PORT HARDY, B.C. – Canada is taking time to remember workers who have passed away in the workforce as part of National Day of Mourning today.
The day has been a national event since 1991. Last year, 158 British Columbian workers died from a workplace injury or disease.
Statistics from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a branch of the government of Canada, 905 workplace deaths were recorded across the country in 2016. Among those were six young workers aged 15 to 19, and another 20 workers aged 20 to 24.
241,508 claims were accepted for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease over the course of 2016, according to the CCOHS.
To mark the occasion, flags will be flown at half-mast on Parliament Hill and on all federal government buildings.
For more on the National Day of Mourning, visit the CCOHS website.
