VANCOUVER – CUPE 1004 and the entire CUPE family are mourning the death of Gord Dolyniuk, a 32 year member of the Local and employee with the City of Vancouver Engineering Streets Branch, who died while on the job.
CUPE 1004 and the entire CUPE family express our deepest condolences to Gord’s family, friends, and co-workers—particularly the members who were involved in the incident and with him when this tragedy unfolded.
It is devastating when a workplace accident results in any of our brothers, sisters, or comrades not coming home safely after their shift, and for most of us it is beyond contemplation that a family member would not return home at the end of the day. For a member of our union family, that unthinkable circumstance became reality this past week when a workplace accident claimed the life of Gord Dolyniuk from Streets Branch at the City of Vancouver.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon (Jan. 7) while our members were working in the National Yard. Upon hearing of the accident, your union representatives went straight to National Yard. They spent time discussing with our members and management to get an understanding of what had happened and offering support from the Local. Subsequently, they have been meeting with members and supporting them as they deal with this devastating loss, offering the full support of our union.
Several investigations will investigate the circumstances surrounding this accident in the coming weeks, including the Coroner’s Office, WorkSafeBC, the City of Vancouver and Local 1004. We are offering our support to these investigations and are encouraging that those with knowledge of the details keep those confidential to the investigatory process until a final outcome is reached and report is published. The City of Vancouver, as an interim measure and pending any further recommendations arising from the investigations, has already instituted new workplace rules to address preliminary observations from the accident.
In the coming days we will work with the City of Vancouver and the various support agencies and services to ensure that Gord’s co-workers and loved ones receive the care they need in the wake of this tragedy. It is important that we are all here for each other as we mourn our fallen co-worker, so please reach out to me if you have any questions, need support, or have concerns.
In Solidarity
Dennis Donnelly
Acting President