Fallen Workers Memorial

The building and completion of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial represents the fulfillment of an 85-year-old promise made when the canal first opened on Aug. 6, 1932. At that time, then-Minister of Railways and Canals and war veteran, the Hon. Dr. R.J. Manion, said during the opening:

"Peace has its heroes as well as war… We should give a thought to the men who lost their lives during the progress of the work."

This sentiment sparked the design of the memorial seen today.

Local historian Arden Phair and journalist Grant LaFleche brought the story to life in a series of articles published in the St. Catharines Standard. The Niagara community responded with more than 2,000 residents signing a petition to demand a memorial be built, honouring the fallen workers. Elected officials from Niagara's four canal communities heard the call and joined together with representatives from local labour and business organizations.

The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Task Force was created and their work began in spring 2013 to select a site, design a memorial and begin fundraising.

Through a national competition, Toronto's Dereck Revington Studio was chosen as the designer for the memorial. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation expedited approvals for the selected site at Lock 3 at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. St. Catharines City Council agreed to take ownership and responsibility for its future care and maintenance.

A group of passionate researchers dug deep to ensure historic information was accurate and complete. St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik asked Greg Wight, just retired as president of Algoma Central Corporation, to chair the fundraising campaign. Wight accepted and with that, the project had its final champion.

Grants were written, presentations were made, and cheques were written by the marine and shipping industry, labour organizations, local and national businesses, and many individuals, including families of the fallen workers.

During the project's final phases, Plant Architect Inc. completed landscape design and Stevensville Lawn Services completed construction as general contractor in fall 2017.

Finally, the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial was unveiled on Nov. 12, 2017.

Economic and cultural impact

The Welland Canal has played a key role in the Canadian economy and has had a profound influence on the local community, Niagara's culture, way of life and economy. The amazing feat of engineering, which carries more than 3,000 vessels each year, is an economic driver for both Canada and the U.S. It generates an annual economic impact of $222 million in the Niagara Region alone.

Located at Lock 3 at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre, the memorial is designed by Dereck Revington Studio and has four primary elements: the Gates of Remembrance, the Veil, the Timeline and the Lock, all featured within a contemplative grove.

From the south, visitors can see a large, blackened steel wall, known as the Veil. This side of the Veil is sombre and shadowed, looking back in time. From the north, the Veil is mirror-polished stainless steel, reflecting the surrounding trees, visitors and Gates of Remembrance.

The Gates of Remembrance rise from the lock bed of the site, their shape inspired by the lock gates of the canal. The gates' steel panes are inscribed with the names of the fallen, along with their ages at death and places of birth. The 137 men were from 12 countries and eight Canadian provinces.

The Timeline is embedded on the floor of the site, set below ground level. Each year, from 1914 to 1932, is marked by a line and each line's length reflects the number of fatalities in that year. From the Gates of Remembrance to the Veil, the longest line is 1928, the worst year for fatalities. Twenty-nine men died that year, with 10 in one accident, when a crane and gate fell at Lock 6. The shape of the site reflects the deaths within each year of construction.

The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Task Force is working hard to ensure that all the men who died during the construction of the Welland Canal are remembered. Construction projects at the time took into account that one worker would most likely die for every $1 million spent. The Welland Canal cost $130 million and 137 workers are known to have perished.

Here are just a few stories of some of the fallen workers. Each man has a similar story behind him.

William James Gordon

William James Gordon was crushed by a construction train in 1924. He left behind six children who mourned his death. They were raised by the eldest son as their mother had died two years earlier of tuberculosis.

The Lynches, McArthurs and Bassetts

Three families suffered the loss of father and son. Two of these events occurred on the same calendar day near the same location during separate years. On Aug. 1, 1925, Elzéar and Leo Lynch died at Lock 6, followed by James and James Campbell McArthur on Aug. 1, 1928 at the same location.

The third father-son duo died in Port Colborne in 1929 when Francis Fernley Bassett and William Francis Bassett perished. The father witnessed his son's death when his body was crushed between the arm of a crane and the car at the Clarence Street lift bridge. Six months later, the senior Bassett was crushed to death by the bridge's huge concrete counterweight, only 50 yards from where his son met his untimely death.

Michael Onyschuk

One of the last killed, seven days before the canal's official opening in 1932, was Michael Onyschuk. It was his first day on the job and he died within an hour of arriving at the job site. Workers were clearing trees what were too close to the canal channel near Allanburg when the very first tree fell the wrong way, crushing Onyschuk, who had begun to flee. Despite having a fractured spine, broken leg, internal injuries and severe shock, Onyschuk made it to the general hospital, but died just as his wife arrived.

Originally from the Ukraine, Onyschuk had emigrated in 1928, seeking a better life for his family. In 1930, he brought over his wife and children to share his dream. Onyschuk welcomed the job on the canal as it was his first work in two years. His widow was left behind with no money, little English and six children to provide for, with ages spanning from a few months old to 10-years-old.

Despite their loss, she persevered, keeping the family together and raising her two girls and four boys in their new home of Canada.

Triumph and Tragedy: The Welland Ship Canal

You can purchase "Triumph and Tragedy: The Welland Ship Canal," a commemorative limited edition publication that profiles each of the fallen workers, and sheds light on the canal's construction work, at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre for $39.95 plus HST.

Touching upon the communities impacted by the works, the construction railway and the problems of health and safety, this book brings together the many aspects of this engineering marvel. It ensures the men who lost their lives during the course of the work do not remain nameless, forgotten workers. The stories of their lives provide an insight into the past.

We extend a big thank you to the major donors, individual donors and family members who donated to the project.

With a budget of $1.2 million, the memorial has been made possible with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, Niagara Region, the City of St. Catharines and the marine industry, local businesses and the labour community.

Platinum Crane sponsors ($25,000+)

• Government of Canada

Gold Hard Hat sponsors ($15,000+)

• EMS-Tech Inc.
• Great Lakes Pilotage Authority
• Kirkpatrick Monuments
• Letko, Brosseau & Associates
• Lower Lakes Towing and Rand Logistics
• St. Catharines Rotary Club
• Sterling Fuels Limited

Silver Pick Ax sponsors ($10,000+)

• Niagara Community Foundation
• Hilliard and Dawn Radford

Bronze Glove sponsors ($5,000+)

• Anne Connon, in memory of Michael Onyschuk
• Deloitte
• Marine Clean Ltd.
• Merritton Lions Club
• Redpath Sugar Ltd.
• Seagulf Marine Industries
• Stikeman Elliott LLP
• Walker Industries
• Walter Hiltebrand Marine Services

Iron Spade sponsors ($1,000+)

• ADM - Agra Industries
• Allied Marine and Industrial Inc.
• Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc.
• Bell Marine & Mill Supply
• Canadian Canal Society
• Corporation of Professional Great Lakes Pilots
• Dilts Piston Hydraulics
• Eckler
• Hamilton Port Authority
• Historical Society of St. Catharines
• International Shipmasters Association, Lodge 20
• Italian Canadian Fallen Workers Memorial
• Sheri Laekman
• Latcham PLC Foods
• Lundy's Lane Historical Society
• The Marine Club
• Marsh Canada
• Brian McMullan
• Pen Financial Credit Union
• Ontario Construction Company
• Norris Ormston, in memory of Alex Ormston
• Arden and Erika Phair
• Port Weller Marine
• Rigel Shipping Canada
• St. Catharines Professional Firefighters Association, Local 485
• Snider Dock Services
• Greg and Anne Wight
• Keith Wood

Make a donation

The Task Force is still accepting donations to support future maintenance of the memorial. You can donate:

• At St. Catharines City Hall
• At the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre or by calling the museum at 1.800.305.5134 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays

You can stay on top of news with the memorial by subscribing to this page and by following the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial on Facebook.