Indigenous history

This 11-minute video provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia, focusing on the evolution of health and safety for shoreworkers.

This teaching resource serves as a curriculum application for Social Studies 9, aiming to illuminate the crucial role Indigenous workers played in British Columbia's early economy.

The story of the "Bows and Arrows" Indigenous longshoremen is a prominent part of BC's labour history. A significant portion of British Columbia's early workforce until the late 19th century was Indigenous, excelling in various physically demanding jobs including mining,...

The Fisherman bi-weekly newspaper documents shore workers and other labourers working in the fishing industry. Canneries, Indigenous peoples, commercial fishing activities, equipment, and processes, union and alliance meetings and demonstrations, protests, and other aspects of the fishing industry in British...

Referencing the pre-existing economy prior to colonization, this film powerfully places in context the significant role that BC First Nations played in the establishment and prosperity of British Columbia. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.

A series of strikes rocked the fishing industry in Steveston, BC in the early 1900s. This story examines the context and the efforts made to unite fishers across racial lines. What were the qualities of the leaders of the Fisher...

This film powerfully links the working lives of Indigenous union activities along Burrard Inlet, while examining the early social justice and collective organizing of Local 526 of the Industrial Workers of the World, the “Bows and Arrows”. Assess the economic...

This vignette provides insight into the role that steamship transportation played in the lives of workers in the early years of transportation. Not only was the steamship important to resource workers to get to the job, but for many isolated...

Take a deep dive into the historical and contemporary roles of women in BC's fishing industry. Today, the industry has largely disappeared due to economic shifts, free trade, and declining salmon stocks. In this episode of On the Line, we...

John Rogers was raised in Kamloops, BC. His father was the local welfare officer and John remembers some of the cases his dad was involved in. He also recalls the First Nations community on the other side of the river....

For decades, members of Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and other Nations formed a core part of the port’s workforce, passing down their skills through generations and helping build the province’s economy. This episode of On the Line delves into the powerful legacy...

Born October 29, 1926, in New Westminster, BC, Donald (“Don”) Peter Garcia served multiple terms as the President for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canadian Area and his union local, a career which spanned 45 years.

At the time of this interview, Glen Edwards was President of Local 505 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in Prince Rupert BC This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta on September 5, 2019 in...

Explore some of the women in BC’s labour history who created milestones for the movement.

In the summer of 1954, racist signs on the women’s washrooms at the Namu fish cannery divided the facilities between “Whites” and “Natives”. They had been there for years, but despite demands from both the United Fishermen and Allied Workers...

Arnie Nagy has Haida heritage on the maternal side of his family, and grew up in Prince Rupert. He worked in the fish canneries and was an active UFAWU member. He recalls the years when the fishing industry was booming...