Winterlude is in full swing here in the National Capital Regions as thousands of people flock to the Rideau Canal, the world's longest outdoor skating rink and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Interest in the on-going preservation and celebration of the Rideau Canal clearly falls within the mandate of the Workers’ History Museum. Unfortunately, cuts to the Rideau and Trent- Severn canal systems may put the future of these historic Canadian canals in jeopardy.
The Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), launched a campaign over the summer of 2012 to raise awareness about the negative effects of the $29.2 million in cuts to Parks Canada. UCTE is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and an institutional member of the Workers’ History Museum.
The Rideau Canal alone will lose $2 million annually, despite being designated a National Historic Site of Canada and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cuts will affect several other canals, including Lachine, Carillion, Chambly and Saint-Ours.
With reduced staff to maintain and manage the canals, along with proposals to shorten the operating season and hours of service, our region’s tourism industry is under threat.
“For communities along these canal systems, this means the loss of tourism dollars and millions in economic spin-offs for small businesses, such as marinas, hotels, restaurants and boat operators.”Christine Collins, UCTE National President.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Lira Buschman, UCTE Communications Officer - 613-558-4003
Lino Vieira, PSAC Communications Officer - 416-577-0238
We have all heard the term "Company Town" which were mostly mill and mining communities where the company owned the housing, the store, the hospitals, the schools and the utilities; a town where the workers felt that the company controlled every aspect of their lives 24/7.
Well, have you ever heard of a Union Town?
There once was a union town in Port Union, Newfoundland (the only Union Town in North America according to the locals), which the CBC recently featured in a radio documentary "We are leaving Mr. Coaker" that aired on the January 29th broadcast of the Sunday Edition.
The documentary tells the history of this unique community.
While Port Union may appear to be a typical fishing outport, it was founded in 1916 by, and for, members of the Fisherman's Protective Union and their fiery leader William Ford Coaker. Port Union's life blood has been its fish plant and unionized workforce, however recent corporate ownership, a hurricane, dwindling fish stock and the pressures of the global economy have caused the plant to shut its doors, leaving the community with a questionable future.
Why don't Canadians know more about this worker-owned community, now a national historic site? What lessons from the past can future generations of Canadians learn?
To view the documentary visit:
http://www.cbc.ca/thesundayedition/documentaries/2012/01/29/we-are-leaving-mr-coaker/
To learn more about the History of Port Union visit:
http://www.historicportunion.ca/en/index.html
For a biography of William Ford Coaker visit:
http://web.ncf.ca/an650/teach99/wrt/nfld/coaker.htm
