As we recognize Mental Health Week and Safety Week, the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) is proud to support a collaborative initiative with industry partners to shine a light on an often overlooked issue: suicide and mental health in construction.
The construction industry is known for solving complex problems. Whether it’s advancing building processes, embracing new technologies, or leading on safety, we tackle challenges head-on. But there’s one issue that continues to weigh heavily on our workforce—one we don’t talk about nearly enough: suicide.
In Canada, we lose approximately 1000 people each year to workplace incidents—a number our industry tracks, reports, and works relentlessly to reduce (Ref. https://awcbc.org/).
But at the same time, more than 3,600 people of a working age die by suicide each year— nearly four times as many—and this reality is too often overlooked.(Ref. Statistics Canada)
That’s why the construction industry is stepping up once again. We are now working with Statistics Canada and industry stakeholders to access and analyze suicide and overdose data by profession and industry. The goal is to pinpoint where the greatest risks lie—especially within construction—and to ensure that mental health is treated with the same urgency and priority as physical safety.
Because data drives action—and understanding the problem is the first step in solving it.
Together with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), industry leaders are uniting to explore the deeper, systemic issues affecting our people—breaking down stigma and advocating for real, lasting change.
We’re calling on the entire industry to join us during Mental Health Week, May 5–11, as we come together to “Unmask Mental Health”(LINK TOOLKIT)—to remove the barriers of silence and shame and get to the root of what drives mental health struggles in construction.
Let’s acknowledge the problem and act on it—because one life lost to suicide is one too many.
By unmasking mental health and creating space for open, human connection, we can move the dial—not just in construction, but across every workplace in Canada.
Join us. Stand with us. Let’s build a future where no worker feels alone.