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The weather forecast for Thursday, July 7, 1983 in Prince George, BC was for heavy thunderstorms in the evening. No one expected a political tornado would be unleashed earlier that day when the newly re-elected Social Credit (Socred) government introduced...Video
Mike Dumler’s union career in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) included many elected and staff positions. After coming to Canada from the United States as a Vietnam War veteran, Brother Dumler joined CUPE in Nanaimo. He became President...Video
Produced by Barna-Alper Productions, this documentary tells the story of the 1983 Solidarity protests in BC. The film follows the mobilization of the Operation Solidarity Coalition, as labour and community groups joined against the Social Credit government's austerity budget and...Teaching materials
In 1983, Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition came together in response to a series of proposed bills by the Social Credit government to stage the largest protest in the province’s history. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Video
This interview covers the intense period in 1983 when Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition brought the province to the brink of a general strike. This interview was conducted by Jum Sinclair and Darryl Walker on September 5, 2018, in...Historical materials
The Patsy George fonds comprises textual records dating from 1977 to 1984. The collection documents the activities of Patsy George, a social worker who was terminated from her position with the Province of British Columbia due to the 1983 provincial...Historical materials
Solidarity Times published nine editions between October and December 1983 during the Solidarity movement in British Columbia. The newspaper was financed by Operation Solidarity and the BC Teachers’ Federation. It also published paid advertisements from a variety of unions and...Video
The interview covers Larry Kuehn's extensive involvement with labour and social justice organizations beyond his work with the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF). His time as president of the BCTF is covered in an earlier interview, available in our BCTF Past...Historical materials
The Art Kube fonds includes newspaper clippings, flyers, leaflets, research papers, legislation, briefs, speaking notes, press releases, personal notes, photographs, and documents pertaining to Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition.Video
Cliff Andstein is a seasoned activist with over 30 years’ experience in the trade union movement. He moved to BC as a young man, leaving his home province of New Brunswick where he had encountered the dangers of working as...Historical materials
The Hanne Jensen fonds is a collection of records collected between 1983 and 1984, when she played a central role in the Operation Solidarity movement in BC as a defender of human rights. Access to this collection requires Hanne Jensen's...Video
Barry O’Neill’s unionism began on Vancouver Island where he worked for several school districts and was rooted in workplace health and safety. He went on to hold elected positions in CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) locally, provincially and nationally....Video
Andy Ross was born in Newcastle, England. Growing up he was surrounded by unionized workplaces, from coal mines to industrial enterprises. Emigrating to Canada, he became a bus driver in Vancouver and was a member of the bus drivers’ unions,...Audio
The Social Credit government launched an all-out assault on social services in July 1983. When the staff of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops learned they were to be shut down, they fought back. In this episode of On the Line,...Video
Diane Wood spent many years as a union activist starting in Duncan where she organized the School District clerical workers and led her first strike. She then moved to northeast BC where she began her activism in the BCGEU. This...Video
Bob Waghorn grew up in North Vancouver. In this interview, he shares memories of accompanying his Teamster father, the last milkman in Vancouver to deliver milk by horse. He trained as a mechanic and his early jobs were as a...Video
George Hewison grew up in Campbell River where he learned his unionism and politics at “the kitchen table” during the Cold War years. He was an organizer and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) for...Video
In 1983, the British Columbia Social Credit government announced the closure of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops, BC, a facility housing over 300 residents with developmental disabilities, as part of a broader cut in social services. This video is part...Video
Russ Leech is from a family of strong trade unionists. His parents organized the Machinists’ Fitters & Helpers Industrial Union local in Victoria during World War II. Given his family’s history, it’s not surprising that when Russ got a job...Video
Harold Steves was born in Vancouver in 1937 and grew up on his family’s farm in Steveston. It was a diverse farming and fishing community of Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian, and First Nations families. An early memory of Harold’s just before...Video
George Heyman was born in Vancouver to parents who were survivors of the Holocaust. They were assisted by the Japanese Consul in Lithuania, Chiune Sugihara, to escape Poland. George attended high school in Vancouver, working the night shift at Safeway,...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...Video
Patrice Pratt was born in Ohio in 1948 and grew up in Arizona in a staunchly Catholic family with five children. She attended Catholic schools and moved to San Francisco to attend the University of San Francisco, a Catholic Jesuit...Video
Born in Newfoundland, David Gellately made his way to BC in the early 1970s. He became a provincial government employee in northern BC and an activist in his union, the BCGEU. This interview was conducted by Patricia Wejr and Donna...Video
Kristina Vandervoort was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She moved to British Columbia with her parents when she was eight and they settled in North Vancouver. After high school, Kristina started her first job at Lions Gate Hospital and that is...Article
A strike at the Prince George Canadian Tire store by the Retail Clerks’ Union Local 1518 lasted from December 1983 until May 1986 (27 months). The central issue was union recognition. The store opened in 1982, and the union was...Historical materials
The Collected Materials fonds, spanning from 1913 to 2016, includes items donated to the BC Labour Heritage Centre over its lifetime. The fonds contains a diverse array of records related to the labour movement in British Columbia.Video
Brian Nasu, born in Tofino, BC and raised in East Vancouver, grew up in a family deeply connected to the fishing industry. As a young person, Brian started working at an IGA grocery store that was in the process of...Video
Fred Wilson recounts his life and work in the labour movement, including his early involvement with the Young Communist League, his time as a labour reporter at the Pacific Tribune, his role in the Operation Solidarity movement, and his work...Video
Jef Keighley was born in Vancouver, BC in 1950. He spent time working in Jamaica through the Canadian University Service Overseas. He worked in the automotive and construction industries before becoming involved in the Canadian Association of Industrial, Mechanical and...Video
John Shields was born and raised in New York City by Irish Catholic parents who were both union members. He pursued a life in the Catholic church clergy, but left after disagreement with the direction of the church. He moved...Video
The learning curve was steep for Gary Johnson. As a young man he learned the ropes for leadership in the trade union movement starting at age 18. Before he was 20 years old he was president of Local 454 of...Video
Born in 1932 in a small Saskatchewan town, Sheila Pither came to Vancouver with her mother after the death of her father. Sheila’s husband was a millwright in Vancouver, and she became active in the International Woodworkers of America (IWA)...Video
As a founding Board Member of BC Labour Heritage Centre, Mervyn Van Steinburg recounts his story of a worklife spent in service to BC’s unionized community. In this interview, Brother Van Steinburg recounts his union beginnings as an electrician member...Video
Lorna Waghorn-Kidd was born in Prince Rupert but grew up in various towns throughout northern British Columbia. She moved to Prince George in 1976 where she got a job as a typist at an employment insurance office, then with the...Video
This interview with Joey Hartman covers her extensive history as an activist and labour leader in British Columbia. Joey discusses her upbringing in Vancouver and her early work experiences in early childhood education. A particularly formative experience was the mentorship...Video
Progressive lawyer Jim Quail first worked for legal aid organizations in BC helping farmworkers and tenants in the late 1970s and 80s. He successfully fought Bill Bennett’s attempt to eliminate tenants’ rights, was a leading participant in the Solidarity Coalition...Video
Sharon Yandle was born in 1941 in Vancouver, BC Raised in the East Side of Vancouver, Sharon spent the majority of her career as a freelance negotiator for various unions across the province, specializing in arbitration and “duty to accommodate”....Video
Ken Isomura began working in the forest industry at 17. He credits growing up, living and working in Revelstoke with his later involvement in unions and community organizations because it gave him a sense of community. After relocating to the...Video
Elsie Dean, 99 years old at the time of this interview, grew up in Saskatchewan during the 1920s and ‘30s. She describes the impact of the Depression on her family’s livelihood. Educated to Grade 8 in a one-room school, Elsie...Video
In this compelling oral history, former BCGEU Director Gary Steeves recalls his formative years, the occupation of Tranquille residential institution in Kamloops, and 25 years of his union’s remarkable evolution. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on October 4,...Video
In this 2023 conversation, Colleen Fuller talks about growing up in a politically active family and her life of political and labour activism. She was born in the United States to parents active in the Communist Party and the labour...Video
Dave Pritchett served on the ILWU 500 executive for about 25 years. He is the grandson of IWA founder, Harold Pritchett and son of Craig Pritchett, the first president of the Canadian region of the ILWU. This interview was conducted...Video
Bernice Kirk began her union career at the Coquitlam School Board, and became the Secretary-Treasurer and President of CUPE BC, as well as a Vice President of the National CUPE Board. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski and Blair...Video
This interview with Leo McGrady, a prominent labour lawyer in British Columbia, covers his extensive career and involvement in the labour movement. He describes his early life and upbringing in an Irish Catholic family, and how social justice issues influenced...Article
A hand-painted union flag fashioned from a bed sheet became a symbol of solidarity and determination during the 1983 Tranquille Institution occupation in Kamloops, BC.Video
Bill Zander was born at home in the small town of Myrtle, Saskatchewan in 1934, but spent his childhood in Vancouver, BC He started working in a lumber mill after returning from the Royal Canadian Airforce, and became a plant...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located outside the BCGEU office at 151 Oriole Rd, Kamloops, BC. It was developed with the support of BCGEU. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928....Video
Sean grew up in Burnaby where he began his political activism early as a paperboy delivering Pacific Tribune newspapers for Harold Pritchett. Sean’s father was the longtime editor of the Pacific Tribune and Sean’s mother was also politically active. Due...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...Video
Colleen Jordan was born and raised in southern Alberta. Through her early jobs she saw several examples where union members made more money than non-union, but where men were included in the unions and women were excluded. She studied at...Video
John Radosevic was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy. As a teenager he worked on an uncle’s ranch in Alberta and in the dangerous job of tie-up man in seine fishing in BC...Video
John Burrows was born in 1954 in Victoria BC. His career started at Victoria Plywood where his interest in unions was quickly ignited. John soon transitioned to the City of Victoria, progressing over the years from a casual role to...Audio
In the dark years of the Great Depression, workers at the Fraser Mills lumber plant in what is now Coquitlam put aside their differences and fought for fair wages and dignity. In this episode of the On the Line podcast,...Video
In this wide-ranging and interesting interview, Blair Redlin asks Judy Cavanaugh to describe the experience and identify the important outcomes and lessons learned through the many working experiences in her life. This interview was conducted by Blair Redlin on May...Video
Darryl Walker, of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU), served as Provincial Vice President (1999 to 2008) and President (2008 to 2014). This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski On January 21, 2020 in Burnaby, BC. It is...Video
Judy Darcy started out as an enthusiastic public speaker and leader in her kindergarten days in Sarnia, Ontario, and has never looked back. Judy was very active in the student movement and in the women’s movement, including being on the...Video
Mary LaPlante was introduced to unions when she worked at a fish plant as a summer job. She later worked at the Prince Rupert Hospital where most staff were unionized, but not the administrative staff where she worked. Mary organized...Video
Born in a small farming community is Northern Saskatchewan, Frank ventured to Quesnel in 1971. He was 18 years old when he arrived and was looking for work in the forest industry. The first job was in a planer mill...Audio
For over 100 years, the hard-working women in the fruit packing plants became known as the “Apple Box Belles”. While much has been written about Okanagan fruit-growing, the early union history has barely been mentioned.Video
Ken Georgetti’s life as an elected union representative spans over 40 years. Beginning as a proud member of Trail, BC’s United Steelworkers Local 480, Brother Georgetti rose through the ranks to become Local Union President, President of the BC Federation...Video
Gary Kroeker spent over 35 years as an activist and executive member of Local 115 of the International Union of Operating Engineers as well a term as President of the BC Building Trades Council. This interview was conducted by Jim...Video
Terry was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. As a young man, he was in the Air Force for a couple of years and worked in various mills. He became a provincial government employee when he started working...Video
Colin Gabelmann came to Canada as a child in 1947 from London, England. He was influenced by his family’s ties to social democratic parties in Europe which continued in Canada where they were strong supporters of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth...Video
Stan Shewaga was born in St. Boniface and grew up in the north end of Winnipeg. After working in Louisiana for a while, he joined the American Army in the fifties, when he was about 17. After he left the...Video
Hans Brown worked for the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) in BC for 13 years, taking the lead on pay equity and classification between 1974 and 1987. He is best known for his connections to BC’s New Democratic Party (NDP). This...Video
In this conversation, Colin Gabelmann and Ron Johnson describe the difficult relationship between the BC Federation of Labour and the BC NDP from the 1960s through the 1980s. Gabelmann and Johnson are both retired staffers from the BC Fed, and...Video
Anne Harvey was born in a tenement in Manchester, U.K. Her father made patterns out of wood for casting metal parts, and her mother sewed clothes piecework as he built his pattern making business. Anne moved to Canada with her...Video
Roger Stonebanks grew up in a conservative family in England and attended boarding school. He learned the value of organizing when, as a young boy, he organized a boycott to demand better food at school. The boycott failed, but the...Video
Barbara Stevens grew up in a fishing community on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Her father, Homer Stevens, was a leader in the fishing industry and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Barbara shares stories from her...Video
John Calvert was born in Oshawa, Ontario and grew up in London, Ontario. In his late teens, he obtained a commercial pilot’s license, which meant that he could help pay for his post-secondary education by working as a bush pilot...Video
Bill Smith was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He moved to British Columbia in 1970 and subsequently spent more than 40 years working as a commercial fisherman in Prince Rupert and the North Coast. In...Video
Jackie Campbell was born and raised in Vancouver, but it was in Sointula that she became acquainted with the fishing and shorework industries. Jackie packed salmon roe for a small business, shared childcare with her cooperative community, and was introduced...Video
Stephanie Smith was the first elected woman president of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) in its over 100-year history, holding the post from from 2014 to 2024. Born in Canada and educated in New Zealand, Stephanie attended teacher’s college...Video
Chris Allnutt’s deep desire to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves and make the world a better place led him to work in the labour movement. This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh on May 7, 2024 in...Video
Paul Ramsey was born in the United States in 1944. His father was an engineer and a Democrat, who served as a council member for 16 years in the suburb where Paul grew up. Paul aspired to be an academic...Video
Sucha Singh Deepak was born in 1948 in Punjab, India and immigrated to Canada in 1970, where he worked in lumber mills in Quesnel, B.C. and Fort St. James, B.C. This interview was conducted by Dr. George Davison on Dec...Video
Rod Hiebert became President of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) in 1991. During his time as a union leader he was present for many pivotal issues affecting members, including pension funds, technological change and pay equity. He discusses the union’s...Audio
BC’s unionized building trades led a valiant effort in the 1980s to fight off the anti-union Social Credit government. It all came to a head in the run-up to Vancouver’s World’s Fair, Expo 86. The provincial government wanted to open...Video
Randy Pearson was born in northern BC to a working-class family. He worked in the lumber mills around Prince George as a young man, before traveling, marrying and getting a unionized job with pension benefits at a BC Liquor Store....Video
John Bowman grew up in the north end of Winnipeg and went to the University of Winnipeg studying labour history and journalism. He became active in progressive issues. John edited the student union newspaper while taking a full course load....Video
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....
