Sudbury fundraiser aims to help families affected by workplace tragedies
Every day, 3 Canadian workers are killed on the job or die from occupational disease, advocacy group says
After the death of his brother on the job, Sudbury's Iain Buchanan says he was moved to help others affected by workplace tragedies.
"It's an exclusive club that no one wants to be a member of," he said.
"You get to be a member when a person in your family doesn't come home from work one day or gets severely injured at work."
Iain's brother Rob was killed "in a totally preventable workplace tragedy in a plane he was flying."
He says Rob went to fly a small plane in British Columbia when a wind shear caused the plane to flip, crash and blow up.
Eventually, the family was connected with Threads of Life — a group that provides support services for families who have lost a loved one on the job.
Buchanan says he first attended a family forum offered by the group.
"That's where they invite all the family members who are available to come together and they do this once a year in a number of locations across Canada," he said.
"I went with my sister-in-law and my two nieces. And you realize there's other families where their son, their daughter — for me, it was my brother, for my sister-in-law it was her husband and my two nieces, their dad."
Buchanan is getting ready to share his brother's story and the impact on his family at the upcoming Threads of Life fundraising walk, called Steps for Life.
"All of the services that Threads of Life provide are free of charge," he said.
"They do not charge any of the fees. You attend the family forum [and] they pay for your way of getting there, they pay for your hotel and all your meals while you're there.
The Steps for Life fundraiser will take place in Sudbury on Sunday, April 22. Registration will start at 9 a.m. at Workplace Safety on Cedar Street.
A walk will also be held in Timmins on Saturday, May 12.