Canmore in the 1930s: Rent, Wages, and Work Rules

Long before Canmore became a mountain getaway full of boutique coffee shops and après-ski patios, it was a working-class coal town—complete with black lung, company housing, and finely negotiated labour contracts.

One such document, the 1936–1938 agreement between the Canmore Coal Company and the Canmore Miners’ Union, reads like a manual for surviving underground. It's equal parts gritty, bureaucratic, and revealing. Here are some of the most compelling details that offer a glimpse into daily life before the ski era.

What Rent Looked Like in 1936

Company-owned homes rented for just $2.00 per room per month. The washhouse (basically a locker room with showers) cost $1.00/month, blacksmithing services were 50 cents, and water from an indoor tap ran you $1.80/month. These weren't perks, they were deductions from your pay, negotiated line by line.

Wages Were Precise And Tough to Earn

Daily wages for inside work were highly structured: $5.05 for a miner, $4.65 for helpers, and $3.00 for boys under 18. Everything was categorized, including tracklayers, motormen, hoist operators, and even stablemen. Outside jobs like blacksmiths, carpenters, and machinists made slightly more, up to $5.50/day.

Nothing Came Free, Not Even Dynamite

Miners bought their own blasting powder, though the company agreed to sell it at cost (which included transportation and insurance). Explosives weren’t covered as part of the job, they were part of the job expenses.

Absenteeism Could Cost You Your Job

Missing work for more than two days without prior approval could result in dismissal. Habitual absence, defined as five days per month, was grounds for termination, regardless of reason. And there was no mention of sick leave.

Hard Rock = Bonus Pay

Work in “wet places” (where water dripped enough to soak clothing or pooled above six inches) earned an extra 50 cents per day. Rock miners using hammer and steel got higher wages, and there were separate classifications and pay for helpers and drill operators.

Funerals Shut Down the Mine

If a miner died suddenly, whether in the mine or not, workers would suspend work for the remainder of the day and again on the day of the funeral. It was one of the few clauses that acknowledged the emotional toll of such a dangerous job.

Chinese Labour Was Segregated

The contract explicitly stated that Chinese workers’ employment conditions were not to be interfered with by union members. It reflected the racial hierarchy of the time, with Chinese labour excluded from union protections.

“Man Trips” Were a Maybe

The company agreed to provide transportation for miners (called "man trips"), but only if the Mines Department approved it. Otherwise, getting to your underground job meant walking, often for long distances.

Dirty Coal Came with Penalties

If miners sent out coal cars with too much slate or rock, they were fined 100 to 400 pounds of coal’s worth, depending on severity. More than 180 pounds of rock in one car could get you fired outright.

Drawing Early Pay Meant Losing Rights

Any miner who picked up his cheque before payday automatically forfeited the right to file a grievance. It was the company’s way of tying your right to complain to your willingness to stick around.

Every Inch, Every Task Had a Rate

There were detailed contract rates for:

  • Digging gangways, slopes, and cross-cuts

  • Building chutes and timbering tunnels

  • Brushing floor rock and loading coal

  • Even pulling up track and moving it

For example, removing cap rock in the Stewart seam earned you 0.825 cents per inch per foot. Chute construction? Exactly $2.94 for 16 feet. It was mining by the decimal.

Miners Could Choose Their Work Partners

With management approval, miners were allowed to choose their own partners. This may seem small, but in a dark, dangerous work environment, choosing who shared the other end of your blasting rope probably mattered more than your wage scale.

Only 8 Holidays and No Mention of Vacation

Holidays like New Year’s Day, Good Friday, and Christmas were observed, but there was no paid time off. Sunday work earned a 20% premium, but even that was discouraged “as far as practicable.”

This contract shows that Canmore’s coal town era was defined by structure, sacrifice, and survival. The sheer level of detail, from the price of timber to penalties for poor-quality coal, reflects how much life revolved around the mine. It also shows just how far the town has come, transforming from a rugged coal settlement into one of Canada’s most desirable mountain communities.

Want to see the full original document? Click here to read the 1936–38 Canmore Coal Agreement.

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