1970s

A postcard showing Woodward’s department store building. Text at the bottom of the postcard reads “C. Woodward Ltd. Department Store, Edmonton, Alberta.”

My Grandma Going Out into the World: Working at Woodward’s

Harma-Mae Smit

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.

Four people posing for a photo on the side of a two lane paved bridge on a sunny day, with heavily forested mountains behind them.

Bridging Alberta: Dilip Dasmohapatra’s YEG Origin Story

Soni Dasmohapatra

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.

Four women sit at workstations in an office setting entering data on key punch machines. One worker, bent forward, appears to be resting with her head in her hand.

Alberta’s Government, the Mainframe Computer, and Women’s Work

Cathy Roy

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.

Tessie Oliva, a young Filipina woman, pictured in a nursing school graduation photo wearing a 1960s white nursing uniform.

“She Can Move Mountains”: Tessie Oliva’s Impact on the Nursing Sector in Edmonton

Giselle General

In 2020, Giselle General discovered a museum exhibit honouring Tessie Oliva, a pioneering Filipino-Canadian nurse who supported immigrant nurses in Alberta. Oliva’s decades of work included founding the Filipino Nurses Association in Alberta, advocating for Internationally Educated Nurses, organizing large-scale recruitment from the Philippines, and fighting for permanent residency for newcomers—cementing her legacy in Edmonton’s healthcare and immigrant communities.

Edmonton Streetcar 33: The Highs and Lows of a Public Transit Vehicle

Adeline Panamaroff

Relying only on volunteer labour, the need to fabricate many of the mechanical and structural parts from scratch, as well as [funding grants from] which did not come on a constant schedule, this rebuild of Edmonton streetcar No.33 took over a decade to complete.

Shadows, Shade, and Sunshine

Oumar Salifou

In its 1966 annual report, the City of Edmonton Parks and Recreation Department described its purpose as facilitating “the development…

Filipino Pioneers of Edmonton

Ida Beltran Lucila

The 1952 Immigration Act introduced a points system that brought about the entry of professionals to fill labour gaps in Canada.

Colours of the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan Sikh Parade

Gagan Kaur Hoonjan

If you come to Mill Woods on the Sunday of Victoria Day long weekend, you’ll join thousands of people coming…

THE HILL: The Secret Edge of Downtown

Darrin Hagen

MacDonald Drive has overlooked the river valley from Edmonton’s earliest incarnation, marking the south edge of downtown, a steep bank…

Wong Bark Ging 黃柏振 : A History of My Father’s Market Gardens

Ging Wei Wong 黃景煒

One hundred years ago my father stepped onto Canadian soil for the first time. It wasn’t until he passed away…

Cariwest: The Caribbean Community’s Gift to Edmonton

Donna Coombs-Montrose

CARIWEST – Caribbean Arts Festival was introduced to Edmonton in 1984. It was created by Western Carnival Development Association (WCDA)…

Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher

Jeannette Austin-Odina

My journey towards becoming an educator started in my childhood with time spent under a mango tree at my home…

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My Grandma Going Out into the World: Working at Woodward’s

Bridging Alberta: Dilip Dasmohapatra’s YEG Origin Story

Alberta’s Government, the Mainframe Computer, and Women’s Work

“She Can Move Mountains”: Tessie Oliva’s Impact on the Nursing Sector in Edmonton

Edmonton Streetcar 33: The Highs and Lows of a Public Transit Vehicle

Filipino Pioneers of Edmonton

Colours of the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan Sikh Parade

THE HILL: The Secret Edge of Downtown

Wong Bark Ging 黃柏振 : A History of My Father’s Market Gardens

Cariwest: The Caribbean Community’s Gift to Edmonton

Once a Teacher, Always a Teacher