It is with great pleasure that Local 258 announces its newly formed Veterans Committee has been officially recognized by the International Office, making it the first IBEW Local Union Veterans Committee in Canada!

The purpose of this committee is to ensure that the needs and interests of veterans within the Union are understood and represented. Local Union committees can provide the means for educational and social activities to strengthen the connections between military veteran IBEW members, encourage committee members to be more fully informed about economic and political issues that affect them, and foster their relationships with established union members and Local Union leadership.

Veterans Committees exist in many Locals throughout the United States, and while an International Veterans Committee with representatives from each district does already exist, Local 258 is the first to have a committee who will focus solely on Canadian veterans’ affairs. Co-chair Jordan Geddert states, “we are extremely proud to be the first local in Canada to be recognized. Having accomplished that, we are looking forward to getting on with some real work and helping veterans within 258 and across the country.”

Aside from the previously mentioned goals, the Local 258 Veterans Committee also aims to attract more veterans to the union, to aid them in finding meaningful employment opportunities in the fields represented by Local 258. In line with this goal, co-chairs Jamie Lowe and Jordan Geddert already have big plans for the future of the committee – they have so far arranged for the Deputy Director of Helmets to Hardhats, Normand Trepanier, to attend their next meeting so they can share some ideas and in turn, gain valuable insight and learn about some tools that will help them guarantee the success of the committee. Helmets to Hardhats is Canadian non-profit organization whose goal is to provide former military service members with opportunities to build a career in trades, specifically in a unionized environment.

Local 258 IBEW is proud to support such an important initiative and can’t wait to see everything that the Veterans Committee has in store for our community.

If you are a veteran and are interested in joining the committee, or you would just like to see what resources they can offer, please feel free to reach out via email at veterans@ibew258.bc.ca.