Labour Appreciation Night

Dileep Athaide 

Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC 
 

Dileep Athaide is an admired activist whose dedication to community service and education has earned him the prestigious 2023 Joe Morris Community Service Award from United Way British Columbia. Dileep has represented the Canadian Labour Congress as Vice President and United Way BC as a staff member with the Labour Participation department and later served on the Board of Directors.  His work exemplifies the spirt of the Labour Partnership and commitment to building a healthy, caring, and inclusive communities. 

Dileep’s passion for education has been a cornerstone of his life’s work. He has devoted decades on Faculty with the Geology and Developmental Studies at Capilano University, he was an Honorary Lecturer at UBC Earth and Ocean Sciences, a Geology and Sociology instructor at Corpus Christ College, as well as a facilitator at the Canadian Labour Congress – Pacific Region Winter School. Dileep also served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC and the President of the National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. 

In recent years, Dileep has extended his compassionate outreach as a Chaplain and Deacon at the Port of Vancouver where thousands of seafarers work on container ships and tankers, often from other countries. His work at the Port highlights his humanitarian spirit, you can learn more in the article published by CBC here.  

Candace Knoll

USW 1944, Jr Black Achievement Awards Society 

Candace Knoll was born and raised in Winnipeg and made the move to the Lower Mainland as a young person. She is recently retired from a career with TELUS which started in the 90s. Thanks to a disrespectful manager, she was motivated to get involved with her union. Before retirement, she was Unit President with the Telecommunications Workers’ Union (now known as USW Local 1944), a bargaining committee member, and was a long time NWDLC delegate and past Executive Board member.  Even in retirement, she is not far from the industry as she volunteers as a board member with the BC Association of Retired Telecommunications Workers.  

Her passion is for social justice and Candace has been dedicated to uplifting women, youth, and the Black community.  With her family by her side, husband Jeff and son Jesse, her niece Teryl Brown, and her hero and mother, Estelle Brown, Candace creates opportunities to have a diverse representation in leadership, as only equity and inclusion will create a brighter future for us all. She is a regular volunteer for United Way BC’s Period Promise Campaign, the Miss BC Pageant, serves the community as a director on the Hogan’s Alley Society, and is the Founder and President of the Jr Black Achievement Awards Society. In 2023, the re-launched Jr Black Achievement Awards Society Awards Ceremony was held in Port Moody, BC, showcasing the accomplishments of young people in the community. 

The New Westminster & District Labour Council is proud to recognize Candace Knoll as the recipient of the Labour Community Service Award.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King Jr. 

Ron Stipp

Canadian Labour Congress 

Ron Stipp’s dedication to championing social justice and building inclusive communities has been a lifelong commitment that traces back to 1976 when he was still in high school. In both volunteer and professional capacities, Ron’s unwavering commitment to create inclusive communities where everyone has the ability to thrive and to feel ‘at home’, is exactly what makes Ron Stipp the proud recipient of the 2023 Syd Thompson Community Services Award, presented by the Vancouver & District Labour Council. 

A significant part of his work in the labour movement has been as a Regional Representative with the Canadian Labour Congress – Pacific Region where he empowered labour activists through numerous workshops and seminars in BC. On a national level, Ron designed and implemented a local government elections program which offered district labour councils and affiliates the tools to impact change in their communities. 

As a recent retiree, Ron is now volunteering on the board of the BC Federation of Retired Union Members, the Winch Institute, as well as his own strata council. Through the years, Ron has served on the City of Vancouver’s 2SLBGTQ+ Advisory Committee, the West End Community Centre Board, and co-created WEAVE (West Enders Against Violence Everywhere), an organization that has worked closely with the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Police Department to create safer spaces, like the Jim Deva Plaza in the Davie Village, where inclusivity and safety are paramount. 

Vicki Bolan

UNITE HERE Local 40 

Vicki Bolan first became a union member in 1981, when she began working at the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel. Throughout Vicki’s more than four-decade employment tenure at the resort, she has been active on the Executive Board for Hotel Employees, Restaurant Employees Local 40, which later became UNITE HERE Local 40, after an international merge. She is currently the Shop Chair, a position she was first appointed to in 1996.   

1996 was also the time Vicki first got active in Labour Councils. She served on the Executive Council of the New West and District Labour Council from 1996 to 2007 before becoming a founding Executive member of the Fraser Valley Labour Council when it was founded in 2007. Vicki has been with FVLC since the beginning and she is an integral part of building the Labour Council to what it is today. Vicki brings knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and passion to FVLC and she truly cares about the communities and those who belong to them in the Fraser Valley.  
 
In addition to being active with UNITE HERE through Harrison Hot Springs, Vicki was also employed at the University of the Fraser Valley where she held positions with the Faculty and Staff Association, which is a member of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC. Within UFV-FSA she served as the co-chair of the Joint Professional Committee, Staff Vice-President, and Staff Contract Administrator or Chief Steward for the staff. 

FVLC is proud to recognize Vicki for her many years of activism and contribution to the union and labour movement in the Fraser Valley by awarding her FVLC’s 2023 Brian Harder Labour Leadership Award. Thank you and congratulations Vicki Bolan.