National Day of Mourning for killed workers held at Confederation Building
It's been six years since Terri Murphy got the call that her son Jonathan Murphy, 24, died while working as a pipefitter in Alberta.
The accident happened one day after the National Day of Mourning for those killed or injured on the job.
"He attended the Day of Mourning event that day," Murphy said. "On [April 29], the day after the Day of Mourning, he was dead as a result of a workplace accident."
On Monday, Murphy laid a wreath in Jonathan's memory during a ceremony held at the Confederation Building in St. John's to mark the tragic occasion.
"Jon was working his dream job as a pipefitter," she said. "This was the last day of their work rotation. Jonathan was flying home at 5:30 p.m. with hopes of buying his first home the next day."
Murphy lost her son just hours before he was supposed to fly home.
"Jonathan was pronounced dead at 3:10 p.m.," she said. "All of our dreams for Jonathan. Gone."
According to WorkplaceNL, 26 people in the province lost their lives while working in 2024 — an increase of 11 people compared to 2023 numbers.
The theme of this year's National Day of Mourning is workers demanding action on invisible injuries and hazards.
CUPE 1560 president Greg Rockwood said the public must broaden its understanding of what it means to be safe at work.
"Not all dangers and hazards can be seen, and not all wounds leave scars that we can touch," he said. "Mental health challenges. Chronic stress, Toxic workplace cultures and occupational PTSD are just as real and just as life-altering as physical injuries."
Jessica McCormick, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, is calling on the provincial government and WorkplaceNL to make health and safety records more transparent.
"In Newfoundland and Labrador, the health and safety records of employers are kept out of the public eye, unlike in other parts of the country, and this needs to change," McCormick said.
While corporations can be held criminally liable for workplace deaths and injuries, she said, few charges are laid, and when they are, major corporations can easily pay the fines.
"When criminal negligence leads to death, people must be held accountable," she said.
The federation is also calling for the establishment of an occupational health clinic to help workers manage, prevent, and respond to occupational illnesses.
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26-05-2025
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How Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc's life was saved by a 20-year-old German college student
Article content As the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, intergovernmental affairs and Prime Minister Mark Carney's 'One Canadian Economy' portfolio, Dominic LeBlanc will face many obstacles in the days and weeks ahead. Article content Article content But the veteran Liberal minister is no stranger to a challenge, having overcome a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma more than five years ago thanks to a stem cell donation from Germany. Article content Article content 'Two years ago, Jonathan, the brave young man who saved my life, welcomed Jolene (Richard) and me to his family's home town in Germany, Bad Hersefeld,' he posted along with two photos of himself and his wife with the now 26-year-old and his family members. Article content 'I will cherish this moment and remember his kindness, and that of his family, forever.' Article content Two years ago, Jonathan, the brave young man who saved my life, welcomed Jolene and me to his family's home town in... Posted by Dominic LeBlanc on Sunday, May 25, 2025 Article content Article content In April 2019, while overseeing intergovernmental affairs, northern affairs and internal trade under then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, a 51-year-old LeBlanc, feeling particularly unwell, was informed by Moncton doctors he had a 'lethal form' of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Article content His only chance at survival: 'very aggressive' chemotherapies and a stem cell donation via an allogeneic transplant — obtaining healthy stem cells from a donor who is not identical to the recipient. Article content In an interview with DKMS, the German-based international blood science organization that ultimately paired him with Kehl, LeBlanc said it took doctors a few weeks to figure out the 'right recipe of chemotherapy' to get his cancer into remission before referring him to Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, a facility renowned for its expertise in hematology and stem cell transplants.
Cision Canada
08-05-2025
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Toronto's new innovation studio highlights aging-in-place solutions Français
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