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Tara Ehrcke, Jason Gammon, Glen Hansman and Ken Novokowski at the public unveiling of the 1919 Victoria Teachers' Strike plaque
Our History
The Victoria Teachers' Association dates back to at least 1916, when we participated in a meeting at Dawson school in Vancouver to discuss a provincial teacher association - what would become the BC Teachers' Federation. That federation was founded, with Victoria teachers participating, in 1917, at King Edward High in Vancouver. In 1919 the first Annual General Meeting of the BCTF was held, and in 1920 the BCTF opened their first offices in the Campbell building in Victoria at the corner of Douglas and Fort streets.
Did you know? The first teachers strike in the British Empire took place in Victoria, in 1919. It was the first major industrial action by teachers and it led to a framework for negotiating with school boards for salary increases. You can see the plaque commemorating the strike, pictured on the left, outside the grounds of South Park school.
Historical Records
Historical Records
History bin! See a collection of GVTA memorabilia with historical notes. You can visit or borrow the history bin from the GVTA office.
Oral Histories
Oral Histories
Visit our YouTube channel to see a collection of oral histories from past and present GVTA members
Major Events in GVTA History
Major Events in GVTA History
Read about our historic strike in detail here, and see a copy of the poster we made for the 100th anniversary celebration here.
Professional development is a cornerstone of the practice of BC teachers. But it wasn't always easy for teachers to find the time to work with their colleagues to learn, explore and develop to meet the needs of students. Read here for a short history of PD, our PD days, and the struggle for teachers to exercise autonomy over their own professional development.
In 2002, the BC government unilaterally removed all class size and class composition language from teachers' collective agreements. It took teachers 16 years to win those contract provisions back, both through political and strike action, as well as the courts. Read here about this historic battle and the role of Victoria teachers.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam
Keep your eyes on this page as we add new items!
If you have any GVTA artifacts that you would like to share, please get in touch or drop items off at the GVTA office.
This project is financially supported by the GVTA as well as the Lower Vancouver Island Retired Teachers and the BC Retired Teachers Association.
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