Barb Heine shares her Day of Mourning story
The Day of Mourning is an important day to many — especially our own staff, some of whom began a career in health and safety because they were affected by a workplace incident or death.
When Barb Heine lost her father due to an unthinkable workplace accident, it wrapped her in grief and shaped the course of her career.
"My dad was a wheat farmer in Saskatchewan, and in the winter months he worked as a driver for a courier company," she shares. "He loved that job. He would chat with everyone on the route. He loved connecting with the people he'd see every day; he loved going into the offices and chatting to all the people when he dropped off packages.
John Boxall
"He'd been with the company for a long time and had never had an accident. So that particular day, February 20, 2013, he was out doing deliveries and stopped at a traffic light. The light turned green, and he went through the intersection. He was broadsided by a drunk driver who police estimated was travelling at 147 km/h."
John died instantly. Barb's sister worked with the Regina Police Service and learned of the tragic accident through her colleagues before sharing the heartbreaking news with her family.
Gripped by grief
A few years earlier, in 2010, John had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and in 2012, he received a lifesaving stem cell transplant. John had learned from his doctor that he was in complete remission exactly one day before his accident.
"He was so happy; it was really the best news he could have received," says Barb. "Then everything changed the next day. He got up that morning, he went to work, and he didn't come home. In that split second, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I mean, the big 'what if' for us was always if he hadn't been working that day, he wouldn't have been in that intersection, or if he'd just been two minutes earlier or later."
The experience gave Barb a new perspective in both her personal and professional life. As a vocational rehabilitation consultant at WorkSafeBC, she helps injured workers and their families, providing support to those who need it following a workplace incident.
"I've seen a lot of significant and terrible injuries that have deeply impacted families. I have so much empathy for those families and what they deal with. Sometimes you get so gripped by grief, and it's important to try to find a way out of it."
Honouring her father
Barb says her father's legacy lies in those around her.
"Part of my healing journey is not about blame, but rather: How can I honour my dad? For me, it's about having that conscious awareness of making time for family and friends — connecting with the people I love and being present. Whenever I say goodbye after seeing my family, I always say 'I love you.'
"The Day of Mourning is a reminder to be conscious in my life and with the people that I love."
Vocational rehabilitation consultant Barb Heine with her dad, John Boxall
Take a moment on April 28 to remember
Join us in a moment of silence on April 28 at 10:30 a.m. to remember the 138 B.C. workers who died last year from a workplace injury or disease.
For more information on how to recognize the day, visit dayofmourning.bc.ca.