edlc labour reporter - Edmonton and District Labour Council

EDLC LABOUR
REPORTER
Published by the Edmonton & District Labour Council
Next General Meeting Monday November 16, 2015 7:00pm Labour Centre 10425-Princess Elizabeth Avenue
November 2015
Presidents Message by Bruce Fafard
C
ongratulations to Amarjeet Sohi on his election
to parliament in this past federal election and his
appointment to cabinet as the Minister of
Infrastructure and Communities. This past federal
election was not the result the labour council was hoping
for although it is comforting to know that the new
member of parliament for Edmonton Millwoods has
been a long supporter of labour in this city. The Federal
Liberals do not have a very good rack record when it
comes to labour but their election platform does have
some hopeful promises. Such as repealing of Bills C-377,
C-525 and saving home delivery with Canada Post.
Nevertheless these are only promises at the moment and
time will tell if they will follow through. That’s why its
vital that we have MPs that understand the values of
labour such as Amarjeet Sohi. Minister Sohi is a former
member of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) 569 as a
driver with Edmonton transit and his experience with
labour will be sorely missed at city council but will now
play a larger role nationally.
With Sohi in Ottawa this creates a vacancy for ward 12
in south east Edmonton. As with every civic election the
labour council will be involved in seeking and supporting
a labour friendly candidate to help represent the interest
of all workers in the city. The election has not been
scheduled as of yet although it is projected to be in late
January or early February 2016. More information will
be available on edlc.ca as the election nears.
November 2015
Vol.26 No.9
EDLC Supporting the
United Way
N
ovember 8th the Labour Council
participated in the first ever United
Way Wild Wagons Showdown at Fort
Edmonton Park. The free event had
activities for all ages including kids events
such as lasso school, face painting, country
craft corner, horse drawn wagon rides and
featured human chuck wagon racing down
1920 street. 10 area organizations entered
which made it fun and exiting spectacle for
everyone in attendance. The showdown
coincides with the upcoming Rodeo Week
and the CFR. The council was well
represented by executive members pictured
above Brian Henderson (CUPW), Perri
Garvin (UFCW 401), Marc Laferriere
(UNIFOR 1087) Bruce Fafard (EDLC) and
Debbie Bjarnason (UNA 79).
EDLC Labour Reporter
Family Violence Prevention Month
by Perri Garvin
N
ovember is Family Violence Prevention month. The
Edmonton and District Labour Council is a strong advocate
of breaking the silence and speaking up against Family
Violence. The EDLC is committed to working with Family Violence
groups in the city through our alliance with CIAFV Community
Initiatives against Family Violence. The labour council calls upon all
its affiliates and members to stand up and end the violence. The
days of staying silent are over and we must set the example in our
daily lives to our friends, families and coworkers. Family violence
does not just happen at home but carries over into our daily lives and
to our workplaces. We as a labour movement must set the example for our members. We cannot stand by and
watch as our members, be they sisters or brothers, suffer the horror of being mentally, physically or financially
abused. No person should have to stand alone, if you know of someone who needs help, call 211, (the support
line) or phone a shelter and ask them what you can do to help. Let’s give our sisters and brothers the voice to
EDLC 2016 Labour School
The 2016 education weekend is now
open for registrations: 7 courses offered
from Basic Shop Steward, WCB
Advocacy, Communications for Local
Unions and more.
The school will be located at Concordia
University College of Alberta 7128 Ada
Boulevard, on March 18-20, 2016.
Registrations can be sent in to the
EDLC office or you can register using
the online form on our website and must
be received no later than March 2nd.
For more information please contact the
EDLC at 780-474-4747, [email protected]
or on the web at edlc.ca.
November 2015
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EDLC Labour Reporter
Packingtown Edmonton: Workshop/Performance
Friday, December 11, 2015 at 7:30pm
Belvedere Community Hall 13223—62 Street NW
T
he community that became
known as Packingtown was
established in the early 20th
century with Fort Road as its
commercial centre and Swift
Canadian, Burns, Canada Packers
and the Edmonton Stockyards as
the centre of the meatpacking
industry. Canada Packers’ brick
chimney stack is a lone reminder of
the meatpacking era; however, it is
still possible to evoke the
community’s history through songs,
oral history, imagery, and text.
Our creative team – singer/
songwriter Maria Dunn,
videographer Don Bouzek,
historian Catherine C. Cole, and
community member Janice
Melnychuk – have been gathering
and studying the oral histories of
people connected with the
Packingtown area: community
members and workers in
meatpacking and related industries.
Out of this rich tapestry of stories,
we have co-created a workshop
presentation of a new video ballad
that explores the history of
Packingtown Edmonton. This
performance is under development
October 2015
and features new songs created by
Juno Award-nominated singer/
songwriter Maria Dunn. If you
enjoyed the GWG: Piece by Piece
video ballad or the Packingtown
walking tours, here’s your
opportunity to see a new work in
development.
is supported by the Edmonton
Heritage Council, the Alberta
Historical Resources Foundation,
the Edmonton and District Labour
Council, the Alberta Federation of
Labour, and UFCW Local 1118.
Ground Zero Productions is
supported by the Canada Council
for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation
for the Arts, and the Edmonton Arts
Council.
Admission is free but space is
limited, so please rsvp by
December 7, 2015 through
Special thanks to the Belvedere
EventBrite at
Community League
www.packingtown.eventbrite.ca
For more information, contact Kirsti
Tamblyn at 780-420-1400 or
[email protected]
Check out the project’s website
at:www.packingtown.org.
Organizers are still interested in
conducting recorded interviews
with people who worked in
meatpacking or related industries
or who have interesting stories to
share about community life. For
further information, contact
Catherine C. Cole at 780-424-2229
or [email protected].
The Packingtown Edmonton project
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The EDLC Labour Reporter is
published by the Edmonton & District
Labour Council. We welcome your
submissions, letters and comments.
Opinions expressed in this newsletter
are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the EDLC.
Edmonton & District Labour Council
#101– 10425 Princess Elizabeth Ave.
Edmonton, AB T5G 0Y5
(o) 780.474.4747 (f) 780.477-1064
Email: [email protected]
www.edlc.ca
@EdmLabour
EDLC Labour Reporter
November 2015
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EDLC Labour Reporter