provoking thoughts about the presence of our past

Friday, November 3, 2017

The City Council Approves Recommendations for Apology

Following a Council motion almost two years ago to create an Advisory Council to make recommendations regarding an apology from the City of Vancouver for its history of anti-Chinese legislation and discriminatory practices, Council adopted on October 31, 2017, the recommendations made by the Historical Discrimination Against Chinese Peoples Advisory Council.

The Presentation made to Council and to community stakeholders such as the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver can be found online at:
http://council.vancouver.ca/20171031/documents/rr1presentation.pdf

The Report, compiled by city planner Baldwin Wong, contains historical research on the history of racially discriminatory bylaws as well as discriminatory practices. It is well worth reading and can be found at:
http://council.vancouver.ca/20171031/documents/rr1.pdf

I had a chance to talk about the apology, and the role of the Advisory Council (upon which I had the privilege to serve as a volunteer), with Rick Cluff at the Early Edition on CBC Radio.
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1086205507505/

John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun also wrote a good article about one of the recommendations made for the City of Vancouver to pursue UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for Vancouver's Chinatown to help recognize its value as a heritage site within a global context, joining designation as a historical heritage site at the municipal, provincial, and federal level already:

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-to-apply-for-unesco-world-heritage-site-designation-for-chinatown

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