The story of Canadian Goodwill

St. James

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/04/2025 (203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 1929, J. Richmond Craig, a United Church minister, announced to his Vancouver congregation that he had accepted a call to Grace United Church in Winnipeg. Grace United was surrounded by Ellice Avenue, Notre Dame Avenue and Smith Street in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. During his seven years as the pastor at Grace United, Rev. Craig preached at least twice on Sundays , addressed various community groups and was one of the pioneers of local Sunday night church service radio broadcasts.

Rev. Craig began his work at Grace in September 1929. The following month, the stock market crashed, and the Great Depression began. In 1931, Rev. Craig paid a destitute young family man $40 to move leftovers from a church rummage sale to a rented outlet for public sale. This transaction and transportation of goods was the start of Canadian Goodwill Industries.

According to the canadiangoodwill.ca website, while Rev. Craig “was a deeply compassionate man, he held a strong conviction that work not charity was the cure to unemployment.”

A 1931 Christmas Day Winnipeg Free Press editorial entitled “The Church Meets Depression” recognized Rev. Craig’s founding of Goodwill. It pointed out that the Goodwill sold clothes, furniture and just about everything else. Repairing and conditioning the products for sale provided many people work during the Depression Goodwill even repaired watches.

After leaving Grace United in 1936, Rev. Craig was president of Goodwill for another two decades.

Charlotte Byron, the daughter of Winnipeg fire chief William Code, worked at Goodwill between 1941 and 1970. A November 1956 Winnipeg Tribune story told of her role in co-ordinating the restoration of play tables and chairs for children at home and abroad for Christmas.

Thomas Alan Craig, the son of J. Richmond, was the president of Goodwill from 1956 to until his death in 1995. He, his wife Betty, and their family were long-time residents of Hearne Avenue in Silver Heights. An April 6, 1981, Winnipeg Free Press story commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Goodwill began with the three goals of the organization – waste into jobs, junk into jobs, and discards into timecards. In that story, Craig pointed out that Goodwill has never accepted city, provincial, or federal government grants.

Tom Craig, representing the third generation of his family, is currently a member of Canadian Goodwill’s board of directors. Goodwill has five stores in Winnipeg and one store in Ashern, Man. Charlotte McTavish is the current executive director. Goodwill offers delivery and pick up service and sells metal that can be used as scrap. It has been a leader in recycling for over 90 years.