4/29/2010

2010 National Day of Mourning Ceremonies in Niagara On The Lake and St. Catharines




April 28th, 2010, 9:30 am

A small group of local labour leaders and activists gathered at the National Day of Mourning monument erected next to the Centennial Arena in Niagara On The Lake. They gathered for the annual National Day of Mourning Ceremony sponsored by the St. Catharines & District Labour Council. The participants were joined by members of the family of the late Joel Murray who died tragically on the job at General Motors. Niagara On The Lake Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs once again took part in the proceedings which have been held there for the past decade.

April 28th 2010, 11:00 a.m.

A group of workers gathered underneath the Garden City Skyway to commemorate the tragic accident that occurred there. Four construction workers fell to their deaths while performing routine maintenance on the Skyway Bridge in 1993.

The St. Catharines and District Labour Council has held a wreath laying ceremony there on the National Day of Mourning each year for the past decade. On this site a simple monument stands engraved with the four names of the workers who died.

This year’s ceremony took on particular significance in the wake of the recent death of four construction workers in Toronto who died on the job in a very similar circumstance. The occurrence of that recent tragedy illustrated the importance of focusing ongoing attention on deaths and injuries on the job and the need for effective action to prevent them.

April 28th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

The final memorial ceremony of the day sponsored by the St. Catharines & District Labour Council was held in downtown St Catharines at the city's National Day of Morning monument on St. Paul St. W. The annual wreath laying ceremony was attended by local labour leaders including Daniel Crowe of CUPE Ontario, a representative of the Workers Health and Safety Centre and local politicians including St. Catharines Mayor Brian Mcmullen. Images from both St. Catharines National Day of Mourning events are included.