The National Day of Mourning is a time to honour those who have lost their lives, been injured, or fallen ill due to their work. It’s also an opportunity to reaffirm our collective responsibility to improve workplace safety and prevent future tragedies.
Sadly, hundreds of Canadians die each year from workplace incidents, and many more work-related fatalities go unreported. In 2023, the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) recorded 1,057 workplace fatalities nationwide, with an additional 274,022 workers taking time off due to work-related injuries or illnesses. These numbers reflect only the incidents that were officially reported and accepted by compensation boards. The actual toll is likely much higher.
Yet, the statistics are just part of the story. Every workplace tragedy touches more than just the affected worker. It deeply impacts their families, friends, and coworkers, whose lives are changed forever.
Local 793 member Fredrick Slomke of Cochrane is one of three individuals recently added to the IUOE Local 793 Memorial Garden and Monument. Brother Fredrick, who had been a member for 18 years, tragically lost his life on October 8, 2023, due to occupational diseases.
On August 20, 2024, 54-year-old Local 793 member Nicholas D’Amato tragically lost his life in a workplace accident in King City. He was struck by a speeding pedestrian truck that collided with his ramps. Although the area was marked with cones to warn drivers, the driver’s reckless behaviour led to this devastating loss.
Brother Quinn Martyn was struck and killed in a job site accident on January 24, 2025. He was just 20 years old. The Local 793 apprentice was struck while attempting to help a worker who had been injured while using a skid steer at a job site in Tiverton.
The heartbreaking loss of these men again underscores the importance of Local 793’s long fight to make job sites safer for its members – and all workers.
“In the construction industry, we face inherent risks every day. It’s part of the environment we work in,” Business Manager Mike Gallagher said. “But the simple truth is, most incidents that lead to workers being killed or injured are preventable. It’s not enough to mourn; we must commit to real, lasting change. Safety should never be an afterthought; it should be the foundation of everything we do. We owe it to every worker to ensure they come home safe.”
IUOE Local 793 President Dave Turple added “I call on all our employers to join with us in a shared commitment to ensuring that every worker who steps onto a jobsite has the highest level of training and qualifications possible. There should never be a shortcut taken that puts a single worker at risk.”
Local 793 proudly represents the safety of thousands of workers and the fight for their right to a safe workplace environment, continuously lobbying for improved training, licensing, and standardization in the construction industry so we can work in a safer, healthier environment and eliminate workplace accidents and fatalities.
The Local 793 Memorial Garden and Monument at head office in Oakville was built to honour members who died as a result of construction site accidents or due to occupational illnesses. Their names – 50 of them – are etched on the columns of this monument. Let us all do everything possible to ensure no more names are added.
LOCAL 793 MEMBERS WHO DIED AS A RESULT OF CONSTRUCTION SITE ACCIDENTS OR DUE TO OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES:
William Henry Munroe – November 4, 1970
Lambros Kordas – March 21, 1977
Joe Petrik – March 21, 1977
John W. Jr. Hunt – September 2, 1980
Bruce Norman Higgs – February 6, 1981
Roger Michael Sokoloski – November 2, 1984
Gerard Drapeau – August 5, 1987
Robert Jr. Baxter – September 25, 1987
Lynda Baker – September 14, 1989
Marc Roy – July 23, 1992
Elzear Dignard – August 4, 1992
Wallace Culp – November 16, 1993
Charles Barton – December 20, 1994
Robert Gerritsen – September 17, 1995
Donald Crawley – October 6, 1995
Earl Anness – January 17, 1996
Ronald Girard – May 17, 1996
Patrick Kelly – October 20, 1997
Edward Cox – June 14, 2001
Scott Mason – August 8, 2001
James Clement – October 26, 2001
Ryan Clement – October 26, 2001
Kenneth Gardiner – January 11, 2002
John Aarts – February 8, 2002
Allen Manchester – November 3, 2003
Michael Hipson – January 23, 2006
Kent Walker – May 15, 2006
Donald Duncan – October 13, 2007
Major Singh Dhadda – October 29, 2007
Giovanni De Francesco – January 1, 2009
Keith Gudmundson – January 19, 2010
Vince De Paepe – July 3, 2011
Patrick Gartlan – July 15, 2011
Kyle Knox – October 11, 2011
Maurice La Chapelle – March 9, 2012
Lee Antoniak – April 9, 2012
Renato Marchione – July 12, 2012
Jamie Drew Davis – July 12, 2015
Marc Normand – November 2, 2015
Claude Joly – December 15, 2016
Wayne H. McPhail – April 6, 2017
Eric Wheeler – May 6, 2019
Sylvio Paquette – July 10, 2019
Cody Proulx – February 24, 2021
James DiMarco – June 3, 2021
Ernesto Campoli – June 1, 2022
Fredrick Slomke – October 8, 2023
Mike Murphy – November 17, 2023
Nicholas D’Amato – August 20, 2024
Quinn Martyn – January 24, 2025