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BC at Work, Episode 5, was first broadcast on October 2, 1988. It was produced by Michael Morgan and Associates and Shane Lunny Productions for the BC Federation of Labour as a public affairs television program comprising 13 episodes.Video
BC at Work, Episode 4, was first broadcast on September 25, 1988. It was produced by Michael Morgan and Associates and Shane Lunny Productions for the BC Federation of Labour as a public affairs television program comprising 13 episodes.Article
Charismatic union activist, socialist and organizer Albert “Ginger” Goodwin was fatally shot on July 27, 1918, by special constable Dan Campbell in the woods overlooking the working-class bastion of Cumberland. Goodwin, a vice-president of the BC Federation of Labor, had...Audio
This interview with Ernest Leslie (Les) Walker (1899-1974) details the history of the Mine-Mill union in Trail, British Columbia, its struggles against the anti-labour environment and the attempts by the Steelworkers union to take over its jurisdiction. It describes how...Audio
Harry Haywood Woodside’s (1890-1973) first work experience was in building the Lake Buntzen diversion tunnel at Coquitlam in 1909. His next job was a miner at Britannia Mine, where he joined the Western Federation of Miners. While at Britannia Mine...Audio
Jack Hanson provides a detailed account of the early history of the Rossland Miners Union (Western Federation of Miners, Local 38) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hanson arrived in Rossland in 1899, one year after the union...Audio
John David (Jack) Harrington (1879 – 1970), recounts his long history with the labour and socialist movements in North America, starting with his arrival in Canada around 1904. The interview was conducted in the 1960s by the BC Federation of...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in Dallas Square, in downtown Nanaimo, BC. It was developed with the support of the Nanaimo, Duncan, & District Labour Council. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located on the Miners’ Walk at Fernie City Hall, 501-3rd Ave., Fernie BC It was developed with the support of the United Steelworkers and the East Kootenay District Labour Council, and was unveiled on September 16,...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Unifor Local 2301 office at 235 Enterprise Ave, Kitimat, BC It was developed with the support of Unifor Local 2301 and the Kitimat, Terrace and District Labour Council. The plaque was cast at...Historical materials
The Lardeau Eagle was founded in 1900 by Parm Pettipiece in Ferguson, BC. Pettipiece was one of the founders of Socialist Party of Canada and frequently published his views in the newspaper, including his support for women’s enfranchisement. Visit the...Historical materials
The Rossland Evening World was a four-page daily newspaper established on May Day 1901 in Rossland, BC, dedicated to supporting mine workers in the Kootenays. It was one of Western Canada's first daily labor newspapers, owned by Local 38 of...Historical materials
The Industrial World newspaper was published in Rossland, BC from 1899 to 1901. It was the weekly predecessor to The Rossland Evening World. Visit The Industrial World digital archive (external link).Historical materials
BC District Union News was published by the BC, Yukon and Northwest Territories locals of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The union was often referred to as "Mine Mill." Visit the District News digital archive (external...Historical materials
The Commentator was the official organ of the Trail and District Smelter Workers, Local 480 International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Union (IUMM&SWU). The newspaper was published in Trail, BC between November 1938 and December 1954. Visit The Commentator...Historical materials
District 18 organized and negotiated collective agreements in the coalfields of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and had a membership of 6,000. The District Ledger, the newspaper of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 18 was founded by Frank Sherman,...Booklet
An explosion at the No. 3 Mine at Coal Creek, BC on April 5, 1917 instantly killed all 34 men working underground. The disaster profoundly affected the community. Investigations into the cause of the explosion yielded no clear explanation, and...Booklet
Joe Naylor (1872-1946) was an often-overlooked but profoundly influential figure in British Columbia's labour history, remembered as a radical union leader and a committed socialist.Teaching materials
This comprehensive educational resource explores the origins and evolution of the labour movement in British Columbia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The lesson examines the working conditions, struggles, and achievements of workers during this period, highlighting key events...Teaching materials
Highlights the 1912-1914 Big Strike in Vancouver Island coal mines where miners and mine owners clashed over worker safety. The film highlights the methods used by both sides to resolve the conflict including the use of police, militia and violent...Teaching materials
‘Dunsmuir’ is an infamous name in British Columbia, particularly related to coal mines on Vancouver Island, this film presents a snapshot of working in Dunsmuir-run coal mines in the 19th century. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans...Teaching materials
Gold Rushes attracted people from around the world to British Columbia. Although hopes were high, very few struck it rich. How did the Gold Rush affect the development of British Columbia? See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans...Teaching materials
This film looks at an important figure in BC labour history whose life and death continue to cause debate today. Ginger Goodwin’s early activism started in the coal mines of Vancouver Island and continued with the smelter workers of Trail...Teaching materials
Young children have always been part of the work force in British Columbia. Through the story of the explosion at Coal Creek mines in Fernie, this film examines the issue of child labour. See the rest of our Working People...Audio
In 1976, simmering discontent at the Alcan smelter in the northern community of Kitimat launched a full-scale revolt. A few union members staged a wildcat strike; they were soon joined by 1,800 others. 150 RCMP officers in riot gear and...Audio
Barney McGuire (1916-1995) was a hardrock miner, born and raised in Alice Arm, BC In 1933 he began working in mines throughout BC, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and later in eastern Canada after being blacklisted for his union activity. In...Video
Vince Ready is a legendary labour relations practitioner who has arbitrated and mediated several thousand disputes across Canada in all types of industries. Vince was born in Renfrew Ontario and lived on a farm with his parents and siblings until...Audio
Hear about the extraordinary 1952 Peace Arch Park concert where Paul Robeson, a Black American artist and activist, sang across the US-Canada border after his passport was revoked. This episode of On the Line revisits the historic event, highlighting Robeson's...Video
Peter Cameron was chief shop steward at the Phillips Cables plant in Vancouver, the first plant certified with the Canadian Electrical Workers, which merged with CAIMAW (Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Electrical Workers) in 1969. He served on the...Video
Roger Crowther was brought up in a working-class mining family in Hedley and Hope. His father was active in his union and in the community, which helped to inspire Roger’s activism. In 1972, working at the Bethlehem Copper Mine in...Audio
In the early 20th C, the large, exploited workforce of the smelter at Trail was ripe for organizing. Those efforts were contentious and the politics formidable. Company unions versus legitimate unions, communist union leaders versus anti-communist union leaders, International unions...Audio
Bea Zucco's campaign against the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) helped shift provincial policy on silicosis claims and remains a notable example of grassroots advocacy for workers’ health and rights. In this episode of On the Line we recount the remarkable...Audio
Miners had long struggled to unionize against coal barons, facing loss after loss. In 1911, the United Mine Workers of America were invited to make a final attempt to challenge the mine owners. What followed was explosive. This episode of...Audio
Joe Naylor: miner, socialist, pacifist, and comrade to Ginger Goodwin. In this episode of our On the Line podcast we shine a light on a remarkable yet overlooked figure in BC’s labour history. Less well-known than Goodwin, it was Naylor’s...Article
Throughout his 50 years in Prince Rupert, BC George Casey (1876-1962) was a steadfast representative of the working class and its union organizations. Casey headed to the United States as a young man where he spent time as a “hobo”,...Article
At 12 o’clock sharp on August 2, 1918, Vancouver transit operators stopped their streetcars in mid-route, drove them to the barns and walked home. The city’s normally bustling waterfront fell silent, as 2,000 burly stevedores and shipyard workers streamed from...Video
Peter Burton was born in Pembroke, Ontario, and worked for the Georgia Straight in Vancouver before going into the resource industry in northern BC. Peter was President of the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers (CASAW) in 1976, when...
