Founded in 2010, the Canadian Lightkeepers Association promotes awareness and understanding of Canada's requirements for staffed lightstations. Specifically, we aim to: [more]

Jim Abram

Report is a beacon of hope for B.C. lighthouse keepers: Staff favoured over automated lights

Posted Sat, 2010-12-25 09:06
Date Published: 
2010-12-24
Source: 
Vancouver Province

B.C. lighthouse keepers got an “early Christmas present” this week with the release of a Senate committee report urging the Canadian Coast Guard to stop eliminating keepers in favour of automated lights.

Although federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea has yet to react to the report and make a decision on a Coast Guard plan to de-staff lighthouses, former keeper Jim Abram said he feels optimistic.

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Keep up the lobbying, says former lightkeeper

Posted Fri, 2010-12-24 09:25
Date Published: 
2010-12-23
Source: 
Campbell River Mirror

The support of a senate committee is great, says Jim Abram, but it’s just one step to saving manned lightstations.

The former Cape Mudge lightkeeper, and longtime advocate of maintaining manned lightstations on the B.C. coast, watched Tuesday’s announcement online as the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans said the destaffing of lighthouses should be halted.

Senators praised for decision on staffing lightstations.

Posted Tue, 2010-12-21 15:51
Date Published: 
2010-12-21
Source: 
Jim Abram

Quadra Island: The Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has made their report public into the issue of staffing of lightstations and has made some very strong recommentdations to the Conservative government. It will now be up to the Minister and the Cabinet to implement those recommendations. The announcement was made at a press conference in Ottawa at 1:00 pm (EST).

Final meeting of Senate hears BC's Abrams, and shipping representative

Posted Mon, 2010-12-06 20:22
Date Published: 
2010-11-20
Source: 
Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans

THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES AND OCEANS
UNREVISED EVIDENCE NON RÉVISÉ
OTTAWA, Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans met this day at 5 p.m. to examine issues relating to the federal government’s current and evolving policy framework for managing Canada’s fisheries and oceans (topic: Canadian lighthouses)
.
Senator Dennis Glen Patterson (Deputy Chair) in the chair.

Who will keep the lights burning?

Posted Sun, 2010-11-28 12:03
Date Published: 
2010-11-27
Source: 
Toronto Star

B.C. lighthouse keepers have a long history of fighting with their bosses in the federal government.

In the early days it was through handwritten letters with pleas for more pay and warnings of slow agonizing starvation and bouts of insanity from the horrendous isolation.

With satellite cellphones and Internet and deep freezers, life is easier these days for the dwindling number of lightkeepers along B.C.'s coast. What remains is their fight with the federal government.

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"...the eyes and ears of the people on the lights." Senators say they understand de-staffing reservations

Posted Wed, 2010-11-24 20:09
Date Published: 
2010-11-24
Source: 
Campbell River Courier-Islander

Overwhelming public support of lightkeepers should scuttle Ottawa's latest attempt to destaff lighthouses.

That was the message coming from presenters and senators when members of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans visited Campbell River last Thursday.

Lightkeepers invite Senate “lighthouse de-staffing” committee to West Coast.

Posted Mon, 2010-09-27 13:16
Date Published: 
2010-09-27
Source: 
Canadian Lightkeepers Association

“Residents of BC should be able to express their opinions on lighthouse de-staffing before the Senate Fisheries and Oceans Committee makes any decisions on the future of West Coast lightkeepers,” said Alice Woods of the Canadian Lightkeepers Association. “Since the Harper government apparently won’t fund the Senate traveling to meet with people in BC, we are offering to organize and pay for a meeting in BC and we will also offer to host the senators in our own homes during their stay.”

Death won't stop lighthouse fight

Posted Tue, 2010-08-24 20:48
Date Published: 
2010-08-24
Source: 
Nanaimo Daily News

B.C.'s lighthouse keepers are confident they will win their latest battle to keep staffed lighthouses on the province's coast, despite the unexpected loss of their chief spokesman to cancer earlier this month.

Jim Abram, a longtime keeper of the lighthouse at Cape Mudge near Campbell River and a past-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's Lightkeepers Local 20232, has been given unanimous approval by the union's executive board to carry on the work of Steve Bergh, who died in hospital in Victoria on Aug. 16 at the age of 60.

Feds to do away with lighthouses.

Posted Tue, 2010-06-08 18:37
Date Published: 
2010-06-08
Source: 
C-FAX 1070 News Victoria, BC

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING TO GET RID OF LIGHTHOUSES, SOMETHING ONE FORMER LIGHTHOUSE OWNER SAYS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE

JIM ABRAM SPOKE TO /A\ VANCOUVER ISLAND TUESDAY AND CALLS THIS IDEA DISGUSTING, ESPECIALLY AFTER LIGHTHOUSES HAVE ALREADY BEEN DE-STAFFED