The Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Project (and all its parts) began long ago in the mind of Cav. Marino Toppan, who as a young bricklayer during the 1950s, he began witnessing with dismay - and growing horror - the number of Italian men getting killed on the job during the Canada's post-war era. He watched as one by one, men died on the job - in the 'jungle' of the residential construction field of the growing city of Toronto.
After a short stint of working as a bricklayer, he began a long life and career as a labour activist. At this time, a number of other men in the community began working together to fight against the injustices they faced as workers. These men (Frank Colantonio, John Stefanini, Bruno Zanini and others) collectively rose up, spurred by the horrific suicide of Gerarda Trillo in 1955 (a tragedy directly related to the unfair wages of labouring men), and the Hog's Hollow Tragedy of 16 March 1960, where five Italian workers were killed in a tunnel in burgeoning York Mills, in Toronto's north end.
Under the umbrella of the Brandon Union Group (also known as BUG), Toppan began by attempting to organize various groups of workers in the early 1960s. This led to a big strike in August of 1960 and then again in the summer of 1961, coupled with Canada's largest workers' event on 26 June 1960 at the Exhibition Grounds. On that day, an estimated 17,000 Italian workers participated in a rally that frightened the establishment.
Assisted by then reporter for the Toronto Telegram, Frank Drea, the Brandon Union Group gained favour and slowly it began to unravel the injustices of the residential construction field. While BUG did not actually last very long as an entity, it was the spark that led the flame of change. Eventually, the the issues of safety were to gain attention, and then finally, became enshrined into the labour law of Ontario.
Meanwhile, Toppan continued to experience the tragedies as time and time again, he witnessed the deaths. During his long decades of labour activism, he watched in horror, always promising himself that he would find a way to memorialize these men. For over fifty years, he harboured the sad feelings and a horrific repulsion to the constant deaths due to unsafe working conditions, always pledging to himself private that one day, he would do something to recognized these men (and three women). The opportunity arose during his retirement. While memorials were built around the city (one notable sculpture at the Woodbridge Memorial Arena) and another one at the Local 506 headquarters, Toppan wanted the names recognized, not just a beautiful sculpture. For Marino, it was always about the names.
Toppan's quest for the official recognition of these fallen workers began in communion with the then Consul-General of Italy in Toronto, CG Gianni Bardini and with land sponsor and official supporter Villa Charities (then under the auspices of CEO Palmacchio Di Iulio). Ten years later, on the memorable day of 28 April 2016, the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Wall was inaugurated to Toppan's dark shadowed joy. Finally, the men were recognized, but the fact that this was even a new piece of Canadian history is horrifically sad, and the darkest part of the Italian Canadian experience.
Out of the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Project came a series of other projects, not just the central part of the project, The Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Wall, but other projects as well, that highlighted and profiled the experience of Italians in Canada across the century of their immigration (1880-1980). Together with various members of Toppan's committee, he published several books (The Voice of Labour and Land of Triumph and Tragedy: Voices of the Italian Fallen Workers), and an upcoming new book, The Impact of Italians on Canadian Labour History), created the Italian Fallen Workers Memorial Wall on the Villa Charities Campus (Columbus Centre) in Toronto, Ontario, sponsored a upcoming documentary by Telelatino on the project, and created this website to accurately document and proudly honour the thousands upon thousands of Italian Fallen Workers of Canada.
