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CBC
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberals showed workers 'total disdain' by holding election on National Day of Mourning, advocates say
Social Sharing The leader of a Hamilton community organization says the date chosen for the federal election shows a lack of concern for workers, given that it's widely known the National Day of Mourning is observed every year on April 28. Darren Green, president of the Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council, said as early as March 13 when there was talk that the election could possibly be called for that day he made an appeal on social media for the Prime Minister's Office to consider choosing another day. "It's about them actually being insensitive to the workers' needs. I mean, it's total disdain, it shows their lack of empathy and their disdain for the working people, of the working families of Canada," Green told CBC Hamilton. "Somebody in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) should have known that April 28th is the International Day of Mourning. That it's just unconscionable that they would pick that day to have their election... Why that day? It's just insensitive." The Hamilton Steelworkers Area Council is a community organization based in Hamilton, that's dedicated to supporting and advocating for steelworkers in the region. CBC News has reached out to the PMO for comment but got no response by deadline. Injured on the job: 2 Hamilton workers tell their story 2 years ago Duration 1:57 Two Hamilton workers suffering from longterm workplace injuries talk about how they got injured and the advice they have for younger workers. At a news conference in Hamilton on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC Hamilton that the government values the rights of workers. "We value their contribution to society and … we will honour them every single day," Joly said. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), the National Day of Mourning is a day to remember and honour lives lost or injured due to a workplace tragedy. It's also a day to collectively renew our commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace and to preventing further injuries, illnesses and deaths. In 1991, eight years after the day of remembrance was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress, the Parliament of Canada passed the Workers Mourning Day Act making April 28 an official Day of Mourning, CCOHS said on its website. Today the Day of Mourning has since spread to more than 100 countries around the world and is recognized as Workers' Memorial Day, and as International Workers' Memorial Day by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). "It is the hope of CCOHS that the annual observance of this day will help strengthen the resolve to establish safe and healthy conditions in the workplace, and prevent further injuries, illnesses, and deaths," CCOHS said. "As much as this is a day to remember those who have lost their lives, it is also a call to protect the living and make work a place where people are safe and can thrive." 'One of the most important dates on the labour calendar' Meanwhile, Green said April 28 is "a sacred day and one of the most important dates on the labour calendar," not only in Canada but throughout the world. "It's a day where we come together and remember those who have been killed or injured on the job or who've been made ill by workplace sickness," he said. "And the families of these workers that have been injured or killed or made sick, they commemorate the day." 'We are very upset and frustrated' Marvin Mulder has been unable to work for the last 15 years after suffering a spinal cord injury while working for a moving company. Mulder says he and others have long felt "forgotten" and having an election on the day set aside to honour lost and injured workers has only added to their frustration. "We are very upset and frustrated with the day of the election," Mulder, who serves as spokesman for the Hamilton and District Injured Workers Group, told CBC Hamilton. "This is supposed to be a solemn day. It's [one of] very few that injured workers or people who have died on the job are recognized. "So, the fact that they've called an election this kind of says we're not a thought, in my mind, you know, that day is just a political day for them … and now that we have an election we're just, again, forgotten," he said. Mulder said a lot of injured workers throughout Ontario have voiced frustration over the issue. This is an extremely important date. - Teddy Bobrowski, Thunder Bay, Ont., resident Thunder Bay Ont., resident and long time injured worker Teddy Bobrowski, said it "shows a total lack of respect" to hold the election on April 28. Bobrowski told CBC Hamilton he "was literally furious" when the date was announced. "I thought a lot of people aren't gonna notice this, but, you know, for the families that have lost members of their family due to deaths on the job, this is an extremely important date," he said. "And then there's other ones like myself that are seriously injured, but not passed away, but still it's a very important date. We go out every year and celebrate this day, and we lay roses here in our epitaph that we have for workers killed on the job. "So, for the government to just be so casual about it …. I don't even know if they realized it till after they called the election on that date that they had made a faux pas," Bobrowski added. The Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Group, a provincial voice for injured workers, said calling a federal election on the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job shows a lack of respect for the victims of workplace illness or injury. "The government of Canada would never hold a national election on Remembrance Day, November 11th out of respect for the veterans and their families. That is why so many Canadians feel disrespected by calling an election on the National Day of Mourning for Workers who were killed or injured on the job," the group said in a statement to CBC News. Commemoration ceremony planned for city hall Meanwhile, Green said each community commemorates the day differently, with ceremonies held throughout Canada at different times and different locations. In Hamilton, he said the Steelworkers Area Council will hold a meeting during the day. This will be followed by a vigil and commemoration at city hall at 5:30, organized by the Hamilton and District Labour Council, and the laying of wreaths at the injured workers monument at Main and Bay streets. "For the steelworkers here in Hamilton, we have an area council meeting quarterly and we always meet on April 28th," Green said.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Daylight Saving Time 2025: How 'springing forward' negatively impacts your health — and why you should prioritize sleep now
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is back, meaning it's time to "spring forward" once again and move our clocks ahead one hour. This Sunday, March 9 at 2 a.m. local time is when the time change will occur, bringing an extra hour of sunlight each day for the next eight months. However, it's worth noting this centuries-old practice may come with concerning impacts. For one, this time change can cause us to lose roughly 40 minutes to an hour of sleep. While it may seem like a minor inconvenience, it turns out the loss of sleep due to DST can have serious impacts on our health and wellbeing. DST causes a disruption in our circadian rhythm, also referred to as our internal body clock. Circadian rhythms help determine as well as regulate sleeping and eating patterns on a roughly 24-hour cycle. Essentially, this clock will tell you when you're sleepy or hungry as it rises and falls throughout the day. Read through some of the top impacts of daylight saving time below. The time change messes with our circadian rhythm, causing us to feel drowsy and moody; it can even lead some to experience an increased appetite. A disrupted circadian rhythm can impact our motor functions, response times overall alertness which increases our likelihood of injury. According to a 2009 study, there was a 3.6 per cent increase in mining workplace injuries on the Monday following DST. A separate study over a 10-year time period revealed a six per cent increase in car accidents in the United States immediately after clocks are adjusted in the spring. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) also indicated that according to statistics averaged from 2005 to 2009, car accidents rose by 23 per cent on the Monday following DST. Aside from being accident prone, DST can also cause an increase in heart attacks and stroke. Founder of Sleep Efficiency Andrew Holmes told CTV News there's a relationship between cardiovascular health and sleep. He shared an acronym of health issues, H.E.A.R.T.S., that sleep can impact. H — Heart failure: People who suffer from heart failure have often been diagnosed with sleep apnea. E — Elevated blood pressure: Sleep regulates blood pressure, while a person sleeping under seven hours can see their blood pressure rise. A — Atrial fibrillation: These irregular heartbeats can often be from someone suffering insomnia or sleep apnea. R — Resistant hypertension: A lack of sleep can make it difficult for medications to treat hypertension and blood pressure. T — Type 2 diabetes: Sleep is often linked to diabetes, as sleep deprivation can cause a disruption in your glucose metabolism. S — Stroke risk: Undiagnosed sleep problems can increase the risk of stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure. Some studies have also found a link between DST and heart attacks as well as strokes. A study published in 2014 showed there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of reported heart attacks on the Monday following DST compared to other Mondays during the year. Dr. Amneedt Sandhu, a then-cardiology fellow at the University of Colorado, led the study and indicated this might be due to a combination of factors. Those might include the stress of starting a new work week and inherent changes to our sleep-wake cycle. Dr. Amneedt Sandhu, a cardiologist affiliated with the University of Colorado, led a study on the impact of sleep-cycle on heart health. According to the research, there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of reported heart attacks on the Monday following DST compared to other Mondays during the year. "With daylight saving time, all of this is compounded by one less hour of sleep," he said. "Whatever the reason, the findings may indicate a need to better staff hospitals the Monday after setting our clocks forward. ... If we can identify days when there may be surges in heart attacks, we can be ready to better care for our patients." Another study also showed that disruptions in circadian rhythm increased risk of an ischemic stroke. That's when a blood clot, known as a thrombus, blocks blood flow to the brain. The research, conducted by a team from Finland, revealed the risk of stroke was eight per cent higher in the two days following the spring time change than during the rest of the year. "Although from an individual point of view, this small increase in stroke risk we see in a population level is probably not a major issue, the study emphasizes the importance of sleep disturbances as a risk factor for stroke," lead researcher, Dr. Jori Ruuskanen of the University of Turku, told CBS News. Daylight saving time also has some serious health impacts on pregnant women, specifically those who conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). A 2017 study from a team at the Boston Medical Center and IVF New England published a study noting an increase in miscarriages for patients who received egg transfer in the 21 days following spring DST, compared to patients who received egg transfer outside of the DST window. Until there are collective changes to how we tell time, it'll probably be a good idea to try and avoid health risks associated with DST. According to experts, there are a variety of ways you can ensure you remain healthy and safe after Sunday: Get rest: Try going to bed earlier to get your usual amount of sleep. Practice good sleep hygiene: Educate yourself on good sleep hygiene, including not consuming alcohol and avoiding using your phone before bed. Defer dangers: If your work involves dangerous tasks, it might be a good idea to schedule those tasks for later in the week. Plan ahead: Give yourself extra time to get to places, especially on the Monday. Choose safety: Take extra safety precautions following the switch to DST to prevent possible injuries or problems.
