Wayne Peppard Interview: Uniting Workers and Environmentalists
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 the US & Canada, Local 170 (UA170) first as a shop steward and later as an area rep and union communicator.
This interview was conducted by Sean Griffin on July 11, 2022 in Burnaby, BC. It is part of our Oral History Collection.
Wayne Peppard grew up in Castlegar, B.C., 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 the US & Canada, Local 170 (UA170) first as a shop steward and later as an area rep and union communicator. Later in his career he became Executive Director of the B.C. Building Trades Council. Wayne’s roots made his work and personal life strongly connected with water resources. He took a leadership role in the Kootenays in protecting watersheds from logging. In this interview he explains many of the organizations and projects he worked on, all aimed at bridging the divides between environmentalists and labour as well as protecting water resouorces. He explains his decision to support the Site C dam and the consequences of that choice.