THUNDER BAY – On February 4, 2019, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers were killed in the derailment of a freight train near Field, B.C., including conductor Dylan Paradis, a former resident of Schreiber, Ont.
“It is your worst nightmare getting a phone call with a tragic incident and that’s what happened with me,” said Leslie Paradis, Dylan’s father. “Me being a railroader, and my family and my father and Dylan, it’s just really tragic. You never think it’s going to happen. It’s always the other guy. I sure got a shock to my system.”
Dylan, along with his two co-workers, Andrew Dockrell and Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer, were honoured during the International Day of Mourning ceremony held at the Finlandia Hall on Sunday.
The day is meant to honour the memory of those killed or injured in the workplace, while also raising awareness about the need to support injured workers and creating safe and healthy work environments.
“I’m glad it’s being acknowledged in this way,” Paradis said. “The ceremony is really great for the communities here and Schreiber. I’m glad it’s being recognized.”
In 2017, more than 950 people in Canada were killed in workplace related accidents, which was an increase of 46 per cent over the previous year. There were also more than 250,000 accepted compensation claims.
Carlos Santander-Maturana, president of the Thunder Bay and District Labour Council, said it is important to continue to raise awareness for improved health and safety conditions in the workplace because no one ever goes to work expecting to be injured.
“No one goes to work knowing something might happen to them that will deeply affect their families,” he said. “They go to work to support their families. Regulation and enforcement of regulations is extremely important to keep the labour force alive and keep women and men alive when they go to work and can go back to their kids and enjoy their families.”
It is also important to recognize that workplace injuries can happen to anyone, Santander-Maturana said, though it is often something most people do not think about until it happens to them.
Bob Quarrell of Threads of Life, a charitable organization that helps families of injured workers, said the consequences of a workplace injury was not something he knew about until after he got hurt.
While working at a mine near Elliott Lake, Quarrell suffered three fractured vertebra when the brake failed on an elevator he was on, sending it plummeting down at more than 32 feet per second per second before the emergency brake could be applied.
Quarrell also lost his son, Tyler, who was killed on the job when an 800-pound granite slab pinned him against a wall.
“These are the sort of things that are totally unexpected,” he said. “That is why they are called accidents. They are unexpected and catch you so fast before you realize it is too late.”
Hearing Quarrell’s story was very cathartic for Paradis, knowing that he is not the only one grieving the loss of a loved one from a workplace accident.
“That was a pretty healing thing for me,” he said. “I can identify with his emotions, the way he felt. It really hit home. I felt for the guy but I also feel some of my scars.”
“When we talk to people who have suffered the very same things we have and say yes, I understand, you know that they do,” Quarrell added. “And when they talk to you, you understand what they are feeling, so you are supporting them. It is important to get the word out to let them know they are not alone.”
