RCPU

The year was 1938 and the Great Depression was hurting many. The maligned federal relief camps run by the Department of Defence had been replaced by relief projects run by the province and financed by both federal and provincial governments. The pay was the same, five dollars a month, and the work was primarily seasonal work on farms.

Many men from other parts of the province came to B.C. because of the milder weather and the opportunity to work on a forestry relief project, which paid more. From the government's point of view, these relief projects were ideal because the men were kept separate and therefore were less likely to organize. They did not want a repeat of the 1935 strike and 'On-to-Ottawa' trek. As well, this kept the disaffected, unemployed men out of urban centres.

This may not have been an ideal plan but at least the men were working, earning a little money and getting by. However, in early 1938, the Prime Minister of Canada cut grants-in-aid to the provinces, killing the relief projects. Premier Pattullo claimed the province could no longer shoulder the financial burden of these projects alone and shut down the relief projects in April.

Hundreds of unemployed men descended on Vancouver and these men were organized under the Relief Project Worker's Union (RCPU). On May 20, 1938, 1200 men left four different halls in East Vancouver - most believing they were heading to Stanley Park for a protest rally. However, when the group arrived at the corner of Granville and Hastings Streets, it became apparent that the park was not the destination.

About 700 men flooded into the newly renovated post office - now Sinclair Centre. Police reinforcements were called from Granville and Georgia Streets, leaving that area clear for 200 men to enter the Hotel Georgia while another 300 entered the Art Gallery.

The owner of the Hotel Georgia refused to call the police, probably worried about the potential property damage that may occur if the law arrived. He paid the group $500 and they left. The other two groups though stayed where they were for weeks to come. The art gallery closed their doors during the occupation but the post office stayed open.

This demonstration was led by a twenty-six-year-old named Steve Brodie. Brodie had been an activist three years earlier in the 1935 demonstrations and was now leader of the Youth Division of the RCPU. Brodie, and the RCPU, emphasized discipline among the protesters in order to get the public sympathy support. To this end, the post office remained open during the occupation.

Chief Constable Colonel W.W. Foster tried to persuade the men to leave, telling them that they had made their point and should now go home. Brodie politely told the Colonel that if these men had homes to go to, they would be in them. He also invited Foster to arrest the men, saying they would submit peacefully. The Chief Constable refused and decided to manage the situation instead of clogging the jails with 1000 new occupants. The attorney-general agreed with the Colonel, reasoning that the men would give up and leave in a few days. But those few days stretched into weeks and police officers stood by, waiting for orders to evict the men.

Colonel Foster had earned a reputation for diplomacy during the 1935 demonstration and it appeared that this was the way he was handling this event. However, behind the scenes, Foster was plotting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and politicians to evict Brodie and his companions.

So what happens next? I  will tell you on  Friday.

I want to thank Wikipedia for the information on these demonstration.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Wandering down Hastings

I have let you know a bit about Hastings Street yet I haven't even scratched the surface. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Hastings Street stretches a long way! And there is a fair amount of history connected to this thoroughfare.

This W rested atop the Woodwards retail building. It was installed in 1944 as a replacement for the pre-war searchlight beacon that had been there before.  Built in 1903 this was the premiere shopping destination for Vancouverites. Woodwards was famous for the W, its windows at Christmas time and the food floor in the basement. For ninety years residents were able to visit, shop and have memories made.

The building became vacant in 1993. Many ideas on what to do with the large space were proposed but nothing became definite. In 2006 the building was imploded - all but the original 1903 structure seen here - and the transformation began. Now this 1903-1908 heavy timber building is united with modern sky scraping units. It holds expensive condos mixed with social housing units.

Aren't those piggies cute?This is Save-On-Meats. The store opened in 1957 and closed in 2009. It was run that entire time by the same man. And although the butcher side of the business is closed Chan's Food Market and the Coffee Shop are apparently still open.

I like the way the metal shutters have been painted - and that they are not covered graffiti - so the place doesn't look shuttered and closed. According to a May article in scoutmagazine.ca someone has leased the building where Save-On Meats resides and was supposed to open in July. 

I took a little detour and walked a couple of blocks south on Granville. This is the Rogers Building built in 1911. Look at the detail on it.

The Rogers Building was named for Jonathon Roger who was a young immigrant from Wales. He also happened to be the first person to step off the first train to arrive in the newly formed Vancouver in 1887. His beginnings were rather simple - he was a painter. But he went on to become a contractor, builder, alderman, chairman of the city park board, president of the board of trade. Rumor has it that Rogers is responsible for over 1000 feet of buildings on Granville Street. When he stepped off that train and the Vancouver City Band began to play See The Conquering Hero Comes, Rogers thought it was for him. Maybe not that time but in years to come he probably had numerous tributes.

Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant on Hastings. When I was in my young teen years we went up and had lunch at this restaurant. If you want a view of Vancouver like none other then go here. If you aren't hungry you can go to the observation deck and just see the city. I can see that building from most places when I walk.

Sinclair Shopping Centre. This is an upscale shopping mall that is actually comprised for four different buildings that were restored. One of the buildings used to be the main post office for Vancouver from 1910 until 1958.

If you walk along the walkway beside the centre you will come to an office building at 200 Granville Street. It houses the Province and the Vancouver Sun newspapers. But I was more interested in the open area that looks out over the water.

Here you see a Seabus coming over from North Vancouver - it is a very short trip for those who want to avoid traffic.

There is the City of North Vancouver. Moodyville, now Moodyville Park, is the oldest settlement on Burrard Inlet. It even predates Vancouver. Logging the Douglas Fir of the area brought a water powered sawmill, built by Sewell Moody, and other amenities popped up soon after.

The ever present cranes for the Port of Vancouver. I saw a special on the Port on television and was astounded at what they do in a day. It is mind boggling to realize how much work it takes to keep that part of the city's prosperity running smoothly.

Just as a teaser, because there is so much to write on this, I am showing you a couple of pictures of the Station. There is a lot of pictures to take of this place - inside and out - and more history to relate. So I will save that for another day.

But before I say goodbye for the day I passed this woman standing on a stoop of a building on East Hastings. She was kind enough to let me take her photo so I want to thank her again. It is good to see people who are doing what they love.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, Hastings Street, Rogers Building,Sinclair Centre,The Station,Walk,history,Granville Street