A tribute to Verna Ledger

My mother-in-law Verna Ledger, died on September 1, 2015 from a massive heart attack, she was 88 years, she was a very strong, demanding but loving woman. She will be missed by her daughter, (my wife) her son Tom, and all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as her Sister Lou, her brother-in-law Gord, and all of her Nieces, Nephews, great Nieces and great Nephews. 

She will also be missed by her friends in the Dogwood Choir and her friends in the BC Labour movement and all those she helped and trained over her long career as a member of her union, and her work at the Workers Compensation Board of BC.

What the younger generation may not have known about their grandmother is that she was a pioneer in the labour movement in BC. As well, Verna was a pioneer in the area of Health and Safety in BC and in Canada. So to honour her, and her work and legacy, here are two professional videos where she talks about her life, her work and her story.

The first video is a speech she gave at the BC Nurses Union Occupational Health and Safety conference: Building For a Safe and Healthy Future in 2004

http://www.workingtv.com/bcnu-oh&sconference.html

The second video is the first in a series of three videos that focuses on the history of health and safety in British Columbia’s forest industry:  

http://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/2013/03/09/new-video-verna-ledger-iwa-health-and-safety-officer/

Health and Safety in BC 's forest industry

A new video from WorkSafeBC and the Labour Heritage Centre.

This video is the first in a series of three videos that focuses on the history of health and safety in British Columbia’s forest industry. This is interesting to me because Verna is my mother-in-law and she was an early leader in Health and Safety in BC and as approaches her 90's she is still healthy and enjoying life. 

It is important for another reason, we all want to have our stories told to the next generation but we find it difficult to find the time to put our thoughts down, unless we are an avid journal writer. Verna was not a journal writer, so we while we knew of some of her work we were not aware of her impact. It was with delight that we viewed the video and passed it on to our daughter so she could get a sense of the work her grandmother has done. 

A crowdfunding site for women's rights

The world’s female population faces a lot of serious problems: Haitian women are dying of treatable diseases; expectant mothers in Sierra Leone have to travel long, treacherous distances to reach hospitals; Afghani girls have a 12.6 percent literacy rate--one of the lowest in the world.

The good news? You can now help solve those problems directly, thanks to a new crowdfunding website called Catapult.

Catapult was, ahem, launched in the fall of 2012 and basically brings the Kickstarter model to the world of women’s empowerment. Trusted organizations (UNICEF, V-Day and the like) post concise, actionable projects--say, cervical cancer screenings in Haiti or a literacy program conducted via cell phones in Afghanistan--and anyone can contribute as much or as little as they’d like.

To get started, log on and browse by issue or area of the world. Then click on a specific project to see what, exactly, your money would be going toward (organizers break it down very succinctly) and how much is needed for complete funding. For instance, an initiative to build birthing houses in Sierra Leone needs only $1,700 to get off the ground.

No matter what amount you donate, it will make a difference. Sign up for Catapult here, find a project to support here

Happy International Women's Day

The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights" Gloria Steinem

International Women's day should be a day to celebrate for women around the world. Every woman is a leader in her own right and women need to be proud of the steps they are taking to make the world a better place. Here are some links to sites that are celebrating this day
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2013/03/05/happy-international-womens-day-theres-long-way-go
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/lee-tunstall/international-womens-day_b_2806152.html
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/international-women-s-day--britain-s-battle-to-recruit-more-female-scientists-161248186.html


Today is a day to honour the work of generations who have made change to make our world what it is today. And today women can celebrate the work they are all doing to make things better for the women of tomorrow.

There is still a lot to take on- gender violence, equal rights, cultural "norms" that place girls and women behind men. Voting rights, control of money, property ownership, health care, and access to birth control options are all works in progress. These are just a few of the issues, but there’s a lot of work in progress.


To the women in my life, I hope that you will never underestimate yourself. Take an oath to understand your own power. Innocence is cute, but ignorance is a crime. Understand that you are special. You have special powers. You know that. Don't allow hatred touch you. Celebrate yourself. Be proud of who you are and what you have and will accomplish. I salute you, and your spirit.