ADVISORY: OFL Officers to join Day of Mourning Services in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls & Port Colborne

NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 27, 2016) - Thursday, April 28 is the labour movement's most solemn day. Thousands of workers, friends and families of fallen workers will gather at ceremonies across Ontario to recognize the National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed or Injured on the Job. Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates will be joining remembrance ceremonies in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Port Colborne to demand action - from our courts and from our governments - to ensure that every employee who heads off to work will return home safely to their family at the end of a workday.

According to the latest statistics from Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), 226 workers reportedly lost their lives in 2015 due to workplace tragedies or occupational disease. Roughly 230,000 Ontario workers are injured or made sick at work every year, thousands of others pass away years later due to resulting health complications, and still other cases, undoubtedly, go unreported or unacknowledged.

ST. CATHARINES - 8:00 a.m.: Coates will join the Niagara Regional Labour Council for a ceremony at the St. Catharines Fallen Workers Monument, Welland Canal Parkway (west side of canal under bridge).

NIAGARA FALLS - 10:00 a.m.: Coates will join the Niagara Regional Labour Council for a ceremony at the Niagara Falls Monument, Niagara Falls City Hall, 4310 Queen Street.

PORT COLBORNE - 12:30 p.m.: Coates will join the Niagara Regional Labour Council for a ceremony at the Port Colborne Monument, HH Knoll Park, Sugarloaf Street (beside the hospital).

"Canada has the opportunity to show the world we care about stopping the tragedy of asbestos and protecting the lives of every worker. We believe the National Day of Mourning on April 28 offers a tremendous opportunity for meaningful action to make workplace health and safety the bottom line for every employer," said OFL Secretary-Treasurer Patty Coates.

Read the OFL Statement on the Day of Mourning at: http://ofl.ca/index.php/ofl-statement-national-day-mourning-workers-killed-injured-job-april-28-2016/

The OFL represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow @OFLabour on Facebook and Twitter.