When we get up to go to work in the morning, the natural expectation is that we will be coming home that night. But for some Squamish residents, there has been no coming home; work has cost them their lives.
The idea behind the annual Squamish Worker's Memorial event held at O'Siyam Pavilion Park on Sunday, April 29 is to remember workers who have lost their lives or been seriously injured on the job.
"The whole purpose is to raise awareness, along with remembering those who passed and try and make sure those who can, keep things safe, so we don't have this kind of tragedy," said Lyle Fenton, president of the Squamish & District Labour Committee, which organizes the event.
The event includes a short ceremony that is attended by a member of the council and other local leaders as well as members of the public.
Wreaths are placed in memory of fallen workers.
A memorial plaque on a rock in the park marks many of the workers who have died over the years on the job in Squamish.
According to WorkSafeBC, across the province, 144 people lost their lives and 2.6 million days of work were missed by employees due to work-related incidents and disease, in 2016.
That year, 62 per cent of the injured were male. The average age of workers injured at work was 42.
The jobs with the most claims for loss of work time included: health care and social services; general construction; transportation and related services; retail and the accommodation, food, and leisure services sectors.
The Squamish event is part of International Workers' Memorial Day celebrations, taking place in countries around the world.
Everyone is welcome to attend Sunday's Squamish event, which begins at 11 a.m.
