“Breaking Ground” Mural The quilted mural – “Breaking Ground” – is a powerful tribute to the five Italian-Canadian workers who died in a tunnel accident while building a water main in a part of Toronto known as Hogg’s Hollow. The conditions at the worksite in 1960 were a far cry from what we would expect from a worksite today. The tunnel was cramped, dimly lit and improperly supported. The men had neither flashlights nor hard hats. When a flash fire hit they were trapped with no way to escape. It was this tragic accident that ultimately led to the modernizing of Ontario’s health and safety laws. To commemorate this watershed event and to honour the lives of those lost, visual artist Laurie Swim – in partnership with COSTI, a community service organization – created the quilt. Breaking Ground ©2000 Laurie Swim As part of our prevention mandate, the WSIB joined with other community partners as a cosponsor for the project. Our goal is to increase community awareness of the value of healthy, safe workplaces. With our partners within Ontario’s health and safety system, we seek to help employers and workers prevent all workplace injuries and illnesses. The quilt was unveiled on The Day of Mourning, April 28, at Toronto’s City Hall. The quilt is permanently installed at the Toronto York Mills subway station, which is the closest station to the scene of the actual accident.