Associations near Colquitz BC (461 Result(s))

We are members of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association. The International Association represents 150,000 members throughout Canada and the United States. The first Vancouver Island sheet metal union was originally formed in Victoria on July 3, 1909, back then we were known as the Amalgamated Sheet Metal Workers International Alliance, Local 134. In March 1940, we became the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, Local 276. Today Local 276 carries on the tradition of representing the skilled men and women working in the sheet metal and roofing trades on Vancouver Island.

The 'Victoria Native Indian Housing Society' was incorporated on February 6, 1984 as a non-profit society. The name was changed to the M'akola Housing Society on April 5, 1988.The Society was originally established to provide safe, affordable housing for families of Aboriginal ancestry who were in core need of housing in urban centres on Vancouver Island. Since that time the Society and its mandate have expanded into what is now the M'akola Group of Societies.

The Victoria Women In Need Community Cooperative (WIN) is a non-profit organization. We operate five Resale Shops in Greater Victoria, and an online shop, that offer high quality affordable second hand items. The revenue from our shops allows us to provide programs for local women, trans, non binary and Two Spirit People on their journey between crisis, self sufficiency and wellness.

It is unfortunate that the origins of Odd Fellowship have been lost in time. The question of when and where our Order first originated, and how the name was first chosen can never be answered with absolute certainty. It has been speculated that the order originated during the reign of Nero in the year 55 AD, but there is no documented evidence. The first recorded meeting of an Odd Fellow Lodge was in the year 1745, at the Oakley Arms in England. In those days it was common for working men to meet at local taverns for evenings of social recreation. But as time passed, a particular group of men found a common purpose in aiding each other. They began to establish funds through regular collections to assist members out of work or in distress. It is believed that this is when and how the name Odd Fellows was attained. In those days, it was customary for the aristocracy to form philanthropic societies, but it was unthinkable for the common labourer to do so, and to meet in a tavern was very odd indeed. Another theory comes from the custom of skilled labourers banding together for mutual assistance. Feeling left out, a group of odd labourers formed their own union. Regardless of how or when our Order actually originated, it was most likely considered odd then, as it is now, for men to dedicate themselves to the relief of distress, to educating the orphan, and to compassionately caring for under-privileged and less fortunate members of our society. It is still regarded as odd that men would freely give of their time, in aid of the less fortunate. No matter how we began, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows proudly accepts our name, which has survived more than two centuries and is honoured and respected in Canadian communities and around the world.