Interview Transcript:
Sebastien Sheldon: I’m here with Marjorie MacDonald, who is a former project coordinator for the Trent Centre for Community Based Education. So, Marjorie, tell me a bit about your relationship with John and how you met him.
Marjorie MacDonald: So, I has the privilege of coordinating some projects for a group called the Occupational and Environmental Health Coalition, and they rallied around John Ball and his advocacy work for GE workers and their injuries sustained from working at General Electric. And so, they came to the Trent Centre for Community Based Education with some project ideas to bring awareness and find out more information about some of the chemicals that were used at GE. And so, I helped to refine those research projects and connect Trent University students to the Occupational and Environmental Health Coalition, and through some of those interjectory meetings I was able to meet John Ball.
Sebastien: In your meetings with John, what quality in him impressed you the most?
Marjorie: That’s a tough question. I’d be tempted to choose his memory or his fastidiousness. His notetaking was incredible, but I think the quality that impressed me the most was his selflessness. Really, the work was not about him. When you met with him, others were tempted to talk about his qualities, but it wasn’t, he wasn’t telling stories about himself. He was telling stories about his coworkers and the men he worked with and who he advocated for, and that’s what it was about. He cared about what was right. He told stories and advocated for families for decades. So that sense of selflessness, the work he did after retiring from GE was for the community.
Sebastien: And so through his selflessness and advocacy, what impact do you think that John’s work had on achieving justice for the workers of GE Peterborough that had been injured by exposures?
Marjorie: So, John Ball drove forward the awareness surrounding General Electric workplace conditions, he rallied around talented, or he drew towards him talented and concerned individuals that donated their time and their skills. They were energized to help these employees because of John’s advocacy. I think without John as that central rallying point , many people would not be aware or involved about the plight of these workers. I have not retained any knowledge or followed the legal journeys to compensate workers and their families, but I think that there was a type of justice, a type of vindication, in just the witness that John was able to shine on injured workers. In his advocacy and steadfastness, John paved a foundation for community to be built upon, and the quality of that foundation that John created continues after his death. And that’s a testament to the work he was able to do, and the quality of people he was able to draw towards this concern in Peterborough. And that community provides connection and a consolation to injured workers to say that you’re not alone. Whether it was legal compensation or government recognition, in that community they know that what they endured was wrong, their illness was not their fault, they deserved better. And that’s John Ball’s legacy.
Sebastien: That’s wonderfully put. Thank you, Marjorie, it’s been an absolute pleasure getting the chance to hear from you. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview and participate in this project.
Marjorie: You’re welcome Sebastien.
End of Interview