"Occupations - Labourers" found 149 records

Construction workers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59066

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 25.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of construction workers erecting steel frames next to railway tracks. Cranes and other construction vehicles are in the background.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 25.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1472

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of construction workers erecting steel frames next to railway tracks. Cranes and other construction vehicles are in the background.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers; Construction; Construction Tools and Equipment

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Hodge, Craig

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "PMT 100% / Page 4 / Burnaby / Today"

Images

Road work in progess - View of the city in the background

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59140

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a road under construction and labourers.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: ca.1983

Collection/Fonds: Columbian Newspaper collection

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 480-1478

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: May be restricted by third party rights

Accession Number: 2009-01

Scope and Content: Photograph of a road under construction and labourers.

Subjects: Construction; Construction - Road Construction; Occupations - Labourers

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: King, Basil

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Photographer's stamp on verso; Note on verso reads: "Page A-4 / Burnaby / Today / PMT 100%"

Images

Road work in progess - View of the city in the background, ca.1983 thumbnail

Group of labourers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64482

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [191-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 10.6 x 16.2 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified group of labourers.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [191-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Bailey family subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 10.6 x 16.2 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 508-010

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1992-55

Scope and Content: Photograph of an unidentified group of labourers.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Brick Houses under Construction

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64654

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1899 and 1910]

Collection/Fonds: Ernest Winch fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w cabinet card ; 10 x 14.5 cm, mounted on card 10.5 x 16.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of two brick houses under construction on High Street at Epping, Essex, England. These buildings were constructed by Ernest E. Winch.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1899 and 1910]

Collection/Fonds: Ernest Winch fonds

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w cabinet card ; 10 x 14.5 cm, mounted on card 10.5 x 16.5 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 514-003

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2010-06

Scope and Content: Photograph of two brick houses under construction on High Street at Epping, Essex, England. These buildings were constructed by Ernest E. Winch.

Subjects: Construction; Buildings - Residential - Houses; Construction Tools and Equipment; Occupations - Labourers

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Challoner-Courtenay, E.J.

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Brick Houses under Construction, [between 1899 and 1910] thumbnail

Four men on a cobblestone street

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription287

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 8.5 x 8.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of four unidentified men in work clothes standing on a cobblestone street. There is a building to their left and a "hose house" in the back. The man on the left side of the photograph is holding a tea kettle in one hand and a tea cup in the other, and pretending to pour. A m…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 8.5 x 8.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of four unidentified men in work clothes standing on a cobblestone street. There is a building to their left and a "hose house" in the back. The man on the left side of the photograph is holding a tea kettle in one hand and a tea cup in the other, and pretending to pour. A man beside him is holding up a broom and pretending to play the guitar with it. The man standing on the right side of the photograph is holding a shovel with one hand. An annotation on the back of the photograph reads: "Ed Johnson / Toronto" suggesting the location is Toronto and perhaps one of the men depicted is named Ed Johnson.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers

Accession Code: HV983.42.27

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-09-12

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Four men on a cobblestone street, [190-] thumbnail

Vancouver Engineering Works steam donkey

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription471

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1978

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of the interior of a large steel foundry. Tucked under the metal brace structures on the left of the photograph are steam donkeys. There is a man lowering a large gear in the centre on a pulley. In the foreground, to the right, is a wheelbarrow. An annotation on the back of the photo …

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of the interior of a large steel foundry. Tucked under the metal brace structures on the left of the photograph are steam donkeys. There is a man lowering a large gear in the centre on a pulley. In the foreground, to the right, is a wheelbarrow. An annotation on the back of the photo reads: "Vancouver Engineering Works - Steam Donkeys."

Subjects: Buildings - Industrial - Factories; Tools and Equipment; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Vancouver Engineering Works Limited

Geographic Access: Vancouver

Accession Code: HV978.14.7

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-] (date of original), copied 1978

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-08-01

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Vancouver Engineering Works steam donkey, [190-] (date of original), copied 1978 thumbnail

Vancouver Engineering Works Machinery

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription479

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-](date of orignal), copied 1978

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.3 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of a large piece of machinery being operated by a man depicted on the left side of the photograph. The machinery has a centre piece that seems to be rotating, with two spouts on the side, dumping out fluid into large containers that are placed under them. An annotation on the back of t…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.3 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of a large piece of machinery being operated by a man depicted on the left side of the photograph. The machinery has a centre piece that seems to be rotating, with two spouts on the side, dumping out fluid into large containers that are placed under them. An annotation on the back of the photograph reads: "Vancouver Engineering Works."

Subjects: Public Services - Public Works; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Vancouver Engineering Works Limited

Geographic Access: Vancouver

Accession Code: HV978.14.15

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-](date of orignal), copied 1978

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-08-01

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Vancouver Engineering Works Machinery, [190-](date of orignal), copied 1978 thumbnail

Frank Salt at work

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1305

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [between 1900 and 1919] (date of original)

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 24.5 x 19 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of George Salt working with an unidentified fellow labourer. George Salt is wearing overalls and holding a wood planer in his hands. The other man is wearing a striped shirt with suspenders and is resting his right hand on an axe handle.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 24.5 x 19 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of George Salt working with an unidentified fellow labourer. George Salt is wearing overalls and holding a wood planer in his hands. The other man is wearing a striped shirt with suspenders and is resting his right hand on an axe handle.

Subjects: Occupations - Woodworkers; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Salt, George

Accession Code: BV998.66.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Date: [between 1900 and 1919] (date of original)

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 02-Jun-09

Scale: 100

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Frank Salt at work, [between 1900 and 1919] (date of original) thumbnail

Three men in front of newly constructed house

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription3084

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [190-]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w glass negative

Scope and Content: Photograph of three men in work clothes standing in front of a large two storey house that appears to be newly constructed.

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w glass negative

Scope and Content: Photograph of three men in work clothes standing in front of a large two storey house that appears to be newly constructed.

Subjects: Buildings - Residential - Houses; Occupations - Labourers

Accession Code: HV973.110.15

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [190-]

Media Type: Photograph

Scan Resolution: 300

Scan Date: 16/8/2006

Scale: 100

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; 1 b&w contact print accompanying negative

Images

Three men in front of newly constructed house, [190-] thumbnail

Delta Metal Co. Ltd. employees

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35749

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1903 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of Delta Metal Co. Ltd. employees. Identified: (far right, elbow on lathe) G.C. Baker.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1903 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Pioneer Tales subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 204-607

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1988-03

Scope and Content: Photograph of Delta Metal Co. Ltd. employees. Identified: (far right, elbow on lathe) G.C. Baker.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers

Names: Baker, George Charles; Delta Metal Company Limited

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Delta Metal Co. Ltd. employees, 1903 (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail

Phillips Lumber Mill

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37303

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1905 (date of original), copied [1997]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.2 x 10 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of two labourers standing inside Phillips Lumber Mill at Guichon Creek and Mayne Avenue (now Willingdon).

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1905 (date of original), copied [1997]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.2 x 10 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 347-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of two labourers standing inside Phillips Lumber Mill at Guichon Creek and Mayne Avenue (now Willingdon).

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers; Woodworking Tools and Equipment - Logging Machinery; Buildings - Industrial - Mills

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Geographic Access: Willingdon Avenue

Planning Study Area: Douglas-Gilpin Area

Images

Phillips Lumber Mill, 1905 (date of original), copied [1997] thumbnail

Interview 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…

1 document 1 audio

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum fonds

Series: Museum Oral Histories series

Subseries: South Asian Canadian Interviews subseries

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

2022_0029_0005_004

Audio Tracks

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

The Ancient and Honorable Anvil Brigade

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription64484

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: May 24, 1906 (date of original)

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 13 x 18 cm mounted on board 22 x 27 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of "the Ancient + Honourable Anvil Brigade" standing outside a General Blacksmith and Machinist shop.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: May 24, 1906 (date of original)

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Bailey family subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : sepia ; 13 x 18 cm mounted on board 22 x 27 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 508-012

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1992-55

Scope and Content: Photograph of "the Ancient + Honourable Anvil Brigade" standing outside a General Blacksmith and Machinist shop.

Subjects: Persons - Crowds; Occupations - Labourers

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Cooksley, William Thomas

Notes: Photographer's mark on lower right corner of image reads: "W.T. Cooksley, Photo., / New Westminster, B.C."

Images

The Ancient and Honorable Anvil Brigade, May 24, 1906 (date of original) thumbnail

A Good Size Log, Barnet B.C

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38346

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1907]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w postcard ; 8.7 x 13.8 cm

Scope and Content: Photographic postcard of a labourer grappling with a large log on the log chute at the Barnet mill. The caption to the card reads: "A Good Size Log / Barnet B.C." The Barnet Mill was called the North Pacific Lumber Company from 1889 to 1914.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [1907]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Charles Lee subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w postcard ; 8.7 x 13.8 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 411-005

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2000-13

Scope and Content: Photographic postcard of a labourer grappling with a large log on the log chute at the Barnet mill. The caption to the card reads: "A Good Size Log / Barnet B.C." The Barnet Mill was called the North Pacific Lumber Company from 1889 to 1914.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers; Woodworking Tools and Equipment - Logging Machinery; Buildings - Industrial - Mills; Documentary Artifacts - Postcards

Names: Barnet Mill

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title taken from caption

Geographic Access: Barnet Village; Texaco Drive

Street Address: 8059 Texaco Drive

Historic Neighbourhood: Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Mountain Area

Images

A Good Size Log, Barnet B.C, [1907] thumbnail

Anderson and Phillips Builders

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription57728

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1910 and 1914]

Collection/Fonds: J.W. Phillips fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w glass negative ; 11 x 15.5 cm

Scope and Content: Photograph of a newly constructed house with land clearing debris and labourers working in the yard. A sign on the house reads; "Anderson and Phillips Builders", although the location and the specific individuals are unidentified (items no. 487-022 and 487-032 depict this house completed).

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [between 1910 and 1914]

Collection/Fonds: J.W. Phillips fonds

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w glass negative ; 11 x 15.5 cm

Material Details: Emulsion measures 11 x 15.5 cm on the glass; entire glass plate measures 12 x 16 cm

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 487-029

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2008-18

Scope and Content: Photograph of a newly constructed house with land clearing debris and labourers working in the yard. A sign on the house reads; "Anderson and Phillips Builders", although the location and the specific individuals are unidentified (items no. 487-022 and 487-032 depict this house completed).

Subjects: Buildings - Residential - Houses; Construction; Land Clearing; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Anderson and Phillips Builders

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Phillips, James William "Jim"

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

Anderson and Phillips Builders, [between 1910 and 1914] thumbnail

Rock crusher engine

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34522

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1910

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.1 x 17.1 cm mounted on 20.2 x 25.3 cm cardboard

Scope and Content: Photograph of a rock crusher engine and crew at Edmonds. Identified: foreman Pete Watt (3rd from left) and Jack McMurray (fourth from left). Annotations on back of photograph reads: "engineer George Harden [or Harder] at the wheel with Harry [or Harvey] Harrison beside him" and "others are Bob Ell…

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1910

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Photographs subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.1 x 17.1 cm mounted on 20.2 x 25.3 cm cardboard

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 035-001

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS2007-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of a rock crusher engine and crew at Edmonds. Identified: foreman Pete Watt (3rd from left) and Jack McMurray (fourth from left). Annotations on back of photograph reads: "engineer George Harden [or Harder] at the wheel with Harry [or Harvey] Harrison beside him" and "others are Bob Ellis, Sandy Scott, and Billy Waller [or Walter?]."

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers; Occupations - Engineers; Construction Tools and Equipment

Names: Ellis, Robert "Bob"; Harder, George; Harrison, Harry; McMurray, Jack; Scott, Sandy; Waller, Billy; Watt, Pete

Media Type: Photograph

Photographer: Moore, W.J.

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph; Stamp on back reads, "W.J. Moore, Photographer, Vancouver, B.C. / Walden Block or 25 & Main"

Historic Neighbourhood: Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)

Images

Labourers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35899

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1910 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of twelve Indo-Canadian men wearing work clothes and turbans posed in front of a building of board and batten construction. Two men are standing on a stack of lumber, five are sitting on the stack, and five are standing on the ground in front of them. According to the accompanying note p…

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: 1910 (date of original), copied 1986

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Pioneer Tales subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 204-758

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1988-03

Scope and Content: Photograph of twelve Indo-Canadian men wearing work clothes and turbans posed in front of a building of board and batten construction. Two men are standing on a stack of lumber, five are sitting on the stack, and five are standing on the ground in front of them. According to the accompanying note prepared by Burnaby Village Museum, the labourers are at the North Pacific Lumber Company mill at Barnet, which operated from 1899 to 1929 and completely closed out in 1931.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers

Names: Barnet Mill

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Geographic Access: Barnet Village; Texaco Drive

Street Address: 8059 Texaco Drive

Historic Neighbourhood: Barnet (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Burnaby Mountain Area

Images

Labourers, 1910 (date of original), copied 1986 thumbnail

House builders

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription36832

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [191-] (date of original), copied 1992

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of house builders outside a partially constructed home.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: [191-] (date of original), copied 1992

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Historical Society fonds

Series: Community Archives Collection series

Subseries: Burnaby Centennial Anthology subseries

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7 x 12 cm print

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 315-290

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No restrictions

Accession Number: BHS1994-04

Scope and Content: Photograph of a group of house builders outside a partially constructed home.

Subjects: Occupations - Labourers; Construction; Buildings - Residential - Houses

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Images

House builders, [191-] (date of original), copied 1992 thumbnail

Rock crusher in operation

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription39573

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: August 1910

Collection/Fonds: Peers Family and Hill Family fonds

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 10.2 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)

Scope and Content: Photograph of a rock crusher in operation. From a wall of rocks, a team of men puts the rock into the rock crusher. The crushed gravel is loaded up in a horse drawn cart, with a driver ready to transport it away. There are two men in suits to the right of the photograph watching the operation.

1 image

Repository: City of Burnaby Archives

Date: August 1910

Collection/Fonds: Peers Family and Hill Family fonds

Series: Kitty Hill Peers family photograph series

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 7.5 x 10.2 cm on page 21.5 x 28 cm (pasted in album)

Description Level: Item

Record No.: 477-892

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Accession Number: 2007-12

Scope and Content: Photograph of a rock crusher in operation. From a wall of rocks, a team of men puts the rock into the rock crusher. The crushed gravel is loaded up in a horse drawn cart, with a driver ready to transport it away. There are two men in suits to the right of the photograph watching the operation.

Subjects: Transportation - Horses; Land Clearing; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Oakalla Prison Farm

Media Type: Photograph

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

Geographic Access: Oakmount Crescent

Street Address: 5220 Oakmount Crescent

Historic Neighbourhood: Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)

Planning Study Area: Oakalla Area

Images

Rock crusher in operation, August 1910 thumbnail

Horse-drawn wagon carrying labourers

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1060

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Date: [1910] (date of original), copied [1972]

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.3 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of five unidentified men riding in a cart that is tied to the top of another cart. On the top cart is written, "Porter Brothers & Welch," and from this top cart, one of the five men is steering the team of 6 horses with the reins in his hands. An earlier catalogue record from 1972 stat…

1 image

Repository: Burnaby Village Museum

Collection/Fonds: Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection

Description Level: Item

Physical Description: 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.3 x 25.2 cm print

Scope and Content: Photograph of five unidentified men riding in a cart that is tied to the top of another cart. On the top cart is written, "Porter Brothers & Welch," and from this top cart, one of the five men is steering the team of 6 horses with the reins in his hands. An earlier catalogue record from 1972 states that the photograph was taken in 1910 and that the cart is enroute to Barkerville.

Subjects: Transportation - Horses; Transportation - Wagons; Occupations - Labourers

Names: Porter Brothers and Welch

Accession Code: HV972.47.1

Access Restriction: No restrictions

Reproduction Restriction: No known restrictions

Date: [1910] (date of original), copied [1972]

Media Type: Photograph

Related Material: For another shot of the same group of men and the cart from a different angle and at another moment, see HV972.47.2

Scan Resolution: 600

Scan Date: 2023-03-28

Notes: Title based on contents of photograph

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Road work in progess - View of the city in the background

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Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar

Documents

Audio Tracks

The Ancient and Honorable Anvil Brigade

Images

A Good Size Log, Barnet B.C

Images

Anderson and Phillips Builders

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Rock crusher engine

Images

Labourers

Images

House builders

Images

Rock crusher in operation

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Horse-drawn wagon carrying labourers

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