Historical materials
Lillian May Cooper Money (1919-2016) was a life-long political and women's rights activist. She championed many pursuits including the CCF/NDP and the YWCA. In 1941 she was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for possession of alleged Communist literature under wartime...Article
Patrick Burns opened his first slaughterhouse in Calgary in 1890. In 1907 Burns & Co built “a large and modern packing plant” in Vancouver, at the foot of Woodland Drive. By the 1940s, the meatpacking industry was dominated by three large...Historical materials
The BC Workers’ News was published by the Communist Party beginning in 1935. It changed its title several times in ensuing years. This collection includes issues since its inception until 1946. Visit the BC Workers' News digital archive.Video
The Great Depression of the 1930s severely impacted British Columbia, leading to a widespread economic collapse and mass unemployment across Canada. Many young men traveled to the West Coast, seeking refuge from the hardship in the milder climate. This video...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the corner of Mt. Seymour Parkway and Northlands Dr. in North Vancouver, BC. It was developed with the support of the Deep Cove Heritage Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized...Historical materials
Alice was a BC union pioneer who paved a better path for working women, mostly as a formidable force within the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). In 1979, she became the first woman National Director for BC, Yukon and...Historical materials
Andy Neufeld has authored books on the history of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the International Woodworkers of America.Historical materials
The Labor Statesman was a significant newspaper dedicated to labor unity and a higher standard of living for workers. Affordable at just five cents per copy or a dollar for a 20-week subscription, the newspaper aimed to reach a broad...Booklet
A devastating coal dust explosion while the SS Queen of the Pacific was being loaded with coal in Nanaimo, BC on July 29, 1886 caused the deaths of 9 longshoremen and seamen. The immediate suspect for the blast was highly...Booklet
This booklet examines the explosion on board the SS Green Hill Park, a Canadian merchant vessel, in Vancouver, BC harbour in 1945, killing two seamen and six longshoremen, and the Inquiry in the aftermath.Audio
In this episode we tell the story of the "conductorettes" - the women who worked as streetcar conductors in Vancouver during World War II when many men were overseas fighting fascism. The conductorettes were part of a strong union: the...Teaching materials
Rutledge was a pioneer in Canadian aviation, setting up an all female “Flying Seven” Club in Vancouver. Useful as a case study of the gendered division of labour and summarizes historical obstacles facing women as commercial pilots. This episode is...Teaching materials
This film captures pieces of working life at North Vancouver’s Burrard Dry Dock during WWII, when women entered the workforce in previously unheard-of numbers. Students will explore the role of women in wartime industry, the effect of the wartime production...Teaching materials
The subject of this film is Tatsuro “Buck” Suzuki, a fisher and early environmentalist on the Fraser River in British Columbia who also played a key role in the return of interned Japanese Canadians to the coast after the Second...Audio
From union organizing in Steveston to postwar civil rights and environmental advocacy, “Buck” Suzuki’’s contributions spanned decades and sectors. A foundation in his name continues his legacy today. In this episode of On the Line, we celebrate the life of...Article
During World War II, at the age of 16, Alice West joined tens of thousands of other BC women who went to work, doing industrial jobs that were normally filled by the men fighting overseas. She started work at Vancouver...Audio
The International Woodworkers of America (IWA) defied deep-seated racism in BC’s forest industry by hiring Asian organizers. Their efforts helped integrate thousands of workers into the union.This episode of our On the Line podcast highlights the pioneering efforts of Roy...Article
On September 2, 1965, 75-year old Abe Mortimer (1889-1969) bellowed “Pl-a-a-y B-a-a-w-w-l” before an audience of more than 2,500 at Capilano Stadium in Vancouver to kick off a two-inning Old-Timers’ baseball game. Abe had broken his leg in three places...Article
In November 1944 and again in 1945 — as the Second World War neared its end — two art exhibitions celebrating labour took place at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The first exhibition included 150 works; in 1945 there were over...Video
Grace Stevens was born in Saskatchewan to Finnish and Norwegian parents, moving to Webster’s Corners in BC as a girl where her parents farmed and fished the Fraser River. Growing up in the Depression years, she learned to fight for...Video
This is an audio-only interview with Nick Carr. Nick was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy, where he spent his career as a fisherman. He became President of Local 1 of the United...
