07-06-2026, 08:56 PM
In 1925, the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO) was facing financial difficulty. To reduce costs, they cut miners’ wages by 20%. The miners went on strike. BESCO cut off credit at the company stores, leaving families without access to food. BESCO turned off water and electric supplies to the workers’ houses, which were owned by BESCO.
It was a long strike that attracted international attention. Food parcels and funds were sent from Canada and the US. The Toronto Star newspaper solicited donations for the miners’ families. They sent Group of Seven member Lawren Harris to Nova Scotia to deliver contributions and report on the strike.
On June 11, 1925, BESCO’s security forces killed one striking miner - William Davis - and wounded many others. In the years after the strike, June 11 became Davis Day, when schools and businesses closed and people attended memorial services across Cape Breton to honour not just William Davis, but also the hundreds of workers who lost their lives in the mines. The day was also marked in other parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Lawren Harris was deeply affected by the poverty and suffering he saw. He created a pen and ink drawing to illustrate a report in Canadian Forum magazine’s July 1925 issue:
Harris also completed a painting called « Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay ». Canada Post chose that painting for the 2020 issue commemorating the founding of the Group of Seven.
IMG_6621.jpeg (Size: 61.97 KB / Downloads: 23)
The painting is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s collection. In 2025 it was loaned to a gallery in Cape Breton - the first time the painting had been shown there - as part of the activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of William Davis’ death.
It was a long strike that attracted international attention. Food parcels and funds were sent from Canada and the US. The Toronto Star newspaper solicited donations for the miners’ families. They sent Group of Seven member Lawren Harris to Nova Scotia to deliver contributions and report on the strike.
On June 11, 1925, BESCO’s security forces killed one striking miner - William Davis - and wounded many others. In the years after the strike, June 11 became Davis Day, when schools and businesses closed and people attended memorial services across Cape Breton to honour not just William Davis, but also the hundreds of workers who lost their lives in the mines. The day was also marked in other parts of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Lawren Harris was deeply affected by the poverty and suffering he saw. He created a pen and ink drawing to illustrate a report in Canadian Forum magazine’s July 1925 issue:
Harris also completed a painting called « Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay ». Canada Post chose that painting for the 2020 issue commemorating the founding of the Group of Seven.
IMG_6621.jpeg (Size: 61.97 KB / Downloads: 23)
The painting is part of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s collection. In 2025 it was loaned to a gallery in Cape Breton - the first time the painting had been shown there - as part of the activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of William Davis’ death.
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