It is with deep sadness and profound respect that the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada (RSIC) marks the passing of Buzz Hargrove – an unwavering advocate for workers and a valued member of our Board of Directors from 2013 to 2022.
Buzz Hargrove dedicated his life to fighting for the dignity, rights, and safety of working people across this country. He brought to the Institute so much more than his experience as one of Canada’s most respected labour leaders. He brought a passionate belief that every worker, regardless of their industry, deserves to come home safe and healthy at the end of the day.
During his nearly decade-long tenure on our Board, Buzz helped shape the direction of our programs, strengthened our voice on workplace safety, and challenged us to innovate. His wisdom, forged from decades of union leadership and his time as national president of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), was instrumental in helping RSIC advocate more effectively for radiation safety in the Canadian workplace.
Buzz first entered the automotive sector as a line worker at the Chrysler assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, an experience that grounded his lifelong commitment to protecting workers. He rose through the ranks of the labour movement to succeed Bob White as National President of the CAW in 1992. Over the next 16 years, Buzz led negotiations with some of Canada’s largest employers, securing major gains for workers in wages, benefits, and, importantly, health and safety standards. His tenure was defined by a deep belief that union leadership must extend beyond the shop floor to include broader social advocacy.
Even after his retirement from the CAW in 2008, Buzz remained deeply involved in public life. He served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University’s (now Toronto Metropolitan University) Ted Rogers School of Management, mentoring the next generation of leaders and sharing the lessons of principled negotiation, solidarity, and justice.
Buzz also co-authored the book Labour of Love: The Fight to Create a More Humane Canada in 1998 and was recognized with numerous honorary degrees from Brock University, the University of Windsor, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of New Brunswick, and Queen’s University. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.
We were privileged to benefit from his moral clarity, strategic insight, and the authenticity he brought to every conversation. Buzz made the Institute stronger. More importantly, he made all of us, staff, board members, and partners, better.
Buzz Hargrove’s contributions to worker safety didn’t end with his labour movement and the RSIC board service. His lifelong efforts transformed the labour landscape in Canada. And while we mourn his passing, we carry forward his conviction that workers’ health and safety is not negotiable. It is a right.
On behalf of the entire RSIC community, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all those in the broader labour movement whose lives he touched. Thank you, Buzz, for your years of service, your courage, and your voice. We will not forget.
—The Staff and Board of Directors, Radiation Safety Institute of Canada
