Lloydminster is recognizing and remembering those who lost their lives on the job. The National Day of Mourning to honour workers killed or injured on the job came to the city through a special ceremony at City Hall.
Deputy mayor and city councillor Michael Diachuk addressed a crowd of those gathered there on Friday, April 26. ATCO provided doughnuts and refreshments for the crowd while Diachuk spoke about the sadness of lives lost in 2018, and signed a proclamation on behalf of the city. Last year, 162 workers in Alberta and the 48 workers in Saskatchewan lost their lives due to workplace injury and illness.
After flags were lowered, a moment of silence was observed in the ceremony. Diachuk agrees that the solemn day. He says that other city councillors and the mayor often vocally speak for workplace safety and that everyone ought to do their job without fear.
“One of the messages that we’ve certainly talked a lot about at council, and I know the mayor leads the charge on this, one of the goals we have and talk about is that every one of our employees that comes to work in the morning should be able to go home at night. In the simplest terms, that’s what safety is all about for us,” says Diachuk.
Lloydminster is doing it’s best to curb workplaces injuries and fatalities, according to safety officer John Stevens. Outside of mind on health and safety (MOSH) week, he says the city does it’s best to promote safety before the worst can happen.
“A single life lost is too many lives lost. We want to do everything we can, and reaffirm our commitment to health and safety, to ensure that we can take all the steps we need to prevent unnecessary injuries or fatalities at the worksite,” says Stevens. The ceremony was held in lieu of the actual National Day of Mourning this Sunday, April 28.
