In June 1983, over 3,000 injured workers and their supporters gathered at Queen’s Park to speak to a government committee that was rewriting Ontario’s workers’ compensation system.
The committee had agreed, under pressure from the Association of Injured Workers’ Groups (AIWG), to hold a day of hearings so injured workers could share their concerns. When too many people showed up to fit inside, the hearings moved to the lawn of the legislature.
That day, injured workers finally had their voices heard.
The public and media took notice, and when new legislation passed the following year, disability pensions were protected and later indexed to inflation.
Every June 1 since 1983, workers across Ontario have marked the occasion as Injured Workers’ Day.
On June 1, 2025, it became an official provincial day for the first time, following the passage of Bill 118, the Injured Workers’ Day Act.
