‘One workplace fatality is simply too many’: Nova Scotians observe Day of Mourning

A large crowd took part in a moment of silence to mark the National Day of Mourning for those who lost their lives or suffered injury or illness due to their work.

A large crowd gathered outside Province House in Halifax Friday morning, taking part in a moment of silence to mark the National Day of Mourning for those who lost their lives or suffered injury or illness due to their work.

“These are our fellow Nova Scotians, they’re our people,” said Shelley Rowan, CEO of the Nova Scotia Workers’ Compensation Board, during the ceremony. “One workplace fatality is simply too many.”

In 2022, 24 Nova Scotians died from workplace-related injuries, but Siobhán Vipond, executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said those numbers only reflect the fatalities that have been legally accepted.

“Those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg,” Vipond said.

She added there were 5,524 lost-time claims in Nova Scotia accepted by the WCB last year. Lost-time claims are when a workplace injury or illness results in someone not being able to work.

“Prevention measures like proactive inspections, robust enforcement measures, strong health and safety committees and a systemic approach to prevention are absolutely vital in ensuring workers stay safe in their workplace,” Vipond said.

Candace (Candy) Palumbo, who spoke at the ceremony Friday, lost her husband Tony from a workplace-related illness in 2014. Tony Palumbo died from mesothelioma, an incurable lung cancer, after a long career in construction exposed him to asbestos, Candy told the crowd.

“He asked me to stop moving around and doing things,” Candy said of his final day. “To sit with him. He said, ‘You know I love you.’”