MP Rod Murphy, officially declaring that day a national Day of Mourning. It was first held under that status on April 28 1991.

Since then, the Day of Mourning has spread to more than 80 countries around the world and has been officially adopted by the AFL-CIO and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

Under the leadership of the SAFE Workers of Tomorrow, tomorrow’s event will see leaders from the political and labour communities joining students in a walk from the Union Centre at Broadway and Smith, along Broadway to the Legislature distributing tags to members of the public to remind them of the need for safe workplaces. The walk will begin at 11:55 am.

At 12:15 pm, a news conference will be held on the main floor of the Legislature in front of the Grand Staircase to recognize the significance of the day and to expand on the theme “Walk to Remember: Unite for Safety” to highlight the importance of workplace safety legislated rights in preventing injuries and death.

For more Information contact Ellen Olfert at 797-3485