The park, on Main Street at Highway 69 North in Val Caron, will commemorate all of the workers killed on the job in Sudbury's history.
The idea for the park originated with Greater Sudbury Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis, who will be there for the dedication Monday at 11 a.m.
A former Inco miner and United Steelworkers health and safety representative, Dupuis said the park will honour all workers killed on duty -- men and women, union and nonunion.
Dupuis said he had been looking to create a workers' memorial park for almost two years.
The deaths in June of Valley East residents Jordan Fram, 26, and Jason Chenier, 35, at Stobie Mine, came while plans for the park were nearing completion.
Dupuis said he teamed up with people who were looking to honour Gerard in some way, recognizing the fact the former Inco employee is international president of United Steelworkers, said Dupuis.
Gerard will attend Monday's dedication ceremony and is said to be "overwhelmed" at the honour.
Dupuis was the driving force behind the creation of the Joe MacDonald Memorial Park on Lasalle Boulevard, near the spot where the young Sudbury Regional Police constable was killed Oct. 7, 1993, when he stopped two men during a traffic check.
Dupuis said he sees people sitting in that park every day, including MacDonald's family members.
The councillor's hope was to create a space where people can "sit and reflect and look at the names so these people are not forgotten."
The park is located on a vacant piece of property owned by the City of Greater Sudbury. Dupuis said he approached city staff and council colleagues, whom he said were supportive of the idea.The park is located next to the City of Lakes Family Health Team office.
The park has been created with about $50,000 from Dupuis' Community Improvement Projects Fund, an envelope of money each municipal councillor can draw from for projects in their wards.
Dupuis said he is expecting more donations will be made toward the cost of the project. Xstrata Nickel has donated an eight-ton piece of ore that will be a feature of the park and other organizations have given money.
The ore is appropriate "because Sudbury was built on mining," Dupuis said. The plaque with Gerard's name is affixed to it and there will be a four-by-eight-foot plaque on which the names of deceased workers will be written.
Dupuis said he has only been able to confirm the names and dates of death of about half the workers believed to have been killed on the job in Sudbury. He is looking to the Ministry of Labour and others to fill in the blanks.
Anyone with information about workers killed on duty is asked to e-mail Coun. Dupuis at ron. dupuis@greater sudbury.ca.
John Closs is president of the Sudbury and District Labour Council, which traditionally stages a parade on Labour Day. This year, council members will attend the dedication of the Val Caron Park.
"This is an opportunity to do something different" and mark Labour Day in a different way, said Closs.
Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, representatives from the city's fire and police services, and others will speak at the dedication.
Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop Noel Simard and Rev. Jason Pripp from Valleyview Community Church will offer blessings.
The park will open at 11 a.m. and speeches will begin at 11:30 a.m. They will be followed with a barbecue and social, and the public is invited to attend.
A bus will leave the Brady Street hall of USW Local 6500 at 10:30 a.m. and return to the hall about 1:30 p.m.
Closs said labour groups "jumped" on the idea of celebrating Labour Day in a new way after years of holding a parade. That march was traditionally followed with a barbecue at the campground of Mine Mill Local 598/CAW, but that event won't be held this year.
Establishing a monument to remember workers killed on the job is long overdue, said Closs.
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com Twitter: @Carol_Mulligan
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