As the end of 2021 approaches, we would like to take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at the IBEW 213 office to wish you, your family, and friends a happy and safe holiday season.
This has been a difficult year. We all hoped to be through this pandemic by now, but it still lingers in our communities and workplaces, and continues to disrupt our lives. Spring brought an unprecedented “heat dome,” followed by devastating wildfires, and now we’re just starting to dry out and clean up after an “atmospheric river” brought floods that destroyed homes, businesses and vital infrastructure. Through it all we’ve remained resilient and united.
This past fall, our Local turned 120! The first IBEW Local in Western Canada, IBEW 213 was chartered on November 6, 1901. We celebrated in muted fashion, and received many messages marking the milestone, including video wishes from B.C. Premier John Horgan, IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson, and others. You can watch the video here. We’re already excited to mark our next milestone, one when we can all come and celebrate together!
Looking forward to 2022 with optimism, we see the pandemic becoming endemic, manageable, and less of an upheaval on our lives. In the spring we look forward to the IBEW Convention in Chicago. Spring also brings the return of Shop Steward training, live and in-person in cities throughout the province.
In the summer we look forward to being able to get back to our annual summer BBQs in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan, and our fishing derby in the Kootenays. We’ll be hosting a NextGen conference in 2022, and NextGen plans to take their successful Cyber Games tournament international in the summer. Next fall brings the return of our Annual Training Conference, this year upended by COVID; next year we look forward to bringing it back bigger and better.
We wish you all the best for a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Thank you for your ongoing solidarity and support as we look ahead to the challenges in store in 2022 with excitement and optimism.
In solidarity,
Jim Lofty,
Business Manager
James A. Dyball,
President