Officials and labour advocates gathered outside Calgary City Hall on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, for a ceremony marking the National Day of Mourning, honouring workers who lost their lives due to workplace injuries or illnesses. The names of 144 Albertans were read aloud, each representing a life cut short by work-related incidents in 2025.
Day of Mourning Ceremony
April 28 is observed as the National Day of Mourning across Canada, dedicated to remembering those killed, injured, or suffering from occupational diseases. In Calgary, safety activists and politicians assembled at City Hall to pay tribute and call for stronger workplace protections.
Alex Shevalier, president of the Calgary and District Labour Council, emphasized that the day serves as a solemn reminder for employers and lawmakers to reduce workplace injuries, both physical and psychological. "Each year, each month and each day, we have to recommit ourselves to the project of improving workplace health and safety," Shevalier said.
Workplace Fatality Statistics
The Alberta Workers' Compensation Board reported 144 deaths due to workplace injury or illness in 2025. This includes 82 fatalities linked to occupational disease, 39 trauma-related deaths, and 20 from motor vehicle collisions. Additionally, nearly six Albertans are injured on the job every hour, a figure that does not account for psychological injuries.
"Too many workers experience burnout, chronic stress, harassment, and mental health crises caused by unsafe working conditions," Shevalier added. "These injuries must be recognized and eliminated like every other hazard."
Personal Stories of Survival
Dan Plexman, 52, a member of the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, shared his harrowing experience. At age 35, he suffered a preventable workplace accident that nearly killed him. Doctors gave him a 30 per cent chance of survival, and he continues to deal with the aftermath. "I'll have surgeries the rest of my life because of my injuries," Plexman said. "And the impact on my family, that was the most devastating part of all of it."
Plexman now travels across Canada advocating for workplace safety initiatives, stressing that such tragedies are avoidable. "These accidents don't need to happen," he said. "Injuries don't have to happen. Deaths don't need to happen."
Mayor's Call for Action
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas addressed the ceremony, noting that each workplace fatality represents a worker who never returned home. "Behind each case stands a family that carries the weight long after the headlines fade," Farkas said. He echoed the need for employers and governments to take action, stating, "Workplace safety does not happen by chance. It comes from clear standards, strong enforcement, and a culture where every worker, including the leadership, looks out for one another."
The Day of Mourning serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing need for vigilance and improvement in occupational health and safety across Alberta and Canada.
