Working People: A History of Labour in British Columbia
This three-part series shares the stories of workers, industries and events spanning three centuries of BC history.
This three-part series shares the stories of workers, industries and events spanning three centuries of BC history.
Explore the Cariboo Gold Rush and the coal mines on Vancouver Island. Take a ride on the great BC steamships and...
The Great Depression and two World Wars set on hard times for BC's labour movement. From labour camps on the Fraser...
From company towns like Ocean Falls popping up around the province to the devastating Second Narrows Bridge collapse...
The Indigenous People of British Columbia have had a long history of labour, from building their economies on...
Gold fever spread dreams of great fortune for seekers willing to brave the harsh conditions of gold mining in the...
The invention of steam-ships revolutionized transportation for British Columbia in the 1800’s, allowing workers to...
Learn about the miners’ strike in the 1870’s that was sparked by inhumane working conditions set by the wealthy...
Through candid photos of labourers from all trades, Mattie Gunterman documented the pioneer life of British...
Asian discrimination escalated in British Columbia after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, resulting...
A mining explosion in Coal Creek triggered a movement to protect children from being exploited through child labour...
The formation of the BC fisherman’s union in 1899 challenged the dominance of cannery owners, resulting in a strike...
The booming forest industry in British Columbia fostered the creation of an ethnically diverse town called Paldi,...
The first strike in the British Columbia telephone industry was catalyzed by the emergence of women operators who...
A paradoxical situation in the long shoring industry informed the creation of the Bows and Arrows union,...
Contrasted against the beauty of the Fraser River, the construction crews of the Canadian Northern Railway faced...
Setting the stage for the women’s suffrage movement in Vancouver, Helena Gutteridge played an integral role in...
With gas explosions killing hundreds, miners working in Vancouver Island initiated BC’s longest and most violent...
With gas explosions killing hundreds, miners working in Vancouver Island initiated BC’s longest and most violent...
Learn how the death of a single union worker led to Canada’s first general strike in 1918.
Travelling across miles of rough terrain with a home-made darkroom hitched to the back of his car, Wilmer Gold...
Work relief camps that sprung up during the Great Depression inspired union activists to take their grievances all...
A dispute between the Langley School Board and Langley Teachers Association led by Connie Jervis set the precedent...
Unemployment strife during the Great Depression came to a head in Vancouver when peaceful protests became anything...
A small company town born in 1906 was home to more than pulp mill workers, it was also a vibrant community that...
The first woman in western Canada to get a commercial pilots licence had yearned to fly since childhood, and left a...
Despite racial barriers and the disaster of Pearl Harbour, Buck Suzuki remained a recognized visionary in the BC...
Women’s entry into the labour force during World War II opened the conversation within unions to establish equal pay...
The disastrous bridge collapse during construction of the Second Narrows cantilever bridge resulted in the single...
An 8-year long Silicosis campaign ran by Bea Zucco became a rallying point for groups who were disgruntled by the...
“The main thing that working women need is union organization”. Watch how the unionization movement for working...
A lack of union protection for farmworkers in BC resulted in years-long battles between the Canadian Farmworkers...
The Solidarity campaign represented over 400,000 BC workers, setting the stage for the largest labour protest in...