The Langley Heritage Society Speaker Series launched the new year on January 22nd at Milner Church. Heidi Rampfl from the Gulf of Georgia Cannery explored the multicultural history of the cannery – First Nation, Japanese, Chinese and European.
Working the Line: Diversity and Change in BC’s Salmon Canning Industry
The fishing and canning industry attracted many people from around the world to British Columbia’s West Coast. In the early years, the workforce was diverse but segregated. Jobs in the canneries were based on a person’s gender, ethnicity, and cultural background, and people were not treated equally. This presentation will provide a look at the experiences of the various people working in the canneries, and the conditions that led to the workforce becoming more integrated and inclusive over time.
Heidi Rampfl has been the Collections Manager in charge of the artifacts, archives, and library at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site in Richmond since 2010. For the past two years, she has also acted as a Collections Consultant for the North Pacific Cannery National Historic Site in Port Edward, BC. Before working at the Cannery, Heidi held a number of different contract positions at various other museums, including a summer student position at the Langley Centennial Museum in 2007. She has a BA in History from UBC, and an Advanced Diploma in Applied Museum Studies from Algonquin College in Ottawa.
More information about the Gulf of Georgia Cannery can be found HERE.
