National Day of Mourning for killed workers held at Confederation Building

Jenna Head · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 2:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

It's been six years since Terri Murphy got the telephone that her lad Jonathan Murphy, 24, died portion moving arsenic a pipefitter successful Alberta. 

The mishap happened 1 time aft the National Day of Mourning for those killed oregon injured connected the job.

"He attended the Day of Mourning lawsuit that day," Murphy said. "On [April 29], the time aft the Day of Mourning, helium was dormant arsenic a effect of a workplace accident."

On Monday, Murphy laid a wreath successful Jonathan's representation during a ceremonial held astatine the Confederation Building successful St. John's to people the tragic occasion. 

"Jon was moving his imagination occupation arsenic a pipefitter," she said. "This was the past time of their enactment rotation. Jonathan was flying location astatine 5:30 p.m. with hopes of buying his archetypal location the adjacent day."

Murphy mislaid her lad conscionable hours earlier helium was expected to alert home. 

"Jonathan was pronounced dormant astatine 3:10 p.m.," she said. "All of our dreams for Jonathan. Gone."

According to WorkplaceNL, 26 radical successful the state mislaid their lives portion moving successful 2024 — an summation of 11 radical compared to 2023 numbers.

The taxable of this year's National Day of Mourning is workers demanding enactment connected invisible injuries and hazards. 

CUPE 1560 president Greg Rockwood said the nationalist indispensable broaden its knowing of what it means to beryllium harmless astatine work.

"Not each dangers and hazards tin beryllium seen, and not each wounds permission scars that we tin touch," helium said. "Mental wellness challenges. Chronic stress, Toxic workplace cultures and occupational PTSD are conscionable arsenic existent and conscionable arsenic life-altering arsenic carnal injuries."

Jessica McCormick, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, is calling connected the provincial authorities and WorkplaceNL to marque wellness and information records much transparent.

"In Newfoundland and Labrador, the wellness and information records of employers are kept retired of the nationalist eye, dissimilar successful different parts of the country, and this needs to change," McCormick said.

While corporations tin beryllium held criminally liable for workplace deaths and injuries, she said, fewer charges are laid, and erstwhile they are, large corporations tin easy wage the fines.

"When transgression negligence leads to death, radical indispensable beryllium held accountable," she said. 

The federation is besides calling for the constitution of an occupational wellness session to assistance workers manage, prevent, and respond to occupational illnesses. 

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.  Click here to sojourn our landing page.