Toronto recreation worker dies while working alone

A Toronto parks and recreation employee has died while on duty at a Scarborough community centre, triggering police and provincial investigations and raising fresh attention on working-alone safety practices.

The worker suffered a suspected medical emergency on Wednesday morning while at the Oakridge Community Recreation Centre, the City of Toronto noted, as reported by CBC. The employee was pronounced dead at the workplace, the city said in a written statement.

Toronto police confirmed they responded to a medical call in the area of Pharmacy and Danforth avenues on Wednesday.

“Due to privacy reasons, we would only release information about this call if it was deemed to be a criminal incident,: Police spokesperson Amy Davey said, according to the CBC report.

Davey added that “a determination on whether this is a criminal matter can only be made after a postmortem examination is conducted and a cause of death is finalized.”

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has been notified of the fatality and has opened a formal investigation. Ministry spokesperson Radi Bridge said in an email that an inspector has been assigned to the case. The ministry will review the circumstances surrounding the death and assess whether any health and safety requirements were breached.

In its statement, the city expressed sympathy for those affected. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues. We recognize the emotional impact this loss may have and are committed to supporting our employees and other impacted individuals during this difficult time,” said Russell Baker, a spokesperson for the city, according to the report.

Union flags concerns over working alone

CUPE Local 79, the union representing many City of Toronto employees, said the worker was alone at the time of the incident.

“We mourn the loss of a colleague and extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones and coworkers,” the union said in a social media post.

The union questioned why the employee had been working solo. “This tragedy also demands answers. It is deeply troubling that this worker was working alone,” CUPE Local 79 said.

According to the union, the city already has a working alone policy that is supposed to help protect staff and ensure they can access help quickly if an emergency arises. The union said it intends to engage with the city “to make sure this policy is enforced and to look at whether the policy is adequate.”

“No worker should be isolated, unprotected, or placed in a situation where help is not immediately available. Worker safety is non-negotiable,” the union added.

Mayor pledges co-operation with probe

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also responded publicly to the incident, offering condolences and signalling that the city will work with provincial officials.

“My thoughts are with their family, friends, colleagues and the community they served during this difficult time,” Chow said on X, formerly Twitter. She said the city is co-operating with the Ministry of Labour’s investigation.

The identity of the worker and further details about their role at the Oakridge Community Recreation Centre have not been released. No cause of death has been confirmed pending the post-mortem examination.

Here’s what employers can do to help a lone worker stay safe, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS):

• Avoid having a lone worker whenever possible, especially for jobs with a recognised risk.
• Assess the hazards of your workplace.
• Talk to workers about their work. Get their input about the work they do and possible solutions.
• Investigate incidents at your workplace, and learn from incidents in similar workplaces.
• Take corrective action to prevent or minimise the potential risks of working alone.
• Provide appropriate training and education to both the lone worker and the person tasked to respond if there is concern.
• Report all situations, incidents or “near misses” where being alone increased the severity of the situation. Analyse this information and make changes to the company policy where necessary.
• Establish a check‑in procedure. Make sure that regular contact is kept with all workers. Establish ways to account for people (visually or verbally) while they are working.
• Schedule higher‑risk tasks to be done during normal business hours, or when another worker capable of helping in an emergency is present.