Announced on the National Day of Mourning, the Queen’s Park monument will permanently recognize construction workers killed, injured or made ill on the job
Ontario has unveiled the design for a new construction workers’ memorial at Queen’s Park, a permanent monument intended to honour workers killed, injured or made ill on the job and to reinforce the province’s commitment to workplace safety.
Announced on April 28, the National Day of Mourning, the memorial will be built on the grounds of Queen’s Park near the intersection of College Street and University Avenue and is expected to be completed in 2027. It will commemorate construction workers whose lives have been lost or changed due to work-related incidents and provide a dedicated space for families, co‑workers and the public to reflect.
“Today, we join communities across Ontario to remember the workers who have given so much to build our province,” Premier Doug Ford said in the release. “For the families and colleagues of workers who lost their lives or were injured on the job, this memorial will serve as a place to honour their sacrifices and stand as a reminder of our duty to make sure workers always come home safely.”
The design features a collection of plaques forming a self‑supporting, raised structure. The plaques will carry the names of workers who have died on the job, with a new plaque to be added each year on April 28 to mark the National Day of Mourning.
Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Minister David Piccini said the memorial is part of a broader strategy to strengthen health and safety. “Our government is remembering those we have lost and supporting workers and families affected by workplace tragedy,” he said. “With this memorial, we are honouring the men and women who built this province and reinforcing a clear message that workplace safety is non-negotiable and protecting workers must always come first.”
The province noted that, in 2025, Ontario had close to 580,000 construction workers and is projected to need an additional 160,000 over the next decade. Over the last five years, the lost‑time injury rate per 100 workers in construction has declined by 13.5 per cent, according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The memorial, the government said, complements legislative measures such as the series of Working for Workers Acts introduced since 2021 and the proposed Protecting Ontario’s Workers and Economic Resilience (POWER) Act.
Labour and employer representatives welcomed the announcement, framing the monument as both remembrance and a call to action.
Olivia Chow, mayor of Toronto, called the memorial “a powerful place for reflection and a reminder that one life lost is one too many,” adding, “We owe it to every worker and every family to keep pushing for safer workplaces so that everyone can return home at the end of the day.”
James St. John, business manager and financial secretary of Central Ontario Building Trades and director of Hammer Heads, said he was pleased the government is “recognizing the lives lost by our tradesmen and women while building our great city and province,” and urged continued collaboration “so that we can eliminate all workplace exposures and fatalities.”
Victoria Mancinelli, director of public relations, communications, marketing and strategic partnerships at LiUNA, emphasized that “safety is not optional. It is our duty, and we will never stop fighting for it.”
For Michael Gallardo, president and CEO of Merit Ontario, the memorial is “a fitting tribute to the workers who left for their jobs and never returned home,” and “a powerful call to action to renew our commitment to ensuring every worker makes it home safe.”
The memorial is intended to ensure that commitment remains visible at the heart of Ontario’s political life, as the province’s construction workforce continues to grow.
