By Erin Knutson

The East Kootenay District Labour Council (EKDLC) hosted its annual Labour Day BBQ at Rotary Park in Cranbrook, on Monday, Sept. 7, drawing a crowd that danced through the rain while enjoying live music, face-painting, BBQ, and games alongside volunteers, sponsors, and community organizations.

Performances by local musicians Side Hustle and The Intended entertained guests for the annual statutory holiday, which celebrates the labour movement and labour unions that have fought to protect workers’ rights, including health and gender parity.

Speeches by Event Organizer and EKDLC President Krista Napl and City of Cranbrook Councillor Lynnette Wray, the Labour Council-endorsed candidate for Mayor in the upcoming municipal election, also marked the event.

“Municipal elections are about the decisions that affect us every single day: our roads, our houses, our public services, recreation and future opportunities, and you have a say. EKDLC is committed to strong public services, and the Labour Council has endorsed Lynnette Wray as its mayoral candidate,” Napl said.

Napl welcomed Wray as EKDLC’s mayoral pick and thanked everyone who brought the BBQ to life. She applauded the support of CUPE 2090, the College of the Rockies Faculty Association, United Steelworkers Local 105, and local businesses like M & M Food Market, Safeway, Save On Foods, and Culligan.

Volunteers received special recognition, and guests were reminded that every dollar raised would help stock the Cranbrook Food Bank.

“Give it up for all those great unions who donated today,” Napl said, reflecting on the values behind their endorsement as Wray took to the stage.

“I want to say a special thank you to the labour movement for supporting women and gender equality. These good union jobs support our families, our community, our local businesses, and our local non-profits, so thank you,” Wray said.

Wray pointed to her mother as her family’s financial foundation, saying she was a unionized nurse while Wray was growing up. “Mom, a registered nurse, was the financial backbone of our family because she had a good union job, and it allowed her to support the family.”

She emphasized the significance of the upcoming municipal election and voters’ responsibility to elect their preferred candidates.

“This is an important municipal election. Over the past four years, I’ve been honoured to serve as city councillor and have focused on work that positively impacts the community. I want to celebrate those positives—we’ve made significant progress in housing, which is great to see. Everyone can see the construction boom in the community, and it’s bringing a wide variety of housing. We need to keep working on that because, by 2045, our goal is to have 3,650 new units. We also need to focus on affordable housing, so that work has to continue,” Wray said.

Praising the city as a provincial leader in the campaign against homelessness and in supporting mental health and addictions through action, she said Cranbrook has taken a nuanced approach to solving these issues.

“Like many other communities, Cranbrook has been faced with the challenges of homelessness, mental health and addictions, a perfect storm that really hit us through and after COVID. I’m happy to share that Cranbrook has become a leader in the province with a multi-faceted, community-based approach to mitigate these challenges,” she said.

According to Wray, efforts included hiring a social development coordinator for the city, with support from the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) and its non-profit partners.

“We have amazing services from all our non-profits, including outreach and food security initiatives. At the RCMP, we have a situation team that meets to discuss high-need folks in our community and how best to support them. We have a provincial program for repeat property offenders, and RCMP and Bylaw are working more closely than ever.

“We’ve worked hard to rebuild and strengthen our relationship with BC Housing, and it is paying off. We now have our new homeless shelter, and we’ve got tiny homes on the agenda for more supportive living opportunities for folks.

Wray touted city infrastructure upgrades that supported new housing developments. She cited infrastructure development and maintenance as a top priority, along with strong public services, as part of her platform.

As the rain fell, the message was clear: community and solidarity are as important as growth.

“A last positive is infrastructure projects – including the Victoria Avenue project, updating pipes under the street through stages, which facilitated the new Dr. F.W. Green Memorial Home and new apartments at St. Mary’s,” Wray said of the city’s successful initiatives.

Lead image: Mayoral candidate Councillor Lynnette Wray addresses the Labour Day BBQ event Monday (Sept. 7) at Rotary Park.  Photos by Erin Knutson

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