Victoria Park

By now, the strike had settled into a bit of a routine. One of those routines were the daily gatherings at Victoria Park. It was a place for workers to meet, share stories, get the latest news, listen to speeches. Later it would also be a starting point for marches that would come later in the strike.

Victoria Park, established in 1894, was located on a stretch of land behind the present day Concert Hall: roughly from the MTC Warehouse down to Waterfront Drive. An aerial photo can be found here.

For more on strike action in Victoria Park.

Strikers at Victoria Park

Thursday, 22 May 1919 - The Newsstand

Western Labor News May 22, 1919

- Repeals the need for "those cards":


Winnipeg Citizen May 22, 1919

- Claims moral victory in strike card issue:

- Examines the One Big Union vote workers will be taking later in the summer. Concludes that it "...proves there is a revolutionary movement on..." and that "...unless Winnipeg throttles this general strike idea right here an now, Winnipeg herself will be throttled again on July 1st."
The Alberta Non-Partisan editorializes How the Might Have Fallen, referring to the major daily newspapers which, to date, have not yet resumed publishing. It muses that it dismisses the popular myth "...that Labour can get along without capital but that Capital cannot get along without Labour".

Wednesday, 21 May 1919 - The Newsstand

The papers compete for the hearts and minds of Winnipeggers:

Western Labor News May 21, 1919

Winnipeg Citizen May 21, 1919

"Permitted by Authority of Strike Committee"

A symbol of the strike that angered the Citizens' Committee of 1000 was the "By Authority of the Strike Committee" permit cards issued by the Strike Committee to those doing what they deemed "essential services".

In speeches and interviews the "1000" denounced the signs. Here is how they felt, from the pages of their own newspaper:

Tuesday, 20 May 1919 - Brandon's Sympathetic Strike Growing

Brandon workers chose May 20 as the day for a sympathetic strike.

Yesterday 125 CP workers walked off the job, today 100 CN rail workers left. Many more are expected as the days go by.

Workers at Brandon Implement and Machinery c 1913

Brandon Strike Resources:
- Brandon, 1919: Labour and Industrial Relations in the Wheat City in the Year of the General Strike
- Let us rise! : a history of the Manitoba labour movement

Tuesday, 20 May 1919 - The Newsstand

Western Labor News May 20, 1919

Winnipeg Citizen May 20, 1919

Monday, 19 May 1919

The Winnipeg Citizen newspaper begins publication. It is an organ of the Citizen's Committee of One Thousand.

Read today's edition.

Monday, 19 May 1919

Minutes from today's meeting of the Winnipeg Strike Committee shows the impact of the "By Authority of Strike Committee Cards."

Monday, 19 May 1919 - The Newsstand

Western Labor News May 19, 1919

Winnipeg Citizen May 19, 1919

National Wire Story:

Winnipeg Strike is More Serious than Reported: Two Federal Ministers on Way West to "Restore Order" Says Ottawa

May 18 - The Strike Committee

The Winnipeg Strike Committee:


The Winnipeg Strike committee was created by representatives of the unions that were part of the Trades and Labour Council. The were organized into subcommittees and an executive Central Strike Committee of five. This Central Committee was the decision making body for labour, and thus the city, during the strike.

Sunday, 18 May 1919 - Mayor Gray: Zero Tolerance

Proclamations by Mayor Gray on May 18th outlining a couple of zero tolerance matters:

"Let me make this absolutely clear. If the food supplies and the protection of life and property are not maintained I shall take whatever action may be necessary to secure them and maintain the authority of the government as it is established by the voice of the people".

May 17 - The Newsstand

The New York Times reports (see full pdf):

WINNIPEG STRIKE SPREADS FURTHER; Telegraphers Tie Up Wire Service and Railway Men May Join Walkout.

WINNIPEG, Man., May 17.--Reports were current tonight, the third of the general strike involving eighty unions and 30,000 men and women, that the Winnipeg locals of the three great railroad brotherhoods were considering the advisability of joining the strikers. It was also reported that stockyards employes would walk out Monday.

May 17 - Citizens' Committee of 1000

May 17, 1919 - The Citizens' Committee of One Thousand is set up by business leaders to counteract the Strike Committee.

Citizens' Committee of One Thousand, source.

The main goal of the 1000 is to provide essential services to the city while workers are off the job. In their first official statement they give themselves a wider task:

The Citizens Committee of Winnipeg has taken steps to form itself into a permanent organization for the purpose of arousing Dominion-wide interest in the necessity of upholding proper respect for the law and to combat the Bolshevistic propaganda which is being so industriously sown in Western Canada.

Official Statement

Volunteers "man" the pumps

Citizens' Committee HQ

May 16 - New York Times : Winnipeg is Tied Up

From the N.Y. Times:

Friday, 16 May 1919

Today's Western Labour News proudly proclaims: Workers Back Strikers to the Limit. General Strike Overwhelmingly Supported.

On the front page of today's Free Press is a quote from Thomas Roden, president of the Toronto branch of the Canadian Manufacturers' Association. He made the comments about the Winnipeg situation at their annual meeting which took place yesterday.:

  " In the matter of the present strike of the metal trades, no sensible man can possibly sympathize with their demands. The position of the metal workers is one of the most extraordinary positions' ever taken, and can only be taken by people who are desperate to obtain some demand which they know to be unjust.

"The demand for an 8-hour day is only a play upon the sentiment of the times. It is true some trades
have an 8-hours day. The printing trades have an 8-hour day, but it means a 48-hour week to them.
These people want a 44-hour week, although it may be suicidal to Canadian-industry."

Thursday, 15 May 1919 - Day of Action

May 15, 1919, Winnipeg Tribune

7:00 am - As the night shift ends for 500 government telephone operators there are no workers to replace them. These women begin the Winnipeg General Strike four hours earlier than the 11:00 am call and communications within the city soon come to a stand still.

8:00 am - The Free Press hits the streets with a font page appeal from Mayor Gray to all citizens asking for for calm:



11:00 am - As scheduled, factories, office buildings, fire halls, workshops, retail outlets, garages begin to empty. By lunchtime, 94 unions walk of the job, approximately 25,000 employees.

Wednesday, 14 May 1919 - Zero Hour is Near

The headline in the Free Press:


The Mayor and Premier express concern at the vote and meet today at 2 pm with representatives from labour and business to seek a compromise.

That meeting is unsuccessful and by the end of day Robinson was contacting senior representatives, such as the city electrician, to inform them that the strike was on:


Mayor Gray sends a lengthy telegram to the acting premier Sir Thomas White and Federal Labour Minister Gideon Robertson summing up the situation and requesting assistance:

Tuesday, 13 May 1919 - The Results

Though not all unions have cast their ballots yet, a majority have and the results of the strike vote are officially announced.

At the end of the Trades and Labour Council meeting, Alderman E. Robinson, who also happens to be the secretary of the Council, reads the following statement:

“A General Strike has been called of all organizations affiliated with the Trades and Labor Council.

The Strike will take effect at 11 o’clock on Thursday morning. Every organization but one has voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike, and the biggest strike in the history of Winnipeg will take place as above stated.

No exceptions are anticipated in this strike. All public Utilities will be tied up in order to enforce the principle of collective bargaining.”

Later it would be made public that the vote count was 11,000 to 500 in favour of action.

The mayor and premier are on-hand to hear the results.

May 12

The results are coming in and a majority of unions have so far voted in favour of strike: bricklayers; jewellery workers; electrical workers; pressmen. The only exception so far is the typographical union, on the request of it's international arm.

Voting will continue over the next two days.

Sunday, 11 May 1919 - Voting Day

Voting begins today for Winnipeg Trades Council members.

They are asked whether or not they support a general strike in sympathy to the building and metal trades.