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Delnor Frozen Foods
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription93704
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- February 15, 1978
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of Delnor Frozen Foods manufacturing facility, located at Winston Street and Bainbridge Avenue. The photograph is taken from across the road, facing north. The mountains are visible in the distance.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- February 15, 1978
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-661
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2017-57
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of Delnor Frozen Foods manufacturing facility, located at Winston Street and Bainbridge Avenue. The photograph is taken from across the road, facing north. The mountains are visible in the distance.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Surridge, Jack
- Notes
- Title taken from project information form
- Accompanied by a project information form and 1 photograph (b&w negative ; 9.5 x 12.5 cm)
- BPL no. 109
- Geographic Access
- Winston Street
- Bainbridge Avenue
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
Images
Interior of Lenkurt Electric Company
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45616
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- November 1976, published November 17, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 24.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the interior of Lenkurt Electric's main manufacturing plant on the Lougheed Highway in Burnaby. Workers are at their desks, with their heads down, busily working. At the time of this photograph; "...1,400 employees make it one of the top secondary industries in B.C".
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- November 1976, published November 17, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 24.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-510
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the interior of Lenkurt Electric's main manufacturing plant on the Lougheed Highway in Burnaby. Workers are at their desks, with their heads down, busily working. At the time of this photograph; "...1,400 employees make it one of the top secondary industries in B.C".
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Names
- Lenkurt Electric Company
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "Unit production at Lenkurt Electric's head office, research and development facility and main manufacturing plant on the Lougheed Highway in Burnaby is carried out on a semi-production basis, with a number of selected components mounted at each station. A total of 1,400 employees make it one of the top secondary industries in B.C."
- Geographic Access
- Lougheed Highway
- Street Address
- 7018 Lougheed Highway
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
Images
![Ron Smitherman, [199-]. Item no. 549-065. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-065.jpg?width=280)
Interview with Ron Smitherman by Eric Damer November 15, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory406
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1949-2012
- Length
- 0:09:51
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Ron Smitherman's memories of changes to construction regulations over the years. Ron discusses Burnaby's industrial construction during the postwar era and beyond. He explains environmental and municipal regulations in relation to common practices within th…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Ron Smitherman's memories of changes to construction regulations over the years. Ron discusses Burnaby's industrial construction during the postwar era and beyond. He explains environmental and municipal regulations in relation to common practices within the construction industry.
- Date Range
- 1949-2012
- Photo Info
- Ron Smitherman, [199-]. Item no. 549-065.
- Length
- 0:09:51
- Subjects
- Construction
- Buildings - Industrial
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 15, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Ron Smitherman conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 15, 2012. Major theme discussed: building construction and development in Burnaby.
- Biographical Notes
- Born in 1933 and raised in Vancouver, Ron Smitherman learned the construction trade from his father, upgrading his knowledge and skills as techniques and materials changed and improved. Ron built houses and commercial buildings in Burnaby and elsewhere during the nineteen-forties, fifties and sixties. In 1969 Ron and his family settled in Burnaby where he shifted his business to real estate.
- Total Tracks
- 6
- Total Length
- 0:46:51
- Interviewee Name
- Smitherman, Ron
- Interview Location
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Interviewer Bio
- Eric Damer is a lifelong British Columbian born in Victoria, raised in Kamloops, and currently residing in Burnaby. After studying philosophy at the University of Victoria, he became interested in the educational forces that had shaped his own life. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees in educational studies at the University of British Columbia with a particular interest in the history of adult and higher education in the province. In 2012, Eric worked for the City of Burnaby as a field researcher and writer, conducting interviews for the City Archives and Museum Oral History Program.
- Collection/Fonds
- Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
- Transcript Available
- None
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Images
![Ron Smitherman, [199-]. Item no. 549-065. thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/540/549-065.jpg)
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Ron Smitherman
Track four of recording of interview with Ron Smitherman
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-025/MSS171-025_Track_4.mp3
Interview with Sev Morin by Rod Fowler April 4, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory538
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1950-1990
- Length
- 00:06:16
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Sev Morin’s description of Burnaby’s growth and business development along Kingsway and Hastings, the Lake City Industrial Park, and the purchase of property in 1958 for the Heritage Park and Art Gallery.
- Date Range
- 1950-1990
- Photo Info
- Sev Morin (left) of Severin's in Burnaby (formerly the Gai Paree) hosting a gala New Year's celebration, 1979. Item no. 480-712
- Length
- 00:06:16
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial
- Buildings - Civic
- Buildings - Industrial
- Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Heights Area
- Lake City Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- April 4, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Severin "Sev" Morin, conducted by Rod Fowler. Sev Morin was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is mainly about Sev Morin’s banquet hall, restaurant and night club business on Kingsway, originally named the “Gai Paree Supper Club” (1947-1976) and later “Severin’s” (1976-1985) and “Diego’s” (1985-1994), its function as a Burnaby landmark, and the entertainment and political people he met through his business. He also describes his many volunteer activities in Burnaby, including member of the SFU Senate, Rotary Club, Variety Club and Telethon, fund raising for Burnaby Hospital, and tourism related groups, and his political work for the federal Liberal party. He talks about his parents’ origins, the lives of his brothers Rudy and Rene, and the family’s involvement in establishing the “Gai Paree”. He also shares his views about the business and cultural development of Burnaby. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Severin “Sev” Rene Morin was born September 21, 1927, in Bonneville, Alberta, to Rene Pierre Morin (1878-1963) and Anne Marie (nee Lachiver) Morin (1886-1956). Mr. and Mrs. R. P. Morin and their son Rene Francois (1905-1954) immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, from France in 1913, where Rene Pierre Morin worked for the C.N.R. and a second son Adolphe “Rudy” Ferdinand (1922-1969) was born, followed by their third son Severin. In 1943, after R.P. Morin retired, the family moved to Burnaby to a house on Sperling Avenue. Sometime earlier the two older Morin brothers found work in Trail at the smelter and developed musical careers. In 1946/47 the Morin family purchased property on Kingsway and built a banquet hall, the “Gai Paree Supper Club”. Sev and Rudy Morin managed the club and Rene F. Morin moved to Burnaby to join them with his band. The supper club, with its live music and dance floor, became a popular meeting place and wedding venue, eventually expanding into a restaurant and nightclub in the 1970s. The “Gai Paree” was renamed “Severin’s” in 1976 and “Diego’s” in 1985, closing finally in 1994. Sev Morin’s business life included three record stores which he owned with his friend Jack Cullen. Through these businesses Sev Morin was well known in the entertainment and hospitality industry. He and his restaurant also hosted political and social events that made the restaurant a community landmark. Sev Morin contributed many volunteer hours to community and charitable organizations, including an appointment to the SFU Senate, fundraising for the Burnaby Hospital, Director of the Variety Club and Rotary Club, and consultant for a variety of tourism related ventures. He also was active in the federal Liberal Party. Sev Morin and his wife Pauline married in 1950 and had three children. Sev Morin died at age 86 on March 28, 2014.
- Total Tracks
- 10
- Total Length
- 00:56:44
- Interviewee Name
- Morin, Severin "Sev"
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Images
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Sev Morin
Track two of interview with Sev Morin
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-021/MSS187-021_Track%202.mp3Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19350
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (75 min., 32 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (75 min., 32 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Anushay Malik Interviewee: Surjeet Kaur Parmar Language of Interview: Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi Location of Interview: home of Surjeet Kaur Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: December 6, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of tracks: (1:15:32) Digital master recordings (wav) were edited into one recording and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar conducted by interviewer Anushay Malik. The interview is conducted in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi. During the interview Surjeet Kaur Parmar provides information on; her ancestral background, family relations in India and Canada, her personal experiences and her ancestors’ stories as South Asian immigrants, reflections on and personal experiences of racial discrimination as a South Asian immigrant, her places of residence, her employment background, her cultural practices and traditions including food, clothing and craft. The interview begins with introductions from interviewer Anushay Mailik. Surjeet Kaur Parmar imparts her own family’s migration story beginning with her very first elders that immigrated to Canada from India. A relative (unnamed) immigrated to Canada first and a few years later (around 1905) returned to India and brought back three cousins that included; Ginaya Singh (Ghania Singh Manhas) and Doman Singh . Mayo Singh (Ghania Singh’s younger brother) came in 1906 on his own to join them. Surjeet’s grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) also wanted to immigrate at this time, but he was too young and weak to manage such a long trip. Surjeet conveys that while living in British Columbia, Mayo and Ginaya Singh worked together at saw mills. With their knowledge and understanding of mill work they ended up owning and operating a mill in Paldi near Duncan on Vancouver Island. At this time, most of the men from Surjeet’s family region in Punjab were abroad and with no men living at home. Mayo Singh’s father (Bhulla Singh) looked after her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) and paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh Manhas) back in Punjab. When Mayo’s father died, Mayo Singh adopted her paternal uncle (Kashmir Singh) and brought him to Canada in 1926. Surjeet describes her ancestors’ immigration journey from India to Canada. They all travelled by ship and if someone ran out of money en route, they could work on the ship. Surjeet explains that both Mayo and Ginaya Singh are Surjeet’s grandfather’s first cousins and her father’s second cousins. Surjeet recollects her grandfather (Shair/Sher Singh Manhas) saying “now that you’ve arrived there, take one cousin from each side with you”. Surjeet explains that the cousins were all from the same village in Punjab and her great grandfather wanted someone to go abroad, so he sent a few and had them bring more as the years went on. Surjeet says that she’s uncertain as to why they chose Canada rather than America but thinks that they did some form of research and determined that it was a good place to come to. Surjeet admits that she doesn’t know the name of her paternal grandfather or other elders since she never met them. Surjeet shares that it was a traditional practice to mark pots and pans with family names and imparts that she discovered her father’s name “Lashman Singh” written on the bottom of a glass. Surjeet expresses that she’s marked her own pots and pans with her name to identify which ones are hers when she gets together with family or does catering. Surjeet refers to a kohl bottle that she has and how she’d like to offer it to the museum. She explains how the kohl bottle is no longer in use but was used by her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) and daughter and her grandchildren. Surjeet describes a blanket that she made called a “phulkari”, now on display in a small museum in Coquitlam, a wedding shawl, that her daughter now owns and a silk sari with embroidery. Surjeet and Anushay discuss the possibility of donating the kohl bottle and the sari to the museum. Surjeet explains how the kohl is used and how her mother used to make kohl. She describes how you rub the kohl with your hands, put cardamom in it, one or two other ingredients and fill the kohl bottle up with water. Surjeet says that she used kohl as eyeliner when living in India. The interviewer asks Surjeet more about Ginaya Singh. Surjeet conveys that Ginaya Singh ended up leaving the mill on Vancouver Island and moved to Vancouver. After Ginaya Singh died from a heart attack (in 1953) his family moved from Vancouver to Burnaby. Surjeet recalls that following the death of Ginaya Singh’s youngest son, her family didn’t celebrate “Lohri” (a winter festival celebrating newborns and newly married people) for three years. She shares that she was very young at this time but remembers there being beautiful photographs of young children all dressed up and displayed in her family home. She expresses that dressing up for photos has changed over time and adds that suits didn’t really come into fashion until after the 1970s or 1980s. Surjeet conveys that her uncle named Kashmira Singh first worked at the mill in Paldi near Duncan then moved to Vancouver and opened up his own mill in North Vancouver. Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas arrived in 1953. Surjeet expresses that Kapoor Singh was educated and worked as a manager at the mill on Vancouver Island. Surjeet recollects meeting Mayo Singh, his wife and eldest son in 1952 when they travelled to India for a cousin’s wedding. Surjeet remembers that Mayo Singh’s family had a very large house in India. She describes the house as a very opulent two story house with indoor plumbing for a bathtub, a kitchen with a woodstove, coloured mirrors, bejeweled curtains, a motor room to park cars, a buffalo and more. Surjeet refers to Nand Singh, a younger brother of Mayo Singh, who travelled from India to San Franciso and spent a year wandering around before deciding to return to India. She describes him as living in Bombay with his wife Vishan Kaur and having a transport business. Nand had two kids that came to Canada. Surjeet recollects the tragic death of Ganda Singh (Ginaya Singh) who died of a heart attack on someone’s doorstep, they thought that he was drunk so didn’t open the door. Surjeet conveys that Mayo Singh’s wife, Mission Kaur (Saradani Bishan Kaur) died while visiting India (in 1952) and that some of Mayo’s sons were married in Canada and one in India. Surjeet expresses that it was hard for Mayo’s sons to have one of their parents die in India and one die in Canada (Mayo Singh died in B.C. in 1955). Surjeet describes the hospital that Mayo built in the village of Paldi. She mentions that there were festivals and functions that took place there, there were many nurses and doctors. She recalls there being a school where their land was. She recalls that if they got headaches they were treated with medicine and that it didn’t cost much, only a six pence. Surjeet talks about her arranged marriage to Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar. Surjeet explains that her father and brother immigrated to British Columbia first (1953) and after a few months they brought Surjeet and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas). She recollects that when she was in Grade 10 and around 17 years of age, her family made plans to travel to India to attend a family wedding. During this time, her father suggested that it would be a good opportunity to take Surjeet with them to find her a husband in India to marry. After meeting and marrying Nadeem Parmar in India, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England. Surjeet recollects that in order to immigrate to Canada, each family member had to pass a medical exam and how difficult it was. Her two sisters, mother and brother all had to take the test in Delhi. Surjeet recalls living in England with Nadeem. While living in England, Nadeem worked during the day and studied engineering at college in the evening. Surjeet expresses that she liked living in England and was sad to leave. While living there, they enjoyed a close knit Punjabi community and they all lived in the same area. Surjeet states later in her interview that living in Canada was different from living in England. In England, family and friends lived closer together whereas in Canada places were further apart. Surjeet says that while living in England she could walk to do her shopping. While living in England, after her children were a bit older, she worked as a seamstress in a shirt factory for a few years before coming to Canada. Surjeet imparts that her father (Lashman Singh Manhas) died of a heart attack in 1970 and her mother (Budhan Kaur Manhas) died in 1998. Her father and her family first lived in North Vancouver and then her parents bought a house on Eton Street in Burnaby, near the Ocean. After her father died, her brother and mother bought a house and moved to the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Burnaby. In 1973, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children immigrated to Canada and moved in with her brother and mother. Surjeet includes that her paternal aunt (Koshali Kaur Manhas) and cousins also moved to Burnaby and that her aunt and some of her cousins were sponsored by her son who came earlier. Surjeet recalls that after arriving in Canada she got work sewing in a factory located on Water Street in Gastown. Surjeet recollects travelling to her job by bus. Surjeet shares that she brought saris and quilted blankets “rijai”, not household items, in her suitcase when she came to Canada from England. Surjeet explains that the “rijai” (quilted blankets) were made from cotton from her home village in India. The blankets were made by women and then brought back to her to quilt on her sewing machine. Surjeet recalls that when she returned to Canada (in 1973 with her husband and children) they first lived with her mother and brother on Capitol Hill in Burnaby before moving to a house on Fell Avenue and then to their current home in 1982. In 1981, she worked at “Canadian Window Covering” factory making window coverings. The factory was located in the Brentwood area of Burnaby. Surjeet recalls how the factory became unionized and of how she left the factory and found union work at the Labatt’s brewery (Winery and Distillery Workers Local 300). Surjeet describes the work that she did while working at Labatt’s brewery which was located next to the Royal Columbian Hospital in Burnaby. Around 1995, when the Labatt’s factory closed down in Burnaby, she got union work as a bottle sorter for BDL Brewers Distributor Limited, where bottles were gathered for distribution at Braid Station. Surjeet left this job in 2000. Surjeet talks about traditional foods like bindi, sabji, aam and karela and where she’s shopped to find traditional ingredients for South Asian cuisine. She recollects how at first she could only find traditional ingredients at stores in Gastown, Chinatown and on Main Street in Vancouver but now they are more readily available at major grocery stores. Surjeet expresses that traditional spices and dry goods have been hard to find, apart from stores like, Famous Foods and Patels when it was located on Commercial Drive. Surjeet talks about using ingredients such as green pea flour and Besan flour to make pakoras and kahdri. Surjeet states that many immigrants didn’t wear their traditional clothing until she came later. She expresses that many South Asian immigrants didn’t wear their clothes “because there were no rights, we had to try to become like them”. Surjeet conveys that even though some were able to purchase property (she provides an example of family members in Duncan who faced discrimination by the owner/seller of a piece of property they were purchasing) that they had very little rights and they were all living in fear. She expresses that she herself didn’t experience this but in the beginning when people settled here (in B.C.) that it was very difficult. Surjeet says that when she goes to the Gurdwara and to work, she wears a sari and conveys that while working at the factory, she was encouraged to wear a sari, it was accepted then. She brought printed saris to work and her co workers said that they’d wear them to parties. Surjeet reflects on her own experiences of racism and discrimination and expresses that her generation “has learned how to stand up in front, then they got scared of saying anything”. “The people who came here first were afraid because they were alone, they had to settle down here and make a home from scratch, but the ones who came after had everything already built and made”. She explains how they helped one another when they came (to British Columbia). She describes how the Gurdwara was located on 2nd Street and all of the ships went there (new immigrants?), people would gather, get water, help one another and there would be a place for all people. Surjeet shares a personal experience of helping members of her husband’s family to immigrate to Canada. She tells of the complications of some being left behind in India and that some came to Canada as refugees that she and her husband sponsored. Surjeet expresses their struggles with raising a family, working and trying to pay for their own house while also trying to assist and support family members. Surjeet describes in detail how her husband Nadeem went back to India after his mother died to help his father, sister and her family immigrate. She explains that the immigration process took about four years and his father had to apply as a refugee. Nadeem’s sister came with her children but had to return to India so Surjeet and her family had to look after Nadeem’s sister’s child/children. Surjeet expresses that during this time she continued to work at Canadian Window Coverings, working an afternoon shift and sometimes taking her son with her. She expresses that this as a very hectic time, working the whole day, making food for everyone, grocery shopping, looking after a her sister in law’s younger child at night and getting no rest. Surjeet describes the time when she was working and her children were attending the local school. She expresses the challenges of working long days and often arriving home after her children. She recollects a time when there was a snow storm and how she was worried about her children making it home and being alone while she was at work, there were no cell phones in those days but they had phone numbers of her brother and sister. Surjeet tells of how they tried to help the rest of the Nadeem’s family immigrate including his brother who was a soccer player in India. They were able to buy a house for the whole family to live but expresses after several months Nadeem’s brother decided to stay in India. Surjeet expresses the complications and frustrations of trying to bring all family members to Canada.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Surjeet Kaur Parmar was born in Punjab, India in 1942 to parents Lashman Singh Manhas (1913-1970) and Budhan Kaur Manhas (1906-1998). Surjeet’s ancestors, Ghania Singh Manhas, Doman Singh and Mayo Singh immigrated to British Columbia in 1905 and 1906. The group got work in saw mills and soon began owning and operating their own saw mills, first in Chilliwack and Rosedale districts and later in 1920 on Vancouver Island near Duncan (Paldi) (known as the Mayo Lumber Company). In 1927, Surjeet’s paternal uncle, Kashmir Singh Manhas left Paldi, Punjab at the age of 18 years with Mayo Singh Manhas and after months of travel they arrived at Paldi on Vancouver Island. In 1953, Surjeet’s father, Lashman Singh Manhas and her two brothers immigrated to Canada and soon after brought her and her mother, Budhan Kaur Manhas. After immigrating, her father began working at “Kashmir Lumber Company” in North Vancouver which was owned by his brother Kashmira Singh Manhas. Surjeet, her parents and two brothers first made their home in North Vancouver and the 1960s they moved to 3824 Eton Street in Burnaby. In 1959, Surjeet and her family returned to India for her brother’s wedding. During this time a marriage was arranged for Surjeet to marry Nadeem Parmar and they were married in 1960. Following their marriage, Surjeet and Nadeem moved to England where they began raising their two children. While living in England, Surjeet worked as seamstress at a factory. In 1973, following the death of Surjeet’s father who died in 1970, Surjeet and Nadeem decided to immigrate to British Columbia. For the first few years, Surjeet, Nadeem and their two children lived with her mother and brother in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Burnaby before purchasing their own home on Fell Avenue. While living in Burnaby Surjeet has worked as a seamstress for Canadian Window Covering, Labatt's Brewery and BDL Brewers Distributor Limited which she left in 2000. In 1982, Surjeet and her family moved into a new home that they had built on Woodsworth Street where they still live today. Interviewer biography: Anushay Malik is labor historian with a geographical focus on South Asia. Anushay studied at the University of London and was a research fellow at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 2014, Anushay moved back to her native Pakistan and joined Lahore University of Management Services as an Assistant Professor. In 2023, Anushay is a visiting scholar at Simon Fraser University and lives in Burnaby with her family. Anushay was a co-curator of the Burnaby Village Museum exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Clothing
- Crafts
- Employment
- Migration
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Occupations - Labourers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Names
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.5
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.1 - interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription of interview translated to English from Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi to English created by Rajdeep
- Transciption available on Heritage Burnaby
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar, [1905-2022] (interview content), interviewed 6 Dec. 2022
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0005_003.mp3
Lake City Industrial Park
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79418
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a man lying on the grass outside one of the industrial buildings in the Lake City Industrial Park
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-284
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-13
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a man lying on the grass outside one of the industrial buildings in the Lake City Industrial Park
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Gardiner, Robert
- Notes
- Scope note taken directly from BPL photograph description.
- 1 b&w copy negative : 10 x 12.5 cm accompanying
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
Images
Man sailing around Barnet Inlet
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58997
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a sailboat sailing in the Burrard Inlet, by Barnet Park. The hills and oil refinery are visible in the background.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 18.5 x 25.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1407
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a sailboat sailing in the Burrard Inlet, by Barnet Park. The hills and oil refinery are visible in the background.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Hodge, Craig
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Photographer's stamp on verso
- Note on verso reads: "PMT 75% / page 4 / Burnaby Today"
- Geographic Access
- Burrard Inlet
- Barnet Marine Park
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Burnaby Mountain Area
Images
Multi-Tenant Industrial Development / 5051 Still Creek Avenue
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription93722
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1989
- Collection/Fonds
- Grover, Elliott & Co. Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 24 photographs : col. negatives ; 35 mm
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the exterior of the multi-tenant industrial complex located at 5051 Still Creek Avenue - an address that no longer exists.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1989
- Collection/Fonds
- Grover, Elliott & Co. Ltd. fonds
- Physical Description
- 24 photographs : col. negatives ; 35 mm
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 622-011
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2017-39
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the exterior of the multi-tenant industrial complex located at 5051 Still Creek Avenue - an address that no longer exists.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Title transcribed from original print envelope
- Residences were identified using notes on verso of accompanying prints
- Geographic Access
- Still Creek Avenue
- Planning Study Area
- Dawson-Delta Area
Nabob Foods plant
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription56673
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- March 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 19.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Nabob Foods plant in Lake City, Burnaby. Kelly Douglas and Company were the original owners, but they entered into an agreement with Swiss-owned Jacobs AG, allowing Jacobs to acquire Nabob Foods in August of 1976.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- March 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6 x 19.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1257
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Nabob Foods plant in Lake City, Burnaby. Kelly Douglas and Company were the original owners, but they entered into an agreement with Swiss-owned Jacobs AG, allowing Jacobs to acquire Nabob Foods in August of 1976.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Battistoni, Peter
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "Nabob Foods plant at Lake City in Burnaby will have access to the world-wide buying powers of Jacobs AG if the proposed sale by Kelly Douglas is approved."
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
Images
Railway Crossing
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79355
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 8, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a railway crossing near the Canada Safeway Limited milk department at 7560 18th Street. This milk processing plant opened in 1970.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 8, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-262
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-13
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a railway crossing near the Canada Safeway Limited milk department at 7560 18th Street. This milk processing plant opened in 1970.
- Names
- Safeway
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Ross, Martha
- Notes
- Scope note taken directly from BPL photograph description.
- 1 b&w copy negative : 10 x 12.5 cm accompanying
- Geographic Access
- 18th Street
- Street Address
- 7560 18th Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Stride Avenue Area
Images
Rosita's Burritos
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58905
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 25 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified men, sitting at a table underneath a "Rosita's Burritos Now Available" sign. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17.5 x 25 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1361
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of two unidentified men, sitting at a table underneath a "Rosita's Burritos Now Available" sign. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Photographer's stamp on verso
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby Today page A4 / 62%"
Images
Rosita's Burritos - People working
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58903
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 25 x 18 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of factory workers on the line at Rosita's Burritos. Plastic-wrapped burritos are coming out of the machine. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 25 x 18 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1360
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of factory workers on the line at Rosita's Burritos. Plastic-wrapped burritos are coming out of the machine. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Photographer's stamp on verso
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby Today / page A4 / 85%"
Images
Sign in Lake City Industrial Park
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79421
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 22, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a sign on the corner of Production Way and Thunderbird Crescent in the Lake City Industrial Park listing the occupants of Production Way Building # 2. Burnaby Public Library, one of the occupants listed, had moved from this site two months prior to the photograph being taken.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 22, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-286
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-13
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows a sign on the corner of Production Way and Thunderbird Crescent in the Lake City Industrial Park listing the occupants of Production Way Building # 2. Burnaby Public Library, one of the occupants listed, had moved from this site two months prior to the photograph being taken.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- McCarron, John
- Notes
- Scope note taken directly from BPL photograph description.
- 1 b&w copy negative : 10 x 12.5 cm accompanying
- Geographic Access
- Production Way
- Thunderbird Crescent
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
Images
Two building Industrial Development / 3680 and 3686 Bonneville Place
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription93723
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1989
- Collection/Fonds
- Grover, Elliott & Co. Ltd. fonds
- Description Level
- File
- Physical Description
- 24 photographs : col. negatives ; 35 mm
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the exterior of an industrial development located at 3680 and 3686 Bonneville Place. Tenant businesses visible in the photographs include: Unistrut, Firelli, Duracell, and Winford Insulations Limited.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1989
- Collection/Fonds
- Grover, Elliott & Co. Ltd. fonds
- Physical Description
- 24 photographs : col. negatives ; 35 mm
- Description Level
- File
- Record No.
- 622-012
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2017-39
- Scope and Content
- Photographs of the exterior of an industrial development located at 3680 and 3686 Bonneville Place. Tenant businesses visible in the photographs include: Unistrut, Firelli, Duracell, and Winford Insulations Limited.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Transcribed title
- Title transcribed from original print envelope
- Geographic Access
- Bonneville Place
- Street Address
- 3680 Bonneville Place
- 3686 Bonneville Place
- Planning Study Area
- Lake City Area
Warehouse on Gilley Avenue
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79368
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 16, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows men unloading truck at warehouse at 7515 Gilley Avenue. The warehouse, at the time of the photograph, was owned by Miloni Food Importers. Miloni Food Importers was previously located on Hastings Street and was founded around 1956.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 16, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-267
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-13
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows men unloading truck at warehouse at 7515 Gilley Avenue. The warehouse, at the time of the photograph, was owned by Miloni Food Importers. Miloni Food Importers was previously located on Hastings Street and was founded around 1956.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial
- Names
- Miloni Food Importers
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Ross, Martha
- Notes
- Scope note taken directly from BPL photograph description.
- 1 b&w copy negative : 10 x 12.5 cm accompanying
- Geographic Access
- Gilley Avenue
- Street Address
- 7515 Gilley Avenue
- Planning Study Area
- Windsor Area
Images
Warehouses - Burnaby Lake
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription93627
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- October 22, 1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of commercial and industrial buildings by Burnaby Lake on Winston Street. The photograph is taken from a high point, facing south. The photograph shows the Furniture Fair warehouse and parking lot in the foreground and the Continental Can Company plant and its water tower are in the back…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- October 22, 1977
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-584
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2017-57
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of commercial and industrial buildings by Burnaby Lake on Winston Street. The photograph is taken from a high point, facing south. The photograph shows the Furniture Fair warehouse and parking lot in the foreground and the Continental Can Company plant and its water tower are in the background.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial - Stores
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Structures - Water Tanks and Towers
- Names
- Continental Can Co.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Surridge, Jack
- Notes
- Title taken from project information form
- Accompanied by a project information form and 1 photograph (b&w negative ; 9.5 x 12.5 cm)
- BPL no. 33
- Geographic Access
- Winston Street
- Burnaby Lake
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Lozells (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Government Road Area
Images
Weiser Lock Company
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription79359
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 22, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows Weiser Lock Company Ltd. which was started in Vancouver in 1954. The plant pictured in the photograph, at 6700 Beresford Street, was constructed in 1954. The building expanded 12 times between 1954 and the time of the photograph in 1976, from the original 10,000 to 350,000 square…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- September 22, 1976
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Public Library Contemporary Visual Archive Project
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16 cm mounted on cardboard
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 556-266
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2013-13
- Scope and Content
- Photograph shows Weiser Lock Company Ltd. which was started in Vancouver in 1954. The plant pictured in the photograph, at 6700 Beresford Street, was constructed in 1954. The building expanded 12 times between 1954 and the time of the photograph in 1976, from the original 10,000 to 350,000 square feet and was the only Weiser Lock plant in Canada.
- Subjects
- Buildings - Industrial
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Ross, Martha
- Notes
- Scope note taken directly from BPL photograph description.
- 1 b&w copy negative : 10 x 12.5 cm accompanying
- Geographic Access
- Beresford Street
- Street Address
- 6700 Beresford Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Kingsway-Beresford Area
Images
