Union members remember 188 killed on the job in 2005

Hundreds of union members participated in a solemn procession through the streets of downtown Vancouver carrying 188 replica coffins to remember the 188 workers -- including 11 young workers -- killed on the job in British Columbia last year. The National Day of Mourning to mourn for the dead and fight for the living is a tribute to workers and a reminder to all that no job is worth dying for.

In Vancouver B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair joined with Debbie Geddes, the partner of Ted Gramlich, a forester killed on the job, and Doug DePatie and Chett Crellin, father and grandfather of Grant DePatie who was killed by a motorist who fled without paying for the gas purchase at the gas station where Grant DePatie worked. DePatie's family has been working with the B.C. Federation of Labour to bring attention to the continued lack of enforcement by WCB that allows Grant's former employer to continue to operate in a way that is dangerous for employees.

HSA President Cindy Stewart and Regional Director Jackie Spain are marking the day in Cranbrook at a memorial event coordinated by the East Kootenay Labour Council. 

To mark the National Day of Mourning April 28, CBC National radio is airing an in-depth series of stories on workplace safety, with a particular focus on health care workers. See the online story featuring  David Bland, an HSA member who was tragically killed on the job here.

For CBC news stories on workplace health and safety, go here.