More than three years ago, Paulette Raymond’s younger brother went to work at a Halifax-area container terminal and never came home.
I miss him every single day of my life, said Raymond on Sunday of 45-year-old Tommy Raymond, who died after being run over by a tractor trailer in September 2009.
Speaking at a ceremony to mourn those injured or killed on the job, Raymond wept as she recalled diving for coins as a child in the fountain at the Halifax Public Gardens with her brother.
That is one of my favourite memories. I miss so many things about my brother, she said. If I could ask one thing of all of you today it would be to remember my brother … remember that a split-second unsafe decision at work cost him his life.
My family could be your family. Please, please work safe.
Raymond was one of dozens who gathered under sunny skies at Province House to mark Canada’s annual national day of mourning.
People in military uniforms, politicians and families bowed their heads for a moment of silence as 32 tiny Nova Scotia flags fluttered in the wind one for each person killed while working in the province in 2012.
Several workers who were operating a crane on a nearby street stopped their operations to participate in the moment of silence.
More than 20 wreaths bursting with colourful flowers were propped up behind the flags after the ceremony to commemorate the workers.
Kelly Murphy, executive vice-president of the Halifax-Dartmouth and District Labour Council, said workplace injuries and deaths should be treated like crime scenes and those responsible should be prosecuted.
Laws must be enforced and the criminal code must be used, Murphy said, capturing a round of applause. It needs to be used to send a strong signal to the negligent employers who are wilfully placing their workers in danger.
There have been 11 workers killed in the province so far this year, seven of whom were fishermen.
In Lunenburg, Premier Darrell Dexter spoke at another ceremony at the at Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic honouring those fishermen.
Five young fishermen were lost at sea after the Miss Ally capsized in rough weather on Feb. 14.
Davis Nickerson, who knew the young men, has fished out of Woods Harbour for 43 years, 34 on his own boat.
He knows the dangers of the ocean.
Even though it happened in February, it’s still fresh in the community, he said Sunday. It’s still rough, I don’t know how to say it, it’s fresh and still dear to our hearts that we’ve lost these five fishermen and it won’t go away for a long, long time probably never.
The men and women of the small fishing village have embraced the families of those who were lost, feeling it as though the boys were their own, Nickerson said.
Fishing can be a dangerous profession, with seven fatalities in the industry this year.
The veteran lobster and halibut fisherman reminded his counterparts to keep track of both the weather and other boats around them whenever they are out on the water.
If there’s a call, we have to drop our work and go to the aid of another boat if they need it, he said.
We have to be there for each other both on the land, as we look after these families and support these families, and on the sea, as we cover each other.
In Halifax, Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Leonard Preyra said fishing is part of the province’s heritage, but it’s also one of the most dangerous occupations.
Since 2009, 17 fishermen have died at sea. One is too many.