In June 1931, the East York Workers Association was formed to address the economic and social hardships faced by East Yorkers during the great depression. By 1934, the association had over 1,600 members, with 400 to 500 people regularly attending their weekly meetings at local schools. The association not only aimed to improve living conditions of the unemployed, but also provided a social outlet for members at a time when money for entertainment was unthinkable for most families. The association would hold dances and card nights for members, providing a socialisation opportunity.
Prominent Canadians, including Ontario Premier George Henry (1930-1934), J. S. Woodsworth, the first leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and Agnes Macphail, the first President of the Ontario CCF and the first woman elected to the House of Parliament in 1921, all spoke at their meetings.
One of the major challenges faced by the Workers Association was persuading the East York Council to change relief payments from vouchers to cash. The Province was pushing municipalities to issue vouchers for food and goods rather than providing cash to relief recipients. The Workers Association favoured cash relief payments as it would offer recipients more choice in purchasing goods from any retailer, arguing that cash relief was more dignified and boosted the morale and self-worth of recipients.
In November 1935, the Township Council agreed to change relief payments from vouchers to cash, albeit at a reduced rate. Unhappy with the reduced payments, the Workers Association called a strike of employable relief recipients. In response, the East York Council reverted back to the voucher system for relief benefits. The Workers Association then asked its members to withdraw their children from school, as the Province’s education grants were based on the number of students attending school each day. On November 13, 1935, the Council reluctantly reinstated cash relief. However, the Bank of Nova Scotia refused to grant a loan to the Township without the province guaranteeing the loan payments. Without the guarantee, the Township could not receive a loan and thus did not have the money to provide cash relief, ending the cash relief system.
Despite the failure of the cash-instead-of-voucher strike, the actions of the Workers Association drew enough sympathy for the unemployed to have the Association’s President Arthur Williams elected as the reeve of the Township in December 1935.
The Workers Association also blocked bailiffs from evicting families from their homes. This action had the support of many residents and Township officials. Even after Williams lost the reeve’s office in the December 1936 election, the more conservative Township Council continued to support blocking evictions.
By the end of 1937, the Township’s relief rolls dropped nearly by half from 8,000 in December 1936 to 4,700 in December 1937. With the end of the depression in sight, the need for the Workers Association dwindled. Its not certain if the Association dissolved or evolved into another organisation, but what is known is that the Township’s CCF club for a number of years after the Second World War was called the East York Workers CCF Club.
