Stories

Cafes and laundries were common businesses for Chinese pioneers to start in early-20th century Edmonton. But the stories of their owners – and the discrimination that forced them into these industries – are less well-known. In the newest addition to ECAMP’s labour history series, author Jessica Szeto writes about laundry owners like Chung Kee and Sam Sing Mah, and the brutal conditions for laundry workers.

A letter written by a lawyer in 1939 shows Indigenous families challenging the legality of forced child labour at St. Albert Youville Indian Residential School. For decades, at this school and others, Indigenous children endured exploitation, violence, and dangerous work under the “half-day” system. Parents and children resisted, despite repression. Survivors’ stories demand accountability, truth, and justice, as Canada continues failing to act on reconciliation.

Facing boredom, depression, and loneliness, 1960s stay-at-home mother Harma Smit decided to get a job. In 1967, when Harma found a job at Edmonton’s Woodward’s department store, it was just becoming more common for married women to seek work outside the home. In this addition to ECAMP’s labour series, Harma-Mae Smit recounts her grandmother’s experience in the retail workforce. Relying on family reflections, Smit discusses community reactions to her grandmother’s decision to work, her positive experience as an employee at Woodward’s for nearly two decades, and the material and mental benefits that the added income had for her grandmother and the rest of the family.

Lots of parents tell their kids stories on family road trips around Alberta, but Soni Dasmohapatra’s dad tells stories about the bridges he built along the way. In this addition to ECAMP’s labour history series, Soni celebrates Dilip Dasmohapatra’s career as a civil engineer and community organizer.

In 1943, skilled pilot Margaret Littlewood, rejected by the RCAF for being a woman, became the only woman Link Trainer instructor in Canada. Hired by aviation pioneer Wop May at Edmonton’s Air Observer School, she trained 150 pilots, overcame sexism, and later earned Canada’s highest pilot licence—helping pave the way for future women in aviation.

In the 1960s, Bill Rogers convinced the Alberta government to invest both computers and the training needed for their workers to program these machines, launching a data revolution. Women dominated these data entry roles under strict, often discriminatory conditions. Despite long hours and limited advancement, they powered early digital governance, pioneering computer use in western Canada and forging lasting professional bonds.

James “Big Jim” Stone, a decorated WWII veteran, led the Second Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry in the Korean War. His firm leadership, tactical brilliance, and battlefield courage culminated in a pivotal victory at Kapyong. Honoured posthumously as a Korean War hero, Stone’s legacy rests on resilience, strategy, and the respect of the soldiers he commanded.

One hot summer Sunday in 1910, Edmontonians lined up for ice cream in a tiny downtown park called Happyland. A scandal ensued. Our latest ECAMP story is a comic tale about those wicked delights, and why Edmonton police and City Council threatened to "out-Toronto Toronto." This addition to our labour history series was written by Elizabeth Cytko and illustrated by Toryn Suddaby.