As Labour Day weekend approaches, Nanaimo labour leaders are expressing optimism about what’s ahead.
Both Ellen Oxman, Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labour Council president, and Rob Zver, Canadian Union of Public Employees local 606 president, are encouraged with what they’ve seen thus far since the B.C. NDP formed government with Green Party of B.C. members.
“They have stated their list of issues that they ran on through the election and that they want to see fulfilled as government and I think those sorts of things whether it’s raising the minimum wage or a child-care plan, looking at infrastructure projects, all of those sorts of things are going to have, in my mind, very positive impacts on the economy,” said Oxman. “It’s going to circulate more money and create opportunity as well, not just about the dollars in the system, but about opportunity.”
The government has announced a minimum wage increase, something that will benefit Nanaimo, Oxman said.
“People who make minimum wage spend their money,” said Oxman. “They’re not saving it, it’s not going offshore … anytime you increase that money, that money’s spent in the community and certainly looking at Nanaimo, we do have, obviously, some new growth, but there are signs of company stores that are going out of business, liquidating, a lot of empty storefronts.
“Those are negative signs, that’s not prosperity. But if you empower and have a large group of people that have some more money to spend in the economy, they’re going to spend it and that creates millions of dollars in our economy.”
Like Oxman, Zver is hopeful about what the government will bring.
“When it comes to recognizing labour and working within it, there starting a small thing by trying to bring in a decent minimum wage and strengthen their connections within the communities,” said Zver. “I think this government is going to be more towards working with, I would say, the working class people and bringing back their ability to have more of a stance in their own province than the corporations.”
Nanaimo, Duncan and District Labour Council will hold its annual Labour Day picnic Monday (Sept. 4) at Transfer Beach in Ladysmith from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome. There will be barbecue and children’s activities.