In 1984, the Canadian Labour Congress designated April 28 as the National Day of Mourning in Canada. Each year, Canadians pause to remember and honour those individuals who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace.
York University will mark the National Day of Mourning by lowering the flags on its Keele and Glendon Campuses to half-mast from sunrise to sunset on April 28.
April 28 was chosen as it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the first Ontario Workers’ Compensation Act, which was approved by government in 1914. The National Day of Mourning in Canada was brought into legislation on Feb. 1, 1991, by an Act of Parliament. Canadian flags on Parliament Hill and at Queen’s Park will fly at half-mast on April 28.
Injuries and deaths in the workplace continue to be a matter of grave concern across Canada. In October 2011, an accident took the life of a young man while he was working on the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension construction site on the Keele Campus.
By lowering its flags to half-mast, York University affirms its commitment to the promotion of health and safety for all members of the University community and to the provision of a safe and healthy work and study environment.