By Brittany Wentzell,  

CBC Branch Secretary Treasurer, 

Sydney, Nova Scotia 

June 11 marks Davis Day in Nova Scotia. This year, it is the 100th anniversary of the killing of coal miner William Davis. We recognize him and those who stood up for their rights and the rights of their union siblings. We also recognize those who lost their lives in the mines. 

For many years the miners and steelworkers of Industrial Cape Breton were subjected to poor wages and working conditions. Their lives were deeply tied to the companies that ran the mines and steel mill through the use of company houses and stores. This meant that workers could be punished not just through loss of hours but eviction from their homes and an inability to purchase food. This led unionized workers to strike many times in order to wrestle some of that power away from the company and back into the hands of the workers. 

In the months leading up to June 11, 1925, the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO) had failed to negotiate a new contract with coal miners and the company seemed intent on breaking the union. BESCO sought a 20 per cent reduction in the coal miners wages and in an attempt to get them to submit, the company cut off all credit at the company stores.  

Many families were on the verge of starvation as a result. BESCO then refused to arbitrate and this pushed 12,000 workers in industrial Cape Breton to go on strike. In June BESCO-paid police and unionized workers clashed on multiple occasions, as the police mounted a campaign of intimidation on the workers and their families. This culminated in a clash over control of the New Waterford Lake Power Plant, which had been shut down by the company, depriving miners and families of electricity.  

It was there that company police opened fire on the workers, killing miner William Davis, father of ten. 

No one was ever convicted of the killing of Davis. However, on the first anniversary of his death, miners refused to work. It became universally observed by miners throughout Nova Scotia, though it was not officially recognized until 1969.  

You can read more about William Davis here:https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/davis_william_15E.html 

The labour movement in Cape Breton inspired a great deal of music. If you would like to hear some Cape Breton protest songs, you can go here: https://protestsongs.ca/