Statement by Mayor Nancy Peckford on the National Day of Mourning

North Grenville joins with communities across Canada and around the world to mark the National Day of Mourning, also known as Workers’ Mourning Day, a day dedicated to remembering men and women who have lost their lives or suffered injury due to work-related tragedy. We also honour the many families and friends who have been deeply affected by these tragedies.

Canada was the first nation to recognize the day, and in 1991 the Day of

Mourning became a national observance in Canada. Acknowledgement of the day has spread to many countries and is now observed throughout the world.

To honour the memory of those we have lost, Canadians will renew our commitment to improving health and safety in workplaces in our community and across the country, and by dedicating ourselves to preventing further injuries, illnesses, and deaths. We all long for a day when no Canadian worker leaves for work only to never return.

In North Grenville, in addition to remembering lives lost and injured, this day is an opportunity to remind employees and employers - across all sectors – to work together to ensure safe workplaces. Whether in government or business, we must all absolutely commit to keeping our workers safe.

On April 28th, the Municipality of North Grenville will join other communities across Canada in lowering our flags to half-mast in observance of this somber occasion. We also encourage all who can to observe a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. to honour those lives lost or those devastated by injury at work. Please join and let this moment serve as a reminder to work towards our shared goal of protecting workers and preventing further workplace tragedies.

Canadian Health Care Workers Want Out: New Health Human Resources (HHR) Survey Reveals Alarming Retention Concerns

Organizations for Health Action, released a new health human resources survey today that revealed that 40% of healthcare providers who responded to the survey are considering leaving the field, citing mental health and well-being as well as working conditions and resource shortages as their main points of concern. The concerns shown in these results align with surveys conducted by other health organizations, for example the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) 2022 National Survey.

Of the 5,000 Canadian healthcare providers across all provinces and territories who responded, 30% indicated they are considering leaving their profession for reasons other than retirement. The results reveal alarming retention concerns, with almost 80% stating the need more workplace support and resources, better leadership, better compensation and benefits, and adequate staffing, to remain in their field.

“We launched this survey to understand why our healthcare system is in crisis and why more and more healthcare providers are leaving,” said Hélène Sabourin, Co-Chair of HEAL. “We now know what we need to do – we must act now to provide the necessary support and resources to retain our healthcare workforce and ensure that they can continue to provide the high-quality services that Canadians rely on.”

The results of this survey highlight the urgent need for action to address the concerns of our healthcare providers,” concluded Fred Phelps, Co-Chair of HEAL. “Failure to do so will result in a significant loss of highly skilled and experienced professionals from the workforce, exacerbating the current health care crisis.”