Dick Martin Health and Safety Award

2006 Recipient Les Ellsworth Comments on Receiving the Award

I am deeply moved and honoured to have the Dick Martin Award given to me for the betterment of Occupational Health and Safety in Manitoba. First of all, let me say I had the honour of knowing Brother Dick Martin. His passion for health and safety was without question.

Dick Martin was a champion of occupational health until his untimely death in 2001. Dick was a past president of United Steel Workers Local 6166. Later in his career, he was the president of Manitoba Federation of Labour. He moved on to become the secretary treasurer for the Canadian Labour Congress.

In the early 1980s, Manitoba labour activists began to push for the establishment of a worker run occupational health and safety centre. It seemed like an impossible dream, but through his efforts, Dick, while president of the MFL saw the centre become a reality.

My personal background in health, safety and environment goes back to when I was a teenager in high school. In 1978, my older brother, at the age of 18 years old, was killed because of a faulty tire on the family truck. In 1982, my Father drowned in the Atlantic Ocean, while trying to make a living for his family. I made a commitment at that time to dedicate my life to help improve conditions in the workplace, so working people could return home to their families at the end of the day, free of injury or occupational disease.

I have spent the last 22 years working at Inco. Trying to make safety improvements there has not been an easy task. I strongly believe that with the help of our activists, we have accomplished a lot. My message today is "If you are an activist in health and safety, do not let the fire go out and if you are not an activist, support those who are dedicated!"

I want to thank my local union for giving me an education and the opportunity to make a difference in my workplace. Last, but not least, thank you for giving me the privilege of receiving this award. I will cherish it and display it proudly in our union hall.

In closing, there is a saying in Newfoundland and it goes something like this, "You can take the boy out of Newfoundland, but you can't take Newfoundland out of the boy!" As in the past and so for the future, health, safety and environment will always be my number one priority. If we cannot bring our members home at the end of the day, without injury or occupational disease, then we have not done our job. Again, thank you.