CLIMATE CRISIS
Forced to flee on a moment’s notice and stressful, but we all made it work. A couple of my friends who were camping with us followed us to Kim’s house in Chetwynd, so that was nice.” When evacuees arrived, “Kim and her husband had prepared hotdogs, burgers and salads for us. It was a really beautiful thing to do. They made us feel welcomed and took care of us.” HEU care aide Krista Zdrill fled to Summerland to stay with family before her work site Village at Smith Creek in West Kelowna was evacuated. Redeployed, she commuted to
work for 24 days, and dealt with detours from a landslide. Zdrill says her 164 residents ended up at two Kelowna facilities. “We had residents housed in dining rooms and the activity room,” says Zdrill. “It’s never an ideal situation because you’ve got dementia residents who need to be in a locked area. “And you’ve got mattresses stacked on the floor with 90-yearold people trying to get up and down at night. There were definitely some challenges. “You can’t put that many people together in a dorm room situation
and expect things to be smooth, but I have to say there weren’t many hiccups. I think it has to do with the fact we were out two years ago as well, so we learned from that process what worked.” Barker and Zdrill say they’re grateful for HEU’s Disaster Relief Fund, which helped cover some of their expenses. As the climate crisis deepens, HEU will keep advocating for supports for all members who are impacted by these profound environmental changes. BRENDA WHITEHALL
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH | When the massive McDougall Creek wildfire raged through West Kelowna, care aide Krista Zdrill was evacuated from both her home and her workplace of the Village at Smith Creek.
Sheila Mennie PHOTO
OVER the summer, the widespread evacuations in parts of British Columbia – households, businesses and heath care facilities – affected many HEU members as they escaped the raging wildfires, often with little notice. Janeth Barker, a primary care assistant at Tumbler Ridge Health Centre, had her outpatient workplace evacuated while she had gone home for lunch. “I came back to work at 1:30 and on my way, I saw people throwing stuff in their cars and vans,” says Barker. “I thought, ‘oh, well, people must be panicking.’ “When I got to work, the whole building was locked up with an immediate evacuation order.” Barker rushed back home where her husband was packing up their camper and other belongings — that’s when union solidarity kicked in. Kim Tricker, a cook at Chetwynd General Hospital, had become friends with Barker at an HEU regional meeting in Prince George. “Everybody knew that Tumbler was evacuated, and Kim texted me and said she had room for six campers with full hookups,” says Barker. “So, we booted it to Chetwynd, which is about 75 kilometres away.” Linda Matthews, a retired HEU housekeeper from Tumbler Ridge, also sought refuge there. “We stayed on Kim’s property for the week,” says Barker. “It meant a lot because we can only use our camper for two days. “My three-year-old grandson was with me, so it was quite hectic
Samantha Cartwright PHOTO
NORTHERN LIGHTS | Members in Prince George collaborate with community at Red Dress gathering in September.
Stolen sisters honoured Each October, local groups organize community events as part of the national Red Dress Campaign to raise awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women,
girls, and two-spirit people. In recent years, HEU members in Prince George and Surrey have collaborated with community and local Indigenous leaders to organize powerful Red Dress gatherings. For tips on event planning, check out HEU’s Red Dress toolkit at heu.org/red-dress-toolkit.
Head of the class More than 150 HEU members gathered last June for the union’s first Summer School since the pandemic. Under the theme of “Strengthening Connections and Organizing for Power,” members
Josh Berson PHOTO
POWER IN NUMBERS | Summer School 2023 brought HEU members together for a week of training, networking and community-building at Harrison Hot Springs. spent a week building their skills through four different streams: Take Back the Work Floor; Organizing for Health, Safety and Well-Being at Work; Organizing for Political Action; and Popular Theatre.
Throughout the week, members also heard from speakers including community and HEU local leaders, and elected provincial representatives.
Fall/Winter FALL 2023 2018 | GUARDIAN 5
