Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society Collects Interviews for West Coast Fishing Industry Oral History

The following is excerpted from a press release issued by the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society.

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IMAGE: GULF OF GEORGIA CANNERY SOCIETY

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society is renewing its efforts to save the stories of Canada’s West Coast fishing industry. After a break of many years, the Society is again actively collecting stories from people who played a role in BC’s industry and for the first time, making them publicly available online.

With support from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Society is recruiting and training a team of volunteer interviewers to speak to seniors who fished commercially, worked in a cannery, or otherwise played a role in the fishing industry. These interviews will be digitally recorded and made available to the public through a new online database.

Executive Director, Rebecca Clarke commented, “We are very pleased to be able to connect with people who have contributed to one of Canada’s most significant industries. The fishing industry has changed so much and it’s important to save the stories of the men and women who spent years of their life working in it. We want to make sure their stories are available for future generations to understand what it was like.”

“The Government of Canada is proud to support organizations like the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society through the New Horizons for Seniors Program,” said Joe Peschisolido, MP for Steveston – Richmond East, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “The Society’s timely oral history project will help preserve for generations to come the memories and stories of people who worked in the westcoast fishing industry.”

The Society launched this oral history project this year and will continue collecting stories for years to come. Look for the online database in Spring 2017 with future interviews to be added regularly.

Interested in participating? The Society is looking for volunteers to help collect interviews, and for people who worked in the fishing industry and are willing to share their story. For more information about the project, or to volunteer, please contact Collections Manager, Heidi Rampfl at heidi.rampfl@gogcannery.org or 604‐664‐9007.