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Merritton in St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
 

Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial

Monument Dédié Aux Ouvriers Décédés À La Construction Du Canal Welland

 
 
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
1. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Marker
Inscription. This memorial honours the 138 men who were killed while building the current Welland Canal. Thousands of workers were employed in Niagara during the Canal's construction, which lasted from 1913 to 1935. They were from 16 countries, many new to Canada: their arrival and industry reflected a time of nation-building. The names of the Fallen stand as a testament to all of the workers and their families who were tragically affected by loss of life, fatal illness or injury.

Dedicated on November 12, 2017. To learn more about the Fallen Workers and the history of the Welland Canal visit the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.

Ce monument commémoratif rend hommage aux 138 hommes ayant perdu la vie lors de la construction de l'actuel canal maritime de Welland. Entre 1913 et 1935, des milliers de travailleurs sont venus dans la région de Niagara. Originaires de 16 pays différents, plusieurs étaient de nouveaux au Canada. Leur venue et leur contribution s'inscrivent dans une époque d'édification du pays. Les noms de ceux qui ont péri témoignent des pertes de vie, de la maladie et des blessures
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qui ont si tragiquement touché tous ces ouvriers et leurs familles.

Inauguré le 12 novembre 2017. Visitez le Musée de St. Catharines et le Centre des Canaux de Welland pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements relatifs aux ouvriers décédés.

Memorial designed by / Conception du monument: Dereck Revington Studio

1. The Plinth - A place to pause and remember.
2. The Veil - Above a cut in the earth a wall of steel hovers: its southern face, reflective and black, addresses the events of the past; the northern face, mirrored and polished, reflects the present and looks to the future.
3. The Lock and The Timeline - The Lock recalls the cut of the canal into the earth while The Timeline marks in stone the number of fatalities per year of construction.
4. The Gates - Like a book Of steel into whose pages the names of the Fallen are cut, The Gates Of Remembrance rise from the The Lock bed, echoing the partially opened mitre gates of the fight locks.

1. Le Socle - Un endroit pour se recueillir et méditer.
2. Le Voile - Au-dessus d'une entaille dans la terre plane un mur d'acier: son versant
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial marker - viewed from street image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
2. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial marker - viewed from street
Welland Canals Parkway is the left. The marker is the two-toned column in front of the trees, centre-right. A tiny parking lot is just out-of-frame on the right. Both the marker and the tiny parking lot are at the south end of the memorial. (200 metres south is the large museum parking.)
sud, contemplatif et sombre, se tourne vers les événements du passé; son versant nord, poli tel un miroir, reflète le présent, le regard tourné vers l'avenir.
3. L'Écluse et La Ligne de Temps - L'écluse rappelle l'entaille du canal dans la terre, alors que la Ligne de temps indique, de par des pierres, le nombre de décès au cours de chacune des années de construction.
4. La Porte - Tel un livre d'acier dans lequel sont graves les noms des ouvriers décédés, la Porte du souvenir s'élève du bassin de l'écluse, faisant écho aux portes busquées des écluses étagées, legèrement entrouvertes.

This memorial was made possible with funding, time and tireless commitment from / Ce monument commémoratif a été rendu possible grâce au financement et à l'engagement inlassable des personnes et groupes suivants:

[Canada logo] [St. Catharines Logo] [Niagara Region logo]
Algoma Central Corporation
ArcelorMittal Dofasco
Canada Steamship Lines
Canadian Merchant Service Guild
Fednav
Groupe Desgagnés
Heddle Marine Service Inc.
McKeil Marine
Niagara Regional Labour Council
Ontario Paper Thorold
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
3. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial
This shows most of the monument -
- 2 rectangular "lock doors" listing the dead workers
- the concrete oval "floor"
- the large mirror
- (missing: the two-toned rectangle with the inscription, behind the mirror).
Foundation
Rankin Construction Inc.
Seafarers' International Union of Canada
St. Catharines Standard
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
Unifor Local #4212

EMS-Tech
Great Lakes Pilotage Authority
Kirkpatrick Stoneworks Ltd.
Letko, Brosseau & Associates
Lower Lakes Towing & Rand Logistics
Rotary Club of St. Catharines
Sterling Fuels

Many communities came together to make this memorial. Thank you to: the individuals, businesses, and labour associations who made donations; to the Cities of Port Colborne, Thorold, and Welland; and to the many dedicated volunteers and families of the Fallen who helped to bring the stories of the Fallen Workers to light.

Plusieurs communautés ont collaboré à la réalisation de ce monument. Merci à tous les individus, à toutes les entreprises, et à tous les regroupements syndicaux qui ont fait des dons, aux municipalités de Port Colborne, De Thorold et de Welland, ainsi qu'aux numbreux bénévoles et aux families des ouvriers décédés, qui on contribué à mettre en lumière leurs récits.
 
Erected 2017.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker and memorial
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial - looking north image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
4. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial - looking north
This shows the north end of the memorial - the two black rectangles in a V at the left, and the oval concrete floor; down the centre is a graphic in a gray metal, embedded in the concrete.
is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the The Welland Canals series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.
 
Location. 43° 9.414′ N, 79° 11.692′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is in Merritton. It is on Welland Canals Parkway, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1903 Welland Canals Parkway, St Catharines ON L2R 7K6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker and memorial is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and in Niagara Canada. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cannon Barrel (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Bollard (about 90 meters away); The Fourth Welland Canal (about 90 meters away); William Hamilton Merritt 1793 - 1862
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial, looking west image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
5. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial, looking west
The south end of the memorial is a flat mirror.
(about 120 meters away); Global Irish Famine Way (about 120 meters away); How it Works: Operations and Safety (about 120 meters away); Welland Ship Canal (about 120 meters away); The St. Lawrence Seaway (about 120 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.
 
Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial - the graphic image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025
6. Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial - the graphic
The line down the centre is time, the uphill end is earliest, each cross-line is one year. The length of each line represents the count of deaths in that year.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 11, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 11, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 9, 2026