Today–on the day before the National Day of Mourning–hundreds of Manitobans from labour, government, and the families of those killed or injured on the job gathered in Winnipeg to honour Manitoba’s fallen workers with a new memorial.

Following the Winnipeg Day of Mourning Leaders’ Walk, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Memorial Park for the Manitoba Workers Memorial. The three-monument memorial will recognize Manitoba’s fallen peace officers, firefighters, and all workers.

Last year, 27 Manitobans died as a result of workplace injury. This includes 13 who were killed by acute hazards in their workplace and 14 more who died from occupational diseases. They may be gone, but they are not forgotten.

“Over the years, and through many hard-fought battles, and far too many fallen workers, we have won improvements to the health and safety laws that we all count on to keep our loved ones safe at work,” said MFL President, Kevin Rebeck. “And while we continue to strengthen our efforts around injury and illness prevention, make no mistake: strong health & safety laws, and diligent enforcement of those laws, are still foundational for keeping workers safe on the job.”

In 2007, the Government of Manitoba announced its support of the proposed memorial and introduced “The Firefighters, Peace Officers, and Workers Memorial Foundation Act.” A monument agreement was reached in 2013 with the government and the three memorial foundations, which included a significant contribution to the project from the MGEU.