Dozens gather for National Day of Mourning ceremony at Winnipeg city hall

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 2:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Officials from the provincial and municipal authorities on with union leaders gathered astatine Winnipeg metropolis hallway Monday for a sombre ceremony, joining Canadians successful observing Canada's National Day of Mourning. 

The time is an accidental to commemorate workers who person been injured oregon killed successful the workplace, arsenic good arsenic workers who person go sick arsenic a effect of their work, and is held each twelvemonth connected April 28.

"We person to proceed to enactment with each of our employees and their representatives to marque definite that radical tin spell location astatine the extremity of the time arsenic a City of Winnipeg worker — possibly a small spot bushed from their occupation due to the fact that they enactment successful a afloat day's work, but spell location healthy."

Union leaders underscored the challenges Monday greeting galore inactive look successful their workplaces similar convulsive incidents connected metropolis buses and the unsafe calls archetypal responders look each day. 

United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Nick Kasper fought backmost emotions during his code astatine the lawsuit talking astir firefighters who person died successful the enactment of duty. 

"We often picture ourselves arsenic a 2nd household and the nonaccomplishment of 1 of our brothers and sisters successful the work is akin to losing a household member," helium said.

"There's a fig of individuals present who are suffering a adjacent idiosyncratic nonaccomplishment and we're present to wage our respect, honour their sacrifice and amusement enactment to their family."

Three Winnipeg firefighters — Preston Heinbigner, Ronald Murray and Gordon Pottinger — were honoured during Monday's ceremony. Their names were besides added to the Commemorative Roll, which is a memorial database of civic employees who died of enactment related causes since 1978.

A pamphlet handed retired astatine the lawsuit lists the names of 98 others. 

In a statement Monday, Manitoba's Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino said radical successful the state merit to consciousness harmless connected the occupation and erstwhile they permission for enactment successful the morning, their loved ones should beryllium capable number connected their harmless instrumentality home. 

"We promote each Manitobans to instrumentality a infinitesimal of solemn reflection to retrieve the lives mislaid and the loved ones nary longer with us," the connection said.

"We reaffirm our committedness to support moving unneurotic to amended information and supports for each workers successful Manitoba." 

The Manitoba Federation of Labour besides held a locomotion Monday, which near from Union Centre connected Broadway earlier making its mode to the workers memorial astatine Memorial Park for a ceremony. 

National Day of Mourning was proclaimed by Canada's Parliament successful 1991, and is present recognized successful much than 100 countries crossed the globe.