Union leader Evoy dies suddenly
Labor leader and social activist Jim Evoy died in Yellowknife this week of a massive heart attack. He was 52.
Evoy, president of the Northwest Territories Federation of Labour at the time of his death, earned a reputation among northeners for his fiesty and outspoken support of working peoples’ rights.
With his flair for public speaking, coupled with a sense of theatrics, Evoy will be fondly remembered not only for his devotion to labor rights, but his commitment to human rights protection in the North. He died less than two days after staging a clothing drive in Yellowknife for MLAs who are seeking a $3,000-a-year wardrobe allowance.
“While we did not see eye to eye on a number of things, I did recognize and respect his opinion and his passion for the rights of northern workers,” Premier Don Morin said in a press release. “He will be missed.”
Before sitting on the Workers’ Compensation Board, Evoy represented the Construction and General Workers Union and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Evoy later sat on a number of committees and commissions, including the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and the federal Standing Committee on Finance.
He is survived by his wife Sally Paul, and three young children.
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