Day of mourning honours Sask. workers who died on the job

REGINA -- Flags will be flying at half-mast at Saskatchewan’s government buildings on Tuesday for the National Day of Mourning.

The day honours workers killed or injured on the job each year.

The Canadian Labour Congress declared April 28 as the National Day of Mourning in 1984.

“The best way for us to honour those that have lost their life while on the job, is to do our part in building safer, healthier workplaces,” Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan said in a news release. “Every worker has the right to return home safely at the end of the work day.”

“Workplace fatalities and serious injuries have an impact on the lives of families, friends and colleagues and our hearts go out to all those left behind by these tragedies,” Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board Chairperson Gord Dobrowolsky said. “Today we take time to mourn and remember those that have lost their lives, and we renew our commitment to working together to keep everyone safe on the job.”

There were 36 workplace fatalities in Saskatchewan in 2019.