April 28, 2026 (Winnipeg) - Manitoba designates April 28 of each year as the Day of Mourning to remember and honour the workers who lost their lives to work-related injuries and illnesses. It also highlights the importance of workplace safety and the ongoing efforts needed to prevent such tragedies.
"Today is not just a day of reflection, it's a call to action," said Malaya Marcelino, Manitoba's Minister of Labour and Immigration. "Every Manitoban lost to workplace injuries or illnesses last year had an immeasurable impact on our community. We must work together to do better."
"The first step in preventing workplace injuries and illnesses is having the knowledge to prevent them," adds Catherine Skinner, President and CEO of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB). "It is our goal to make sure every worker in every industry has the resources necessary to return home safely each day."
The WCB's SAFE Work Manitoba division focuses on providing these resources to Manitobans. In 2025, we provided hundreds of workshops, training and resources to workers across the province.
Safe Workers of Tomorrow (SWOT), a not-for-profit organization that educates high school students about workplace safety, notes the importance of educating the next generation for lifelong safety.
"By educating the future of our workforce, we hope our province will become free of workplace fatalities," said Peter Reimer, Executive Director of Safe Workers of Tomorrow. "It starts one step at a time."
The WCB invites Manitobans to join them at the Leader's Walk, hosted by SWOT. We will walk from Union Centre at 11:30 a.m. and proceed down Broadway to Memorial Park. At noon, a ceremony will be held at the Manitoba Workers Memorial located in the park.
You can also honour our workforce by finding other ceremonies near you at wcb.mb.ca/day-of-mourning.
The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba serves workers and employers through a no-fault insurance system integral to the Manitoba economy. Funded collectively by employers, the WCB promotes safe and healthy workplaces, facilitates recovery and return to work, delivers compassionate and supportive compensation services to workers and employers, and ensures responsible stewardship of Manitoba's workers' compensation system. For more information, visit wcb.mb.ca.