A painful discovery of general apathy among elected officials
To the Expositor:
Today I was saddened to discover what I would call apathy towards the National Day of Mourning. Apathy is lack of interest and/or concern. After calling each of the municipalities and talking with different personnel, I found there was a lack of knowledge about the significance of this day, and limited knowledge of anything going on in each community to commemorate this day.
Our workers are the backbone of our country. Have we become so desensitized by death and human struggle that the grief and struggles of our families, friends, neighbours and co-workers impacted and living each day with the outcome of a workplace tragedy goes unnoticed, unmentioned?
I belong to The Threads of Life, a national charitable organization. It was started in 2023 with approximately 100 members and now we are supporting over 3,000 family members across Canada. We honour and remember all workers and their families suffering from a workplace tragedy. As one of its original members, it gave me hope, support and a feeling of being understood. I no longer felt alone.
What is the National Day of Mourning and why recognize it?
It is a day when we take a few minutes out of our busy schedules to honour and remember those lives who have been shattered by a workplace fatality, life altering injury or occupational disease. Many decades back, our workers went to work in mines and took a canary with them. If the canary died it was a signal to vacate the mine immediately.
Many a life has been lost. Many a family broken over the years. Health and safety awareness and changes have been brought about by these losses. The workers injured or killed and their families have paid the highest cost for change. Their loss hopefully have brought about changes in laws and policy and procedures that will save someone’s life within the workplace.
We have Remembrance Day to honour and remember our veterans. Let us never forget the ultimate sacrifice they have made and that our military are making for us today. When they choose to defend our country, our freedom, they know the risk of death or injury is very high.
But when our everyday workers go to work, they expect to go home to their families, safe and free from injury. The cost of their job should not be their life.
Myself and my girls live everyday with the loss of my son, their brother, to a workplace fatality.
Our lives have been forever changed. The family dynamics change, I have changed. There is a rippling effect that follows these tragedies. In many cases, if the person killed or injured is a bread winner, the losses not only include the physical loss, but the financial and social losses.
Never underestimate the losses of an injured worker or someone living with an occupational disease. Their losses are great. They often live with chronic pain, often unable to provide for their families, unable to play with their growing children and everyday life can be an effort. Their world is difficult and they need the support of family and friends.
People do survive and live on, but at what cost? You may not see the pain, the hurt, physical or emotional, but it is there, felt by the whole family and those that love that person.
We have made much progress in the world of workplace health and safety since the canary days, but we can never stop increasing our awareness and improving workplace safety.
Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility. We want all workers to come home safe to their families.
Please know: This day I am thinking of all families living with a workplace loss. I understand your loss, your pain as much as I am capable of as I have been where many of you have been. My prayers are with you. Let us honour and remember these workers and their families today.
If anyone is needing support or information on our organization, please feel free to contact me at 705-862-1652.
Joanne Wade
Sheguiandah
