Clean drinking water and affordable housing are targets by Prince Rupert Labour Council

Clean drinking water and affordable housing in the city are two missions that Prince Rupert Labour Council adopted as campaigns to raise awareness of the crises facing the region, on March 18.

The grassroots Community for Clean Water campaign has been taken over by the PRLC from its initiator Tom Kertes who started the movement in 2018-2019 when a boil water advisory was issued by the City of Prince Rupert.

The first goal of the clean water campaign is to unite North Coast communities to review and address improvements for clean drinking water in the region extending the program from the city to the region as a whole.

“This clean water campaign is very important, given that Prince Rupert is currently under a water quality advisory and the number of communities throughout Canada without access to clean water now,” Kyla Ragan member of the PRLC said in a media release.

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The labour council, which provides a voice for more than 1,000 union members in the North Coast also wants to bring more attention to the development of housing improvements along the North Coast with the launch of its North Coast Affordable Housing Campaign. This will be achieved by the PRLC holding a series of town hall forums on Zoom to help raise awareness and gain a better understanding of the housing affordability crisis in the region.

“Prince Rupert is facing a serious crisis due to a lack of housing for all income levels in the city,” Piroska Potoranay member of the labour council, said. “That’s why we’re moving to get labour unions and the community united on making housing affordable for people.”

“Local unions fight daily for better working conditions and economic fairness for everyone, which is why we’re proud to support grassroots community organizations that are standing with all workers - including unemployed and underemployed workers who bear the brunt of economic injustice, Tom Kertes president of the PRLC said. The PRLC is the local organization of the Canadian Labour Congress, which represents 3.2 million unionized workers across Canada.