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Harry Toy fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20339
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [197-]-2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Toy fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- .5 cm of textual records + 6 photographs + 2 photographs (jpg)
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of business records and photographs relating to Harry Toy's store the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants' Association and his family.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Toy fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- .5 cm of textual records + 6 photographs + 2 photographs (jpg)
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of business records and photographs relating to Harry Toy's store the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants' Association and his family.
- History
- Harry Wee Koon Toy was born in February 9, 1936 in Taikong, Toisan county, Guangdong, China. Harry's father William Toy came to Canada in the early 1920s when he was ten years old. Harry arrived in Vancouver, Canada on September 9, 1950. After staying in Vancouver for one night, he joined his father in Neepawa, Manitoba where the family operated a cafe business (Royal Cafe). Harry grew up in Neepawa and graduated from the University of Manitoba and teacher's college. He became a high school teacher and worked at schools in Minnedosa and Gladstone, Manitoba teaching various subjects including, science, business, geography, history and physical education. Harry and his wife, had three daughters, Melinda, Beverley and Christina who were all born in Neepawa. When the family decided to move to the west coast, Harry was introduced to the grocery store business through an uncle who was a store operator. Around 1970, Harry purchased a grocery store at 4694 Canada Way in Burnaby which he named "Canada Way Food Market" and Harry and his daughters made their home at the back of the store. Harry owned and operated the store for approximately 40 years between 1970 and 2010. Around 1986, Harry purchased the butcher shop next door (4692 Canada Way) which was no longer in operation, expanding his store and adding a second storey to use as a residence. Harry's children helped him operate the store throughout their childhood. In the early 1970s, corner stores were threatened by the spread of small chain-operated convenience stories from Eastern Canada to Vancouver. Formed in April 1972, the Fraser Merchants’ Association was established to protect the rights of corner store operators. With no paid legal help, the association was incorporated in Victoria, BC for the cost of 56 cents. The benefits of being a member of the association included warehouse and group purchasing, common advertising and other advantages of being part of an association. Founded by Gary Lee Ling and five others, Fraser Merchants’ Association’s first member was Graham Grocery. By 1978, the association represented over 200 corner stores in the Lower Mainland (Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Coquitlam, and New Westminster) and Fraser Valley. The association remained active into the 1980s and 1990s. Harry has served as President of the Fraser Merchants' Association from 1992 to present.
- Creator
- Toy, Harry Wee Koon "Harry"
- Accession Code
- BV023.25
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [197-]-2023
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Related Material
- See also BV023.16.19 - Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy
- For associated artifacts from Canada Way Food Market see Accession BV023.17
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
James Massey family fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription88394
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1933-1953 (date of originals), copied 2014
- Collection/Fonds
- James Massey family fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- 18 photographs (tiffs) ; 600 dpi
- Scope and Content
- Records consist of 14 digitized photographs of Robert Burnaby Park and the Massey family with views of buildings, gardens, and trails.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1933-1953 (date of originals), copied 2014
- Collection/Fonds
- James Massey family fonds
- Physical Description
- 18 photographs (tiffs) ; 600 dpi
- Material Details
- Tiffs are copies of original photographs
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Accession Number
- 2014-34
- Scope and Content
- Records consist of 14 digitized photographs of Robert Burnaby Park and the Massey family with views of buildings, gardens, and trails.
- History
- James Massey was born in Lancaster, England, in 1890 and immigrated to Burnaby in 1910. He married Alice Wilcock who also immigrated to Canada from Lancaster. James and Alice (Willcock) Massey were married in New Westminster on September 11, 1912. The couple built a house on three adjoining lots on the south side of 13th Avenue in Burnaby near Cumberland Road. James and Alice had three daughters, Betty, Grace, and Evelyn. James worked in road construction for the Burnaby Municipality, assisting to build Sperling Avenue (formerly named Pole Line Road) in 1912. He also worked in the brick yard in the glen behind the B.C. Penitentiary, which was owned by the Cogband family. In 1933, James accepted the job of caretaker for Robert Burnaby Park and moved his family onto the property. He was paid 30 dollars a week and the house was rent-free, leaving the family to rent out their house on 13th Avenue for extra revenue. The house that they moved into in Robert Burnaby Park was formerly owned by the Ramsey family and was a pre-fabricated design with no bathroom and a wood stove in the kitchen for heating. The park is situated south of Burnaby Lake on District Lots 87, 89, and 90. The land was originally owned by the Ramsey family, who purchased the property in 1905 and then sold it to Mr. Vidal in 1909. Annie Ramsey bought it back in 1917, but lost it to the city through tax sale proceedings where she entered into a lease agreement allowing her to live on the property until her death in 1926. As the caretaker of Robert Burnaby Park and Burnaby Lake, James also fulfilled the role of game warden. In his role as game warden, James would watch for any poachers, pull traps, take any firearms from children and also act as a deputy for the Provincial Police, which later became the R.C.M.P. The Massey family's dog, Pete, a spaniel cross, assisted Jim in tracking down any traps. Mr. Massey had three aviaries on the park property, where he raised canaries, and in 1939, he installed a goldfish pond. He was also responsible for constructing a playground and raising the flag up the flag pole on all public holidays. The family built a greenhouse behind their house to grow plants for the extensive park gardens. James' brother was the caretaker of Queens Park in New Westminster and assisted him in the planning and design of the gardens. During the 1930s, many unemployed script worked for Mr. Massey in clearing land and building trails and a bridge within the park. A garage was built at the foot of 2nd Street with two additional rooms built by Mr. Massey with the intention of them being used by the Parks Board. However, it was never used for this purpose and the Air Raid Patrol building from the 2nd Street School grounds was moved to the park and used for storage. The Army for the Common Good gardens were located on the west side of Hill Avenue with a shed for tools. The Army of the Common Good grew food and distributed it within the community to those in need during the Depression. The Massey family moved from the park in 1947 and James decided to run for the Burnaby School in the early 1950s. James retired at 65 years of age but continued to work as a custodian at the Armstrong Avenue School until the age of 72. James died in 1985 in Princeton, B.C., at the age of 95.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Creator
- Massey family
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
- Photo catalogue 581