New walking tour brings Edmonton’s working-class history to life
From pemmican to protest signs, discover the untold stories of the working people who built Edmonton.
Jun 30, 2025
By Tamara Aschenbrenner, Communications Staff
This summer, Edmonton’s streets are alive with history—labour history, that is.
The Edmonton City as Museum Project (ECAMP) is inviting residents and visitors to discover the overlooked stories that shaped the city. Strikes, Struggles and Success, a new guided walking tour running from June 19 to August 16, shines a light on the labour, resistance, and resilience of working-class Edmontonians.
“It’s not just a history tour. It’s a reminder that working people have always been at the heart of Edmonton,” says AUPE Vice-President Bobby-Joe Borodey. “Our streets are lined with stories about struggle, resistance, and solidarity. This tour brings those stories to life in an engaging and meaningful way.”
“When you make connections between the past and the present, it becomes crystal clear why unions and a working-class movement are still just as relevant today.”
Starting and ending outside the Royal Alberta Museum, the 2-hour walking tour uncovers the people-powered stories often left out of textbooks and monuments. Highlights along the 2.5–3-kilometre route include Indigenous labour in the fur trade and the pemmican industry, as well as the Great Western Garment factory where generations of women worked.
Edmonton was also home to several notable strikes, like the 1947 Chocolate Bar Strike, when a group of young protestors sparked national headlines over a price hike. Walkers can even make their own protest signs—a nod to the city’s long history of activism and public demonstrations.
“The issues workers faced 50 or 100 years ago—poor conditions, inequality, lack of recognition—are still with us. By understanding the past, we can better understand the fights we’re still in today.”
Want more than history? How about some food? Participants have the opportunity to sample a delicious modern twist on traditional pemmican.
“Learning about labour history is about more than nostalgia,” says Borodey. “It’s about recognizing the battles that still matter and the rights we can’t take for granted. When you hear about women fighting for fair wages in a garment factory 70 years ago, it’s impossible not to think about what workers are still facing.
“When you make connections between the past and the present, it becomes crystal clear why unions and a working-class movement are still just as relevant today.”
Strikes, Struggles and Success is part of ECAMP’s effort to make Edmonton’s local history more accessible and inclusive. The project is supported by the Edmonton Heritage Council and relies on community researchers, storytellers, and historians with lived experience.
“It’s not just a history tour. It’s a reminder that working people have always been at the heart of Edmonton. Our streets are lined with stories about struggle, resistance, and solidarity. This tour brings those stories to life in an engaging and meaningful way.”
Tickets are only $15 per person (free for kids under 12), which you must book online in advance. Tours happen every Thursday (6 p.m.–8 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m.–12 p.m.).
While the tour runs only until August 16, Borodey hopes the lessons will linger long after.
“The issues workers faced 50 or 100 years ago—poor conditions, inequality, lack of recognition—are still with us,” she says. “By understanding the past, we can better understand the fights we’re still in today.”
For details and to buy tickets, visit citymuseumedmonton.ca/tours.
| Strikes, Struggles and Success Walking Tour June 19–August 16: - Thursdays 6 PM–8 PM - Saturdays 10 AM–12 PM Tickets $15. |
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