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Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20285
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (121min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (121 min., 13 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 25, 2023. The interview is divided into four sections: early life of Harry Toy, the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser M…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recordings (wav) (121min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (121 min., 13 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Denise Fong Interviewees: Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy Location of Interview: Residence of Harry Toy Interview Date: September 25, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: 02:01:13 Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy conducted by Burnaby Village Museum researcher Denise Fong on September 25, 2023. The interview is divided into four sections: early life of Harry Toy, the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants’ Association and Harry's daughters, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy's memories of growing up in Burnaby. 00:00:00 – 00:23:53 Harry Toy shares biographical information about himself and his ancestors. Harry provides information about his migration to Canada and his life in Manitoba, attending school, working at the family restaurant and teaching high school. 00:23:53 – 00:41:16 Harry talks about moving his family to Burnaby and his experiences owning and operating the Canada Way Food Market. 00:41:17 – 00:54:19 Harry talks about his involvement with the Fraser Merchants Association (FMA) and provides some history about the organization. 00:54:20 – 1:22:44 Harry talks about running the Canada Way Food Market and the alterations that he made to the store over the years. Harry and his daughters comment as they look through photographs of Harry and his store and the Fraser Merchants Association. 1:22:45 – 2:01:14 Beverley and Christina talk about their early childhood in Manitoba and growing up in Burnaby. They recall what it was like growing up and working in the family owned store.
- History
- Interviewee biography: Harry Wee Koon Toy was born in February 9, 1936 in Taikong, Toisan county, Guangdong, China. Harry's father William Toy came to Canada in the early 1920s when he was ten years old. Harry arrived in Vancouver, Canada on September 9, 1950. After staying in Vancouver for one night, he joined his father in Neepawa, Manitoba where the family operated a cafe business (Royal Cafe). Harry grew up in Neepawa and graduated from the University of Manitoba and teacher's college. He became a high school teacher and worked at schools in Minnedosa and Gladstone, Manitoba teaching various subjects including, science, business, geography, history and physical education. Harry and his wife, had three daughters, Melinda, Beverley and Christina who were all born in Neepawa. When the family decided to move to the west coast, Harry was introduced to the grocery store business through an uncle who was a store operator. Around 1970, Harry purchased a grocery store at 4694 Canada Way in Burnaby which he named "Canada Way Food Market" and Harry and his daughters made their home at the back of the store. Harry owned and operated the store for approximately 40 years between 1970 and 2010. Around 1986, Harry purchased the butcher shop next door (4692 Canada Way) which was no longer in operation, expanding his store and adding a second storey to use a residence. Harry's children helped him operate the store throughout their childhood. In the early 1970s, corner stores were threatened by the spread of small chain-operated convenience stories from Eastern Canada to Vancouver. Formed in April 1972, the Fraser Merchants’ Association was established to protect the rights of corner store operators. With no paid legal help, the association was incorporated in Victoria, BC for the cost of 56 cents. The benefits of being a member of the association included warehouse and group purchasing, common advertising and other advantages of being part of an association. Founded by Gary Lee Ling and five others, Fraser Merchants’ Association’s first member was Graham Grocery. By 1978, the association represented over 200 corner stores in the Lower Mainland (Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Coquitlam, and New Westminster) and Fraser Valley. The association remained active into the 1980s and 1990s. Harry has served as President of the Fraser Merchants' Association from 1992 to present. Interviewer biography: Denise Fong is a historical researcher at Burnaby Village Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology (BA) and Archaeology (MA), and is completing her doctoral degree at UBC in Interdisciplinary Studies. Her primary research interests are in Chinese Canadian history and critical heritage studies. She is the co-curator of BVM’s “Across the Pacific” exhibition, and the Museum of Vancouver’s “A Seat at the Table – Chinese Immigration and British Columbia”.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Education
- Migration
- Occupations - Teachers
- Occupations - Grocers
- Organizations
- Organizations - Business Associations
- Persons - Chinese Canadians
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores
- Names
- Toy, Christina
- Toy, Harry Wee Koon "Harry"
- Babey, Beverley
- Canada Way Food Market
- Fraser Merchants' Association
- Responsibility
- Fong, Denise
- Geographic Access
- Canada Way
- Street Address
- 4694 Canada Way
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.19
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Related Material
- See also: BV023.25 - Harry Toy fonds
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available
Documents
Audio Tracks
Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy, [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy, [1905-2023] (interview content), interviewed 25 Sep. 2023
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2023_0016_0019_002.mp332nd Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport57471
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 78292
- Meeting Date
- 30-Aug-2010
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 7
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 78292
- Meeting Date
- 30-Aug-2010
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 7
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
33rd Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport57995
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 90149
- Meeting Date
- 29-Aug-2011
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 17
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 90149
- Meeting Date
- 29-Aug-2011
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 17
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
34th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport58526
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 90602
- Meeting Date
- 30-Jul-2012
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 9
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 90602
- Meeting Date
- 30-Jul-2012
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 9
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
35th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport59060
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 99006
- Meeting Date
- 22-Jul-2013
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 1
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 99006
- Meeting Date
- 22-Jul-2013
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 1
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
36th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport59621
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 99563
- Meeting Date
- 25-Aug-2014
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 7
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 99563
- Meeting Date
- 25-Aug-2014
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 7
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
37th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport60347
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 100655
- Meeting Date
- 24-Aug-2015
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 4
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 100655
- Meeting Date
- 24-Aug-2015
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 4
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
38th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport61083
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 101182
- Meeting Date
- 29-Aug-2016
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 2
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 101182
- Meeting Date
- 29-Aug-2016
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 2
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
39th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport81418
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 84810
- Meeting Date
- 28-Aug-2017
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 4
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 84810
- Meeting Date
- 28-Aug-2017
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 4
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
40th Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport81927
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 92529
- Meeting Date
- 17-Sep-2018
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 1
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Report ID
- 92529
- Meeting Date
- 17-Sep-2018
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 1
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
41st Annual Christmas Toy Run
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/councilreport82313
- Repository
- Legislative Services
- Report ID
- 92938
- Meeting Date
- 9-Sep-2019
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 9
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
- Repository
- Legislative Services
- Report ID
- 92938
- Meeting Date
- 9-Sep-2019
- Format
- Council - Manager's Report
- Item No.
- 9
- Collection/Fonds
- City Council and Office of the City Clerk fonds
Documents
Harry Toy fonds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription20339
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [197-]-2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Toy fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- .5 cm of textual records + 6 photographs + 2 photographs (jpg)
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of business records and photographs relating to Harry Toy's store the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants' Association and his family.
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Harry Toy fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Physical Description
- .5 cm of textual records + 6 photographs + 2 photographs (jpg)
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of business records and photographs relating to Harry Toy's store the Canada Way Food Market, the Fraser Merchants' Association and his family.
- History
- Harry Wee Koon Toy was born in February 9, 1936 in Taikong, Toisan county, Guangdong, China. Harry's father William Toy came to Canada in the early 1920s when he was ten years old. Harry arrived in Vancouver, Canada on September 9, 1950. After staying in Vancouver for one night, he joined his father in Neepawa, Manitoba where the family operated a cafe business (Royal Cafe). Harry grew up in Neepawa and graduated from the University of Manitoba and teacher's college. He became a high school teacher and worked at schools in Minnedosa and Gladstone, Manitoba teaching various subjects including, science, business, geography, history and physical education. Harry and his wife, had three daughters, Melinda, Beverley and Christina who were all born in Neepawa. When the family decided to move to the west coast, Harry was introduced to the grocery store business through an uncle who was a store operator. Around 1970, Harry purchased a grocery store at 4694 Canada Way in Burnaby which he named "Canada Way Food Market" and Harry and his daughters made their home at the back of the store. Harry owned and operated the store for approximately 40 years between 1970 and 2010. Around 1986, Harry purchased the butcher shop next door (4692 Canada Way) which was no longer in operation, expanding his store and adding a second storey to use as a residence. Harry's children helped him operate the store throughout their childhood. In the early 1970s, corner stores were threatened by the spread of small chain-operated convenience stories from Eastern Canada to Vancouver. Formed in April 1972, the Fraser Merchants’ Association was established to protect the rights of corner store operators. With no paid legal help, the association was incorporated in Victoria, BC for the cost of 56 cents. The benefits of being a member of the association included warehouse and group purchasing, common advertising and other advantages of being part of an association. Founded by Gary Lee Ling and five others, Fraser Merchants’ Association’s first member was Graham Grocery. By 1978, the association represented over 200 corner stores in the Lower Mainland (Delta, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Coquitlam, and New Westminster) and Fraser Valley. The association remained active into the 1980s and 1990s. Harry has served as President of the Fraser Merchants' Association from 1992 to present.
- Creator
- Toy, Harry Wee Koon "Harry"
- Accession Code
- BV023.25
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [197-]-2023
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Textual Record
- Related Material
- See also BV023.16.19 - Interview with Harry Toy, Beverley Babey and Christina Toy
- For associated artifacts from Canada Way Food Market see Accession BV023.17
- Notes
- Title based on contents of fonds
Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19596
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2024
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- 33 sound recordings (wav) + 3 video recordings (mp4) + 17 sound recordings (mp3) + 1 sound recording (m4a)
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of oral history interviews that were conducted as part of Burnaby Village Museum's Many Voices Project to capture and document diverse lives and stories of people connected to Burnaby. Interviews were conducted with Shirley Cohn; Ram Sarap Chandhal and members of Shri Ravidass S…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Many Voices Project Interviews subseries
- Description Level
- Subseries
- Physical Description
- 33 sound recordings (wav) + 3 video recordings (mp4) + 17 sound recordings (mp3) + 1 sound recording (m4a)
- Material Details
- Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto separate audio tracks. Multiple tracks per interview were edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Some of the video recording (mp4) files were edited and saved as audio recording (wav) files
- Scope and Content
- Subseries consists of oral history interviews that were conducted as part of Burnaby Village Museum's Many Voices Project to capture and document diverse lives and stories of people connected to Burnaby. Interviews were conducted with Shirley Cohn; Ram Sarap Chandhal and members of Shri Ravidass Sabha gudawara; Lachman Singh Gill; Joanne Smith; Ellen and Bill Schwartz; Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal (founders of Vancouver Sath); Samuel Nalliah and Ruth (Angela) Nalliah; Jagandeep "Jag" Nagra; David Skulski; Kanwal Singh Neel; "The Bollywood Boyz" Harv Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra; Jenny Siormanolakis; Bill Gruenthal; Lama Tenzin Sherpa and Lama Sue Salter; Norman Dowad; Richard Liu; Shanaz Khan; Harry Toy; Lisette Pappas; Alex and Georgia Chronakis; Donna Wong and Jeffrey Wong.
- Accession Code
- BV023.16
- BV024.4
- Date
- [1890-2023] (interview content), interviewed 2024
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Moving Images
- Notes
- Title based on contents of subseries
- Some of the recordings within this subseries have access restrictions
- Further accruals are expected
Interview with Georgina Nicholson by Eric Damer November 2, 2012 - Track 4
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory370
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1948-2012
- Length
- 0:09:38
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Georgina Nicholson's childhood years. Georgina discusses the food she grew up on and the toys that she played with as a child, as compared to what she sees now. She briefly mentions taking tap dance classes in Vancouver.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the recording pertains to Georgina Nicholson's childhood years. Georgina discusses the food she grew up on and the toys that she played with as a child, as compared to what she sees now. She briefly mentions taking tap dance classes in Vancouver.
- Date Range
- 1948-2012
- Length
- 0:09:38
- Subjects
- Toys
- Interviewer
- Damer, Eric
- Interview Date
- November 2, 2012
- Scope and Content
- Recording is an interview with Georgina Nicholson conducted by Burnaby Village Museum employee Eric Damer, November 2, 2012. Major theme discussed: the life of a teenager in the nineteen-sixties.
- Biographical Notes
- Georgina Nicholson's parents were married in 1929 and moved into their house in North Burnaby. Georgina Nicholson was born in 1948 and grew up playing in neighbourhood parks. Georgina went to Rosser Avenue Elementary, Alpha and Burnaby Heights Junior Secondary, and North Burnaby High Schools. She later studied at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and pursued a career as a laboratory technologist.
- Total Tracks
- 4
- Total Length
- 0:38:20
- Interviewee Name
- Nicholson, Georgina
- 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
Audio Tracks
Track four of recording of interview with Georgina Nicholson
Track four of recording of interview with Georgina Nicholson
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS171-019/MSS171-019_Track_4.mp3