In 1984, the Canadian Labour Congress [1] established April 28th as the National Day of Mourning in Canada to remember and honour those who have died, been injured or suffered illness in the workplace.

The University of Guelph will lower its flags to half-mast at noon on Thursday, April 28th to mark the Day of Mourning. Once the flags are lowered to half-mast, they will remain so until dusk.

A joint proclamation recognizing the day has been issued by University of Guelph and the University’s unions and employee group leaders. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an on campus ceremony will not be held this year.

The day is traditionally marked in many ways including holding public ceremonies, wearing black and yellow ribbons, lighting candles, observing a moment of silence at 11:00 am and sharing stories about how workplace tragedies have touched peoples' lives.