Chinese Canadian Museum
Engagement Summary
The Province of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver are working together to have Vancouver’s Chinatown designated a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. As part of this, the Province and the City committed to establishing a Chinese Canadian Museum.
The Minister of State for Trade George Chow led the public consultation process with support from a Working Group with vast experience in Chinese Canadian heritage, museum development, city planning and provincial history. The project was also supported by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lisa Beare.
The Province asked for people’s input in the early stages of planning the museum. People’s ideas helped inform the vision for a Chinese Canadian museum, its characteristics, and the ways it might help bridge past and present and transform British Columbia’s culture. There were two phases of the Chinese Canadian Museum public consultation.
The first phase included an online discussion opportunity with general questions about the process. People were able to provide feedback from December 7, 2018 to January 4, 2019.
The B.C. government and the working group used this feedback to help plan the community meetings in January and February 2019.
The second phase included eight meetings in five communities as well as 1-on-1 meetings with interested stakeholders, and more specific questions posted on the website.
Engagement Timeframe
Date: December 7, 2018 to February 8, 2019
Input Received
- Online feedback forms completed: 420
- Participants at community events: 485
- Emails received: 23
- In-person community meetings: 485 people attended eight in-person community meetings in five locations across British Columbia.
Read the Engagement Report summarizing people’s ideas:
Input leads to action:
To ensure people can learn more about Chinese Canadians’ contribution to British Columbia, the B.C. government invested $10 million to establish the Chinese Canadian Museum– the first in Canada. The museum includes a provincial hub in Vancouver Chinatown, multiple regional hubs and spokes throughout B.C., and an online portal and digital experiences for historical locations throughout the province.
The government also created an independent non-profit society to develop and operate the museum. To kick off the museum experience, the newly formed Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC has an exhibit in Vancouver Chinatown. ‘A Seat at the Table’ explores the history of Chinese immigration through food and restaurant culture. The exhibit is a partnership with the City of Vancouver, University of British Columbia and Museum of Vancouver.
To support continued planning the B.C. government provided a $1-million grant to the City of Vancouver including establishing a project office and a pocket gallery.
UPDATE February 2022: The historic Wing Sang Building, the oldest building in Vancouver Chinatown, will be the permanent site of the Chinese Canadian Museum.
News Release: https://news.gov.bc.ca/26242
Learn more about the Chinese Canadian Museum.