5,000 Canadians Walk to Honour and Support Victims of Workplace Tragedy

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 1, 2011) -

Editors Note: A photo for this release will be available via Marketwire on the picture wire of The Canadian Press.

More than 5,000 Canadians will walk in the annual Steps for Life – Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy to support families affected by workplace fatalities, life-altering injuries and occupational diseases, which officially kicked-off this weekend. Thirty-eight communities across Canada will hold walks up until May 15 to raise awareness about the importance of injury prevention and funds for Threads of Life family support programs and services. Last year, more than $260,000 was raised for this national charity, which is dedicated to supporting families of workplace tragedy. Projections indicate this year's walk will raise thousands more.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Canada's Minister of Labour, Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta Minister of Employment, Honourable Charles Sousa, Ontario Minister of Labour and Honourable Jennifer Howard, Manitoba Minister of Labour, along with many mayors and community leaders will attend walks in their communities to lend support to this worthy cause.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion is also Honorary Chair of her city's inaugural walk. Before its start, Shirley Hickman, Executive Director, Threads of Life, presented Minister Raitt, Minister Sousa and Mayor McCallion with Forget Me Not – Canadian Stories of Workplace Tragedy from the Families' Perspective at the Mississauga site. Threads of Life published Forget Me Not, the first book to call for safer worksites through firsthand stories and lessons learned, and released it on April 28, Day of Mourning.

According to Hickman, "When you see firsthand the thousands of people in our bright yellow T-shirts walking for change, it is clear that all Canadians expect their loved ones to return home in the same condition as when they went to work. We are appreciative and grateful for the countless volunteers, partners, businesses, sponsors and participants who help make the walks such a success."

Steps for Life walks are being held in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. Dates, locations and other details are at www.stepsforlife.ca.

Threads of Life is a national charity (Charitable Organization Business # 87524 8908 RR0001) dedicated to supporting families along their journey of healing, after they've been affected by a workplace tragedy. It provides families with one-on-one peer support, links to community resources and other support. Steps for Life offers opportunities for families to walk with corporate leaders, workers, health and safety professionals and students to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety, so every worker can come home safe. The charity currently supports more than 1,200 family members across the country.