Davis Day was observed in communities across the Maritimes Wednesday to honour people in the mining profession.

The day is dedicated to William Davis, a man who was shot and killed during a mining strike in 1925.

Nearly 90 years ago, after a series of workplace strikes, mining company British Empire Steel and Coal Company shut down the drinking water supply and electricity in the town of New Waterford, N.S.

As tempers flared, company police were called in, and on June 11, 1925, coal miner William Davis was shot and killed during the protest.

“Whenever I hear the name William Davis, hero comes to mind,” explains former miner Tommy Gillis. “A man who lost his life 89 years ago for what he believed in and for the life we enjoy today.”

Men of the Deeps, a choir of working and retired coal miners, performed ‘Working Man’ at a ceremony in Sydney Mines. Nipper MacLeod says the song is always heard on Davis Day.

“It’s about mining,” explains MacLeod. “You think about your life as a miner. It means a lot to sing that and you’re representing all miners when you sing a song like that.”

The last coal mine in Nova Scotia closed in 2001. Davis Day has evolved to become a Remembrance Day for those workers killed in the mines.

“We hope people remember,” adds MacLeod. “That they don’t forget the struggles miners had years ago.”

Norma MacDonald is William Davis’s granddaughter, she says although the mines are no longer here, unions still play an important role.

"We have children who are involved in unions and we just hope that unions stay alive in Cape Breton, because it’s important for our economy and our families,” says MacDonald.

CBRM Mayor Cecil Clark says tragedies have a way of bringing people together.

“We saw that in Moncton,” says Clark. “The citizens there and all across Atlantic Canada. When you look at William Davis, a terrible tragedy for an individual and family, but it did bring out the best in the community and brought about a better future for those that would follow.”

Frank Corbett, the NDP member of the legislature for Cape Breton Centre, says it's important that Davis's efforts to protest the poor treatment of his fellow miners aren't forgotten.

With files from CTV'S Kyle Moore.