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John Cunningham “Jack” McVicar (1893-1971) was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213 in Vancouver following his immigration from Glasgow, Scotland in 1910. He held no executive positions in the union, but was on the...Audio
John Murray "Jack" Campbell (1882-1969) came to Canada from Ireland in 1906, working at various jobs including on the Canadian Pacific Railway, on ranches in the Okanagan, eventually settling in Burnaby where he joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers...Audio
Fred Hoppe (1883-1965) was a 61-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213 in Vancouver. The interview covers various aspects of Mr. Hoppe's life and career, including his early days as an electrician, starting in Rochester,...Audio
Jack Henderson (1880-1968) was a labour activist and community leader in Vancouver, Canada. Henderson discusses his long involvement in the labour movement, starting when he joined the Amalgamated Society of Railroad Servants in England in 1896. He describes his experiences...Video
Colin was born in northern England in 1940. His working-class consciousness developed at an early age. At 16, he apprenticed as a shipwright and during his apprenticeship participated in a short strike. Colin’s father died in the war, but his...Article
Ken Johnstone made a point of attending the annual Ironworkers Bridge Memorial on each anniversary of its deadly collapse. He was a humble man who would stand quietly at the back. Like many in Vancouver, Johnstone couldn’t forget June 17,...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in the Bowen Road Cemetery, 555 Bowen Road, Nanaimo. It is immediately west of the maintenance facility. It was developed with the support of the Nanaimo Historical Society and the BC Building Trades Council. It...Video
A poignant tribute to the four carpenters who tragically lost their lives in the Bentall IV tower construction accident in downtown Vancouver on January 7, 1981. The video highlights the victims, the accident, the aftermath and legacy.Historical materials
The Bill Shukalak fonds, dating from 1950 to 1990, comprise 166 photographs and various ephemera. Bill Shukalak was a union member who worked in construction camps across British Columbia and Alberta. He was proud of his work and shared stories...Historical materials
This collection includes textual materials, photographs, meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, circulars and briefs covering the period of 1931 to 1974. The union’s full name is the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators & Paperhangers of America Local 138.Historical materials
The Ron Johnson fonds contains textual records, ephemera, and other items dating from 1959 to 1989, reflecting Johnson’s research and communications career within labour organizations.Historical materials
On the Level began as a mimeographed publication in 1961, published by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 452 in Vancouver, BC. Visit the On the Level digital archive (external link).Teaching materials
Out of the loss of her husband to an occupational-related illness came one woman’s crusade for change. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
On June 17, 1958, the bridge under construction at Second Narrows collapsed. In memory of the workers killed, the bridge is now known as the Ironworkers’ Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Audio
Christopher Pritchard (1894-1973) joined the Plumbers’ Union (United Association of Journeymen Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Steam Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpers of the United States and Canada) in 1918 in Winnipeg. He moved to British Columbia in 1925. This interview provides...Video
Wayne Mills is a second-generation operating engineer with decades of involvement in the labour movement. In this interview, Wayne discusses his early training and work experiences operating large cranes on various construction projects across British Columbia, including dams and mines....Audio
Percy Trerise (1886-1965) was born in Cornwall, England and arrived in Canada around 1908. He initially worked as a granite cutter. He describes a jurisdictional dispute between granite cutters and stone cutters as the industry adopted pneumatic drills. The dispute...Video
Laird Cronk, a former president of the BC Federation of Labour, begins this interview with a memory from his junior high school days when his father, an electrician and business representative for the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) woke...Video
In this interview, Shan O’Hara describes his experiences in the construction industry as a floor layer and union organizer. He discusses his early life, particularly the tragic death of his father in an industrial accident, which shaped Shan’s outlook on...Video
In this far-reaching conversation, Lee Loftus discusses his experiences as a third-generation insulator, and union member and executive with the Heat and Frost Insulators Union Local 118 in British Columbia. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on March 19,...Article
On August 26, 1936 the Sheet Metal Workers International Union Local 280, won grand prize in the “Parade of Progress” marking the 75th anniversary of the Canadian Pacific Exhibition and the Golden Jubilee of the City of Vancouver. Their parade...Audio
BC’s unionized building trades led a valiant effort in the 1980s to fight off the anti-union Social Credit government. It all came to a head in the run-up to Vancouver’s World’s Fair, Expo 86. The provincial government wanted to open...Video
Jim Sinclair was born and raised in Ontario, where his early work experiences brought him into conflict with employers and demonstrated the need to advocate for workers. He moved to Vancouver and worked there for Co-op Radio and the Union...Video
The interview begins with George’ s early life, apprenticeship, and reasons for moving from the east to the west coast, moving on to a more general discussion of the Canadian shipbuilding industry and his experience of labour organizing in that...Audio
Unions have been fighting since the 1970s for strict regulations in the use of asbestos and decent compensation for those ill and dying from its deadly fibres. People are still getting sick from exposure decades ago. In this episode of...Video
Wayne Peppard grew up in Castlegar, BC, working for a short time at the Cominco smelter in Trail. His introduction to the labour movement was with the United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & PipeFitting Industry of...Article
Tom Berger (1933-2021) is remembered as a legal groundbreaker and social justice advocate for Canada’s Indigenous people. Less well-known is that Berger got his first taste of fighting against injustice as a young Vancouver labour lawyer in a case that...Video
As a founding Board Member of BC Labour Heritage Centre, Mervyn Van Steinburg recounts his story of a worklife spent in service to BC’s unionized community. In this interview, Brother Van Steinburg recounts his union beginnings as an electrician member...Article
Labour Day parades in Vancouver, BC which began in 1890, featured numerous such examples of floats constructed by unionized workers. This article is reprinted from the May 2019 Vancouver Historical Society newsletter. Bob McDonald, one of BC's leading historians, passed...Video
Jess Succamore arrived in Canada from England in 1952. He worked in a variety of jobs around British Columbia. He is best known for leading the campaign for independent Canadian unions. In this lengthy interview, Succamore recalls his relationships with...Video
Gary Kroeker spent over 35 years as an activist and executive member of Local 115 of the International Union of Operating Engineers as well a term as President of the BC Building Trades Council. This interview was conducted by Jim...Video
Cathy Walker was born in Vancouver, BC in 1949 and grew up in Burnaby. Her father was a member of the Machinists Union which influenced her perspective while growing up. She attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) during a time of...Video
Kate Braid is a carpenter and a poet, writing about her experiences as a female working in the male-dominated construction trades. She was born in Calgary, AB and was elected to the executive of the BC Regional Council of Carpenters....Video
Jef Keighley was born in Vancouver, BC in 1950. He spent time working in Jamaica through the Canadian University Service Overseas. He worked in the automotive and construction industries before becoming involved in the Canadian Association of Industrial, Mechanical and...Video
Bill Zander was born at home in the small town of Myrtle, Saskatchewan in 1934, but spent his childhood in Vancouver, BC He started working in a lumber mill after returning from the Royal Canadian Airforce, and became a plant...Video
John Jensen was a Danish-born union and community activist in Northwestern BC He was an active member of the Carpenters’ Union and a delegate to the Kitimat and Terrace District Labour Council for 50 years. This interview was donated to...Video
Art Kube was born in Poland where he attended a socialist kindergarten. He joined the Metalworkers Union in 1949 and became a member of the socialist faction of the Metalworkers Union. This interview was conducted by David Yorke, Ken Novakowski,...
