FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2000
City Hall Ceremony Highlights Day of Mourning Friday, April 28 will mark the fifth International Day of Mourning. Begun in Canada in the mid-1980s, the Day of Mourning is a day to remember those people killed at or because of work. One of the highlights of the day is an evening candle ceremony at Edmonton City Hall organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour, Edmonton and District Labour Council, Alberta Building Trades Council and the United Nurses of Alberta. Friday, April 28 – 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm The event mixes cultural performances with speakers and a candle lighting to commemorate the Day of Mourning. Evocative visual images make up an important piece of the ceremony. Also, the City of Edmonton proclamation of the day will be presented.
"Day of Mourning is partly about remembrance and partly about making change happen," says Audrey Cormack, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. "We do not want the workers who we have lost at work to be forgotten. We want their memory to carry us forward to prevent anyone else from losing their life at work."
Tens of thousands of workers will be commemorating the day at their worksite with a minute of silence, black armbands, flags at half-mast or some other form of small ceremony.
Day of Mourning has its origins in Canada. It was first proclaimed in Parliament in 1986. Since then it has become an international event, with over 70 countries marking the day as the time to remember workers killed on the job.
In Alberta, more than 2 workers are killed every week. A worker is killed every 30 seconds around the world. The purpose of Day of Mourning is to find ways to bring those numbers down.
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