The Prince George City Hall lawn was full of Prince George residents celebrating their day off today.
The Labour Day events included a petting zoo and bouncy castle for the kids, and an incredibly popular free barbecue.
Aaron Ekman is the Secretary-Treasurer for the BC Federation of Labour. He was the keynote speaker and wants people everyone to remember the hard working people that fought for things like paid maternity leave, sick time, and the weekend.
“Someone said to me earlier today, ‘it’s labour day but there’s still a lot of people working’ and it’s true. Our vacations are starting to be chipped away at, our pay is chipped away at, so we do have to fight to make lives better for working people but we have to continue to fight to keep those gains that we make.”
One of those things that he’s fighting for is a $15/hour minimum wage, which he feels will benefit communities.
“Contrary to critics of the campaign, the sky is not falling. Small businesses are benefitting from working people who have more dollars to spend. They’re not laying off people, in fact, jobs are increasing because of consumption increases. It’s just good for the economy.”
The weather held up for most of the celebrations, which wrapped up around 4.
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