Weekend BC Fed conference in Prince Rupert explored future of work

The future of work for British Columbians was the focus for
delegates of a two conference held September 6 & & in Prince Rupert
(Photo from BC Labour Heritage twitter feed)

The British Columbia Federation of Labour wrapped up a weekend conference on the North Coast on Sunday, after two full days of events, forums and presentations that explored the future of work in the province.

And as they took to their themes, Prince Rupert perhaps provided for what surely were the best examples for their review, with some reminders of the past and worries for the future.

The two day conference that took place at the Highliner Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre brought the delegates to the city to explore a range of topics related to the future of work in the Province.

In amidst their panel discussions, and guest appearances from provincial and federal politicians, they had a chance to spread out across the area to take in some of the many elements of industrial life in Prince Rupert.

Among the stops was a visit out to the North Pacific Cannery Historical Site in Port Edward, where they explored the past of Prince Rupert's once vibrant fishing industry and then when back into their discussions heard of the dire circumstances facing many in the industry today.

Awareness of those issues gained an additional push on Monday as union officials and First Nations representatives issued another call for Federal help at a Vancouver media conference.

Another theme of the Prince Rupert  event was the growing advance of automation and there too, the examples of the impact of that industrial theme can be found in the city.

With Prince Rupert recently featured as part of an ILWU study that highlighted just how much of an impact that automation could have on the employment picture on the North Coast waterfront.

As part of their study on the issue the BC Fed provided the results of a working paper on the issue for delegates to review and discuss, no doubt generating some lively debate on how the future may unfold and how Labour can work towards ensuring that workers rights continue to be respected.

The weekend conference followed a tour of the region on the Thursday by the BC Fed officials who visiting with of some of the local workers that they represent in the city.

The BC Fed Facebook page provides a good timeline of their work in Prince Rupert and some of the observations that came from their stay in the city.

The BC Labour Heritage twitter feed also provides some accounts of the weekend's work

While another archive of the weekend comes from the twitter feed of long time labour observer and journalist Rod Mickleburgh, he was also a participant in the Prince Rupert conference and found much to explore while here.

His notes highlight much of the work of the two day event and also feature a number of photos of his travels around the city and some of his discoveries.

For more items of interest related to labour issues on the North Coast see our Labour archive page here.