Nobody saw a global pandemic coming for 2020 and nobody
expected us to still be dealing with it through the end of 2021.
What we had originally locked ourselves away from, we now
live with on a daily basis. Nearly all BC
industries are back in operation, although with some new rules in play, but
we’ve adapted our lives to work within the pandemic.
Two short years ago, I wrote about our Local Union’s 100th Anniversary year and looking ahead to a bright future with a great Team and Membership. Then COVID stole the headlines for 2020.
2021 brought a change in Government south of the border, a
wide-ranging vaccine rollout and the anticipation of better days ahead. That’s when the other shoe dropped.
2021 really put us all to the test: A heat dome settled over
the Province, bringing record high temperatures, record wildfires, threatening
small towns across BC and the erasure of Lytton from the Fraser Canyon. Cyclone bombs and Atmospheric Rivers brought
a different catastrophe, with the full evacuation of Merritt, the return of
Sumas Lake to the Fraser Valley, flooding out all of those residents, and
mudslides and washouts cutting off all of the main arteries connecting
Vancouver to the rest of BC.
There were mass evacuations due to the flooding of the Sumas
Prairie and thousands were stranded in their communities or on the highways. Hundreds, if not thousands of livestock dead.
It’s amazing the human death toll wasn’t
much higher than we saw. As I write
this, we still don’t know if any of those affected will be back in their homes
before Christmas.
Many Teamster Members were greatly affected by these natural
events and supply lines were cut, causing hard times for many communities.
What have we learned from our experiences in 2021? We’ve learned that we’re resilient, and more
importantly, Teamsters answer the call!
It was the Teamsters that kept the supply chain
running. Teamsters played a large part
in distributing the life-saving vaccines across our Nation, our truck drivers
and Rail workers distributed supplies throughout the Province, food
manufacturing continued at a blistering pace, feeding the supply chain to
ensure the shelves were stocked with goods.
To top it all off, Teamster Locals and Joint Councils from all
across Canada have pledged to support our efforts here in BC, totalling nearly
$300,000. As the Federal and Provincial
Governments have pledged to match these donations, this means the Teamsters are
responsible for nearly a million dollars in Relief money.
So, as we look forward to joining family and friends in
celebration of the Christmas Season, I cannot help but be proud of all of you
and everything you do! You make me so
proud to be a Teamster!
Merry Christmas to you and yours and we here at the Local
wish for a safe and happy Holiday Season for each and every one of you!
Fraternally,
Paul Barton
Secretary-Treasurer
Teamsters Local Union No. 464
