International Youth Day
2026-08-12 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto)
A day to focus on Youth-oriented issues, including occupational health and safety for young workers. By 2050, the people who are under 25 today will compose more than 90% of the prime-age workforce. See Website
Youth Mental Health in the Workplace
2023 Webinars
As part of the 2023 Mayday, Mayday Webinar Series, the topic of Youth Mental Health was explored. The webinar acknowledged that young workers have recognized vulnerabilities to workplace injuries & harms, including to psychosocial risk factors, made worse in the pandemic.
The presenters spoke of the need to learn more about challenges faced by these frequently exposed front-line staff in their daily jobs, and some solutions to reduce risk and mitigate harm from an agency, industry and advocacy perspective.
Moderated by OHCOW Ergonomist Melissa Statham, it featured two parts:
Part A: Youth Mental Health Outreach/Support, challenges and solutions, Ashleigh Erdelyan MSW RSW, Zahra Abou Elhassan MSW RSW, Youth Wellness Hub, CMHA-Windsor Essex
Part B: Essential Public Services, Essential Workers’ Health: Union-based Initiatives to Protect the Mental Health of Young Public Transport Workers. Canadian context for the International Project and Report, Shirly Yan, Occupational Hygienist, OHCOW; On the ground: Young Worker advocacy and support, Krista Lee Hanson, President, Unifor Road Transport Council See Webinars
Young Workers in the Transportation Sector
In March 2023, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) released a report on “union-based initiatives to protect the mental health of young public transport workers”, along with a briefing paper in nine languages and the announcement of an online train-the-trainers course directed to participants with responsibilities for youth and/or occupational safety and health issues within their unions. See the booklet PDF.
Young Workers in Agriculture
The Workplace Health Without Borders partnered with the International Ergonomics and Human Factors Association for this webinar, the Physical Risks of Young Workers in Agriculture: Special Groups Need Special Methods. See Webinar

International Overdose Awareness Day
2026-08-31 08:00 - 17:00
25 Years On. Still Needed.
Every August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) brings a global community together to take action on overdose. Hold an event, spread the message, take action today. This year the theme for IOAD is 25 Years On. Still Needed. For 25 years, International Overdose Awareness Day has brought people together to remember those we’ve lost and to take action to save lives. Go to Site
Studying the Problem
The Institute for Work and Health conducted an extensive study on Opiod use among Ontario workers. They explored which professions were at greater risk for opioid use and overdose. See the information here.
A Data Tool
The IWH and the Ontario Cancer Research Centre partnered to create The Opioid-Related Harms among Ontario Workers project. This project aims to establish a surveillance program to monitor opioid-related adverse health events among Ontario workers.
The Opioids and Work Data Tool is an interactive tool that illustrates patterns of opioid-related harms among Ontario workers. The tool includes three dashboards, each displaying data for a different opioid-related harm identified in emergency department and hospitalization records:

Poisonings
Mental and behavioural disorders
Adverse reactions

Graphs within each dashboard can be customized to show trends in opioid-related harms over time, as well as the characteristics of the workers experiencing these harms (i.e., their age, sex, health region, occupation, and industry).
Did You Know?
Since 2023, employers must provide naloxone in the workplace if certain circumstances described in the Occupational Health and Safety Act apply. FIND OUT MORE
OHCOW Webinars
Opiod Use at Workplaces

Opioid and substance misuse in the Building Trades: A strategy to deal with an epidemic.
Speaker: Carmine Tiano, MA, Director of Occupational Services, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
Carmine covers factors in the construction industry that make its workers vulnerable to substance abuse and addiction. Workers usually work contract on different sites, sometimes for short periods of time, and are always adjusting to new work sites and conditions. Work can be dependent on weather and project progress. He explains how accepted accident stats are skewed and don’t show the whole story, and how the compensation landscape does not adequately support injured workers.
Opioid-harms among Ontario Workers, what we know and are striving to learn.
Speaker: Dr. Nancy Carnide, PhD, Associate Scientist, Institute for Work & Health
Dr. Carnide discusses the statistics for OPIOID harms among Ontario workers. Opioid uses has increased since the Covid pandemic, and males are most effected. In Ontario, there are not adequate statistics gathered or surveillance systems to monitor substance abuse in workplace — BC has better records. In that province, construction, transportation and warehousing are the topic fields where opioid abuse and fatalities occur. 44% of those who died from overdose were employed at the time of their death. Get factual information about the real numbers from this webinar.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 2026
2026-09-01 08:00 - 2026-09-30 17:00
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. While progress has been made, prostate cancer is still the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in Canada. This is a month to join together to transform the future of prostate cancer for the 27,900 men in Canada expected to be diagnosed this year. Prostate cancer is one of the least preventable cancers, making advancements in prostate cancer treatment so important.
The Canadian Cancer Society stresses the importance of early detection which can determine better treatment outcomes. Check out their page on testing here.
See Page on Early Detection

Prostate Cancer Foundation Spreads the Word
Check out the free Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Speaker Series, featuring speakers on topics such as treatments and clinical trials, oncology support, intimacy after treatment, and more. Advanced registration required.
Go to Speaker Series Page

Occupational Risks
Genetic factors and lifestyle pose the biggest risks for the occurrence of cancer. Environmental and Occupational risk factors are also a huge factor. According to peer reviewed articles in the Journal of Cancer Prevention and other sources, the most at risk are

farmers/agricultural workers: pesticides
some manufacturing such as rubber workers: chemicals such as carbamates and triazines, cadmium, chromium, cutting fluids, acrylonitrile
construction work, whole body vibration
flight personnel, health workers, security: shift work
ionizing radiation

See more information and resources on OHCOW’s work-related cancer page.
Go to Page

Kidd Creek Info Sessions
2026-09-09 13:00 - 2026-09-10 20:00
Free Information Sessions (please RSVP)
For your convenience, different times are offered. The content is the same for the different sessions.
DATES AND TIMES:

Wednesday, September 9th;
Two times available: 1pm-4pm or 6pm-8pm
Thursday, September 10th; 9am-11am
LOCATION:
South Porcupine Legion Branch 287
46 Legion Dr, South Porcupine, ON P0N 1H0.
FOR MORE INFO:
contact Donna Pearson occupational health nurse at 249-885-1035
or Emma Lee client service coordinator at 416-525-4971.

World First Aid Day 2026
2026-09-13
Learn First Aid, Save a Life
Learning First Aid empowers you to make a difference, by providing immediate, potentially life-saving assistance in emergencies. According to the World First Aid Day Foundation, the date aims to raise awareness about the significance of first aid, provide valuable resources for learning basic first aid techniques, and inspire individuals to become first aid champions in their communities.
The Canadian Red Cross marks this day by encouraging people in Canada to learn practical first aid skills, find trusted training, and feel more ready to act in an emergency.
World First Aid Day
Essential First Aid Courses – Ontario
Equip yourself with essential skills—comprehensive training for all levels of first aid and CPR. See the standard, advanced levels and certification available from the St. John Ambulance First Aid Training.

The purpose of First Aid Day is to remind people that first aid skills can help save lives, reduce injuries, and build safer communities. The Canadian Red Cross marks this day by encouraging people in Canada to learn practical first aid skills, find trusted training, and feel more ready to act in an emergency. See our training and certification courses here.
