CUPE BC Scholarships

CUPE BC offers the Aubrey Burton/Reg Ford Memorial Scholarship to CUPE members, their spouses or their children at a level of four scholarships of $500.00 each.

*Please note – the 2022 application form will be posted after CUPE BC Convention.

The scholarships are named in memory of two longtime CUPE activists:

Aubrey Burton

Aubrey Burton was a CUPE Representative in the Kootenays during the 1960s. Before CUPE was formed, many locals hired Business Reps from within their ranks to represent them, and that was the case with Aubrey. He was a Trail Civic Worker but also worked for other Locals in the Kootenays. When CUPE was officially formed in 1963, he became a Staff Representative.

Along with fellow Staff Representative Peter Drieger, Aubrey serviced CUPE Locals throughout B.C. outside of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Together, Drieger and Burton were credited with organizing many small communities into CUPE and negotiating first agreements that contained no contracting-out language. Aubrey was killed in a car accident on the Upper Levels highway. He was working for CUPE at the time of his death.

Reg Ford

Reg Ford was President of CUPE 402 for several years in the late 1970s and early 80s. Also a Vice-President of CUPE BC, he was well known as a health and safety activist. Tragically, he was killed in an accident at his home while trimming a tree in his yard. Reg was very active in the labour movement at the time of his passing.