News & Upcoming Events – BHM and Langley by-election!
Re-circulated by the New Westminster & District Labour Council
Elect Stacey Wakelin for Langley School Board!
Delegates voted at our January 27th meeting to endorse Stacey Wakelin for the Langley School Board by-election on February 27th! If you live in Langley Township, please make a plan to VOTE! Here are some dates to keep in mind:
Final date to request mail in ballot: Feb 15th https://www.tol.ca/your-township/elections/2021-school-trustee-by-election/2021-mail-in-ballot-requests/
Advance voting
· Wednesday, February 17 (8:00am to 8:00pm) Aldergrove – Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre – 26770 29 Avenue. Enter through the meeting room door.
· Thursday, February 18 (8:00am to 8:00pm) Willowbrook/Willoughby – Township Civic Facility, 20338 65 Avenue – 1st floor – enter through the first floor entrance.
· Friday, February 19 (8:00am to 8:00pm) Walnut Grove – Walnut Grove Recreation Centre gymnasium, 8889 Walnut Grove Drive. Drive around the back of the building (past the pool) to the parking lot at the back and enter through the gym doors
Election Day: Saturday Feb 27th. More information on locations here: https://www.tol.ca/your-township/elections/2021-school-trustee-by-election/
If you don’t live in Langley Township you can still help progressive labour friendly voices hold on to a majority by donating to Stacey’s campaign here: https://staceywakelin.com/donate Just $10 or $20 can help!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Motions passed by delegates at the January 27, 2021 regular meeting Act now!
MSC the New Westminster & District Labour Council endorse the NDP call for Proud Boys to be listed as a terrorist organization and encourage members and affiliates to also sign the petition at https://www.ndp.ca/ban-the-proud-boys .
MSC the New Westminster & District Labour Council endorse the Take Back Delta Hospice Campaign and circulate a call for members to join the Society in support of the campaign. For $10 you can join the fight here: https://takebackdeltahospice.ca/
MSC the New Westminster & District Labour Council endorse the BC Federation of Students Knock Out Interest campaign, which has the goal of the elimination of interest charged on student loans and encourage affiliates and members to support the campaign. Sign the petition here: https://www.knockoutinterest.ca/
NWDLC Black History Month Community Conversation event February 17th
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcudO-rpjMtHtY5YKo5AgdiTmnZvbOmiKM0
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Passing of Labour and Progressive voices- Charan Gill and Hans Brown
Community activist, Charan Gill, the founder and former CEO of the Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) in Surrey, B.C., passed away on Tuesday morning. He was 84 years old.
Charan’s legacy is one of a man on a bold mission who lived to fight for the rights of farmworkers and new immigrants and for a better life for our seniors. He made enormous contributions to make British Columbia a better place for everyone.
In 1978, Gill co-founded the Canadian Farmworkers Union to improve the human rights, health and safety, and working conditions of farm workers. In 1987, he started PICS as a volunteer-based organization, which has since expanded to include offices in Surrey and Vancouver in order to more widely serve the multicultural community.
For all his efforts, Gill was awarded the Order of B.C. and the B.C. Human Rights Award by MOSAIC, among many other honours. He leaves behind a powerful legacy, a legacy that will inspire a new generation of British Columbians to carry on the struggle for a better society.
Hans Brown
May 15, 1944 – November 24, 2020
Hans was a long time NDP and union activist.
From the Surrey Now-Leader
While the Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society’s thrift store van was a write-off, a local dealership stepped up to help the society continue its work.
The charitable society’s van, which transports donations to the Newton thrift store from Fire Hall 17 (15329 32nd Ave.), was stolen “sometime after 7 p.m.” on Dec. 29, 2020 in South Surrey,” Dylan Van Rooyen previously told the Now-Leader. It was found the following day in Langley.
https://www.surreynowleader.com/community/after-thrift-store-van-stolen-and-damaged-surrey-dealership-helps-out-firefighters-charitable-society/
Shared on behalf of the SFU Labour Studies Program
Here is registration info for a free lunchtime webinar on “Learning from Gig Worker Organizing” Friday Feb 12 at noon. It’s the first of a series for the SFU Labour Studies Program. Please circulate widely among your networks.
Go to this page for the Eventbrite registration link: http://www.sfu.ca/labour/community/news-events/events-2021/webinar-series.html
Learning From Gig Worker Organizing
Part 1 of our webinar series: Just Recovery? Labour, Organizing and the Future We Want
Speakers:
Cherri Murphy is a social justice minister in the East Bay, California and a doctoral student at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. She is also a Lyft driver and lead organizer for Gig Workers Rising.
Aaron Spires is a letter carrier at Canada Post, and in 2015 was elected as the National Union Representative responsible for external organizing for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. He worked with field organizers and Foodora couriers to successfully challenge the couriers’ misclassification at the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and secure an 89% ‘Yes’ vote in favour of unionization.
Moderator:
Enda Brophy is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and an Associate in the Labour Studies Program at Simon Fraser University.
105-3920 Norland Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5G 4K7
Phone: 604-291-9306
www.nwdlc.ca
Facebook: nwdlc Twitter: @nwdlc
