The Story of Ginger Goodwin
Published: June 12, 2026
Authors: Janet Nicol
Ginger Goodwin was a wanted man when he left the town of Trail in British Columbia’s Kootenays region in the spring of 1918. A miner, labour activist and socialist, Goodwin had opposed Canada’s participation in the ‘Great War’ since its outbreak in 1914.
From leaving England for Canada in 1906, until his death in 1918, Nicol traces Goodwin’s life in British Columbia until he was shot dead in the mountains around Cumberland, BC by a disgraced former police officer. His death prompted a one-day general strike. Goodwin is a revered figure in BC’s labour history.
Freelance writer and member of the Writers Union of Canada, Janet Nicol wrote this concise history of Albert “Ginger” Goodwin’s life and death for the BC Labour Heritage Centre and the Cumberland Museum in 2026.
Included is the story of Goodwin’s gravestone in the Cumberland cemetery which continues to evoke deep emotions in the community.
