People in Grande Prairie are preparing to remember those who never came home from work. April 28th marks the National Day of Mourning, a day started to honour people who have died or suffered injury or illness on the job.
Grande Prairie and Area Safe Communities will again be hosting a ceremony on April 26th at the Day of Mourning Memorial Garden in Safety City on 92 Street.
In the latest statistics Occupational Health and Safety has from 2017, 166 lives were lost to workplace-related injuries and illnesses in the province. Of those, 90 were occupational illnesses like cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, caused by working in hazardous conditions years ago.
Back in March, Grande Prairie Rural RCMP was called to a work site 60 kilometres south of the city after a 30-year-old man was hit by a piece of machinery on the job. He later died of his injuries.
The ceremony is free to attend and everyone is welcome. It will start at 10:45 a.m. and there will be a moment of silence to follow at 11 a.m.