Winnipeg - The LifeQuilt, a commemorative quilt dedicated to young workers across Canada who lost their lives or were seriously injured on the job, is on display at the Manitoba legislature on June 23 and 24.  The quilt serves as a stark reminder that no job is worth a life, or a life-altering disability.

Nine Manitobans are commemorated on the LifeQuilt.  Two participating parents were on hand on June 24 as interim Minister of Labour and Immigration, Steve Ashton, signed a book of condolence.

Cindy Skanderberg's son Michael was electrocuted on the job in 1999, while Lynda Kolly's son, Burton Reimer, drowned on his first day of work on a commercial fishing boat, also in 1999.

"The tragedy is that these injuries and deaths could have been prevented," says Kolly.  "Safety is everyone's responsibility and we have to ensure that our youth are not harmed as a result of their work."

Skanderberg adds that unsafe workplaces must become culturally unacceptable in Manitoba, so tragedies like her son's death can become a thing of the past.

"We owe it to all young people and their families to ensure that safety becomes the highest priority in all workplaces," she says.

The LifeQuilt is a unique memorial paying tribute to the young women and men ages 15 to 24 that were killed or seriously injured on the job in Canada.  The focus panel is a figure overlaid with ribbons bearing the names of young people who have been injured on the job in Canada. One hundred quilt blocks surround this image, each conveying the story of the victim of a fatal workplace injury.  Conceived by Toronto artist Laurie Swim, the LifeQuilt was created with the help of volunteers from across Canada and is supported by Friends of the LifeQuilt, a group of public and private volunteers dedicated to raising awareness about the critical issue of young worker injuries.

"Young or new workers are at a higher risk of being injured on the job.  More than 50 per cent of work-related incidents happen during a young worker's first six months at work," says Ellen Olfert, Executive Director of the Workers of Tomorrow Safety Centre, who is hosting the LifeQuilt at the legislature.

The Workers of Tomorrow Safety Centre, financially supported by the WCB, provides training sessions for young workers and those soon to enter the workforce.  Over 200 volunteer speakers based all over Manitoba speak in classrooms throughout the province. These speakers include people from various industries, workplaces and unions. Some speakers have personally experienced the effects of workplace injury or illness or have lost a child to a workplace incident.

Safe Work is proud to sponsor the LifeQuilt  in Winnipeg.  Safe work is a joint initiative of the Manitoba Government and the WCB, with partners in the employer and labour communities. For more information on this initiative, go to www.safemanitoba.com. For more information on the LifeQuilt, visit www.youngworkerquilt.ca.

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