More like 'Grading at Oakalla'

100 records – page 1 of 5.

New building under construction

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45519
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1964 or 1965]
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 23.5 x 36.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a new building at Simon Fraser University under construction.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1964 or 1965]
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 23.5 x 36.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-414
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of a new building at Simon Fraser University under construction.
Subjects
Construction
Occupations - Labourers
Construction Tools and Equipment
Names
Simon Fraser University
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Donnelly, David
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Less detail

Douglas Road School gymnasium

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38648
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1960
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of two workmen (unidentified) standing next to a truckload of lumber outside the new Douglas Road School gymnasium.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1960
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Douglas Road School subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
471-009
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS2005-3
Scope and Content
Photograph of two workmen (unidentified) standing next to a truckload of lumber outside the new Douglas Road School gymnasium.
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
Occupations - Labourers
Buildings - Schools
Names
Douglas Road School
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Gordon, Ethel
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph.
Geographic Access
Douglas Road
Canada Way
Street Address
4861 Canada Way
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Less detail

Douglas Road School gymnasium construction

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38646
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1960
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a crew of workmen working on the construction of the new Douglas Road School gymnasium. None of the men are identified.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1960
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Douglas Road School subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 10 x 15 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
471-007
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS2005-3
Scope and Content
Photograph of a crew of workmen working on the construction of the new Douglas Road School gymnasium. None of the men are identified.
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
Occupations - Labourers
Buildings - Schools
Names
Douglas Road School
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Gordon, Ethel
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph.
Geographic Access
Canada Way
Street Address
4861 Canada Way
Historic Neighbourhood
Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Less detail

Sidney Roofing and Paper Company

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34678
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1960]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of construction and construction workers at Sidney Roofing and Paper Company, South Burnaby.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1960]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Photographs subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.2 x 25.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
091-003
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS2007-04
Scope and Content
Photograph of construction and construction workers at Sidney Roofing and Paper Company, South Burnaby.
Subjects
Construction
Occupations - Labourers
Buildings - Industrial - Mills
Names
Sidney Roofing and Paper Company Limited
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Graphic Industries Limited
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Bottom of photo has the "Sidney Products" logo and reads, "Sidney Roofing & Paper Co. Ltd."
Stamped on back of photograph: "Photo by: Graphic Industries Ltd. / File No. 3205-1 / Vancouver, Canada / PAcific 4174"
Historic Neighbourhood
Fraser Arm (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Big Bend Area
Images
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Columbian columnist William Hawley

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45196
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
July 25, 1962
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 19 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Columbian farm and garden columnist William Hawley looking at tins and bottles of various types of bug sprays and garden sprays. He was the garden columnist for most of the 1960's, and prior to that he was a salesman and nutritionist for Brackman-Kerr feed store in New Westminster for…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
July 25, 1962
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 14.5 x 19 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-092
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of Columbian farm and garden columnist William Hawley looking at tins and bottles of various types of bug sprays and garden sprays. He was the garden columnist for most of the 1960's, and prior to that he was a salesman and nutritionist for Brackman-Kerr feed store in New Westminster for 40 years. He and his wife Doreen were married for 52 years.
Subjects
Agricultural Tools and Equipment - Gardening Equipment
Occupations - Journalists
Names
Hawley, William "Bill"
The Columbian
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Images
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Bob Prittie with George McNeil

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription46025
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1969 and 1973]
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 15 x 9 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of Bob Prittie sitting in a excavator with YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) President George McNeil standing next to him, holding an architectural drawing. They are at the site of the "new" Burnaby YMCA.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1969 and 1973]
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 15 x 9 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-913
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of Bob Prittie sitting in a excavator with YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) President George McNeil standing next to him, holding an architectural drawing. They are at the site of the "new" Burnaby YMCA.
Subjects
Officials - Mayors and Reeves
Construction Tools and Equipment
Names
Prittie, Robert W. "Bob"
McNeil, George
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Less detail

Interview with Ron Smitherman by Eric Damer November 15, 2012 - Track 1

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory403
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1945-1979
Length
0:08:43
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Ron Smitherman's memories of his early years in construction. Ron discusses what it was like to be in construction during the postwar era. He also discusses his father's work as a carpenter and the changes that occurred with the introduction of electric car…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the recording pertains to Ron Smitherman's memories of his early years in construction. Ron discusses what it was like to be in construction during the postwar era. He also discusses his father's work as a carpenter and the changes that occurred with the introduction of electric carpentry tools.
Date Range
1945-1979
Photo Info
Ron Smitherman, [199-]. Item no. 549-065.
Length
0:08:43
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
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
Series
Burna-Boom Oral History Project series
Transcript Available
None
Media Type
Sound Recording
Images
Audio Tracks

Track one of recording of interview with Ron Smitherman

Less detail

Minard Hill

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription82612
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1960-1988]
Collection/Fonds
Hill family and Vidal family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 9 x 6.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph is a portrait of a man identified as Minard Hill, holding a hammer.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1960-1988]
Collection/Fonds
Hill family and Vidal family fonds
Series
Hill family and Vidal family photograph series
Physical Description
1 photograph : sepia ; 9 x 6.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
550-176
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2013-03
Scope and Content
Photograph is a portrait of a man identified as Minard Hill, holding a hammer.
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
Names
Hill, Minard Gerald "Gerry"
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note in pencil on verso reads: "Donated by Mrs Piers"
Accompanying newspaper clipping attached to album page is titled "Surveyors' Examinations"
Images
Less detail

Simon Fraser University construction

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38212
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[196-] (date of original), copied 1991
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.5 x 26.8 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a the construction of a Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus building. A crane can be seen in the background.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[196-] (date of original), copied 1991
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Burnaby Image Bank subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 3.2 x 4.5 cm print on contact sheet 20.5 x 26.8 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-799
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of a the construction of a Simon Fraser University (SFU) campus building. A crane can be seen in the background.
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
Names
Simon Fraser University
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
1 b&w copy negative accompanying
Geographic Access
University Drive
Street Address
8888 University Drive
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Images
Less detail

Women's Residence under construction

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38236
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1965
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.3 x 25.3 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of a building under construction at the Simon Fraser University site. A label on the photograph reads in part: "Women's residence. Erickson-Massey Architects. Laing Construction and Equipment Ltd. General Contractors."
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1965
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Hazel L'Estrange subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 20.3 x 25.3 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
372-010
Access Restriction
In Archives only
Reproduction Restriction
No reproduction permitted
Accession Number
BHS1991-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of a building under construction at the Simon Fraser University site. A label on the photograph reads in part: "Women's residence. Erickson-Massey Architects. Laing Construction and Equipment Ltd. General Contractors."
Subjects
Construction Tools and Equipment
Names
Simon Fraser University
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Frank, Leonard
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
University Drive
Street Address
8888 University Drive
Planning Study Area
Burnaby Mountain Area
Less detail

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…
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
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
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Blacksmith shops

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1947
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[194-?] (date of originals), copied [1971]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Centennial '71 Committee collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w composite ; 26 x 30.5 cm, mounted on cardboard 32 x 39 cm
Scope and Content
Composite photograph of various aspects of unidentified blacksmith shops including interiors, equipment and exteriors.
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Centennial '71 Committee collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w composite ; 26 x 30.5 cm, mounted on cardboard 32 x 39 cm
Material Details
Composite is comprised of ten photographs
Scope and Content
Composite photograph of various aspects of unidentified blacksmith shops including interiors, equipment and exteriors.
Subjects
Buildings - Industrial
Tools and Equipment
Occupations - Blacksmiths
Names
Burnaby Village Museum
Accession Code
BV000.18.8
Access Restriction
Restricted access
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[194-?] (date of originals), copied [1971]
Media Type
Photograph
Arrangement
Record appears to be a part of the Burnaby Centennial Committee or the Century Park Museum Associaton. Jon Newby was a board member of either of these committees.
Scan Resolution
600
Scan Date
1/8/2010
Scale
100
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Less detail

Harold Johnston

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription51472
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1969
Collection/Fonds
Harold H. Johnston fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph is a self-portrait of photographer, Harold H. Johnston, taken while looking into a mirror. Harold is seen holding a 35mm Pentax camera and standing in front of an open door. This photograph was most likely taken inside the Johnston family home at 4447 Venables Street.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1969
Collection/Fonds
Harold H. Johnston fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
Description Level
Item
Record No.
483-073
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No reproduction permitted
Accession Number
2008-08
Scope and Content
Photograph is a self-portrait of photographer, Harold H. Johnston, taken while looking into a mirror. Harold is seen holding a 35mm Pentax camera and standing in front of an open door. This photograph was most likely taken inside the Johnston family home at 4447 Venables Street.
Subjects
Occupations - Photographers
Photographic Tools and Equipment - Cameras
Names
Johnston, Harold H.
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Johnston, Harold H.
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Venables Street
Street Address
4447 Venables Street
Historic Neighbourhood
Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Willingdon Heights Area
Images
Less detail

Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19347
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 sound recording (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)
Scope and Content
Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share the…
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
1 sound recording (m4a) (118 min., 39 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (115 min., 20 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewers: Anushay Malik, Rajdeep Interviewees: Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill Location of Interview: Gill family residence on Warwick Avenue in Burnaby Interview Date: November 11, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (1:58:39) Digital master recording (m4a) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
Scope and Content
Item consists of an oral history interview with Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill and their daughter, Prem Kaur Gill conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep. The interview is conducted in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. The three members of the Gill family share their ancestral background, their personal experiences immigrating to Canada, living in Burnaby and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants. 00:00 – 27:34 Santokh “Gurmail” Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill share their migration stories and experiences living and working in British Columbia as South Asian immigrants and their eldest child, Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences as a child of South Asian immigrants and growing up in British Columbia as a South Asian Canadian. Gurmail Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar and Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in Hoshiapur of the Indian state of Punjab. Gurmail describes how he moved from India to England with his family in 1957, immigrated to Canada from England in 1966, married his wife Mohinder in England in 1968 and brought his family (parents and two siblings) to Canada from England in 1970 and other relatives including his wife’s family in the 1970s and 1980s. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill recollect their arranged marriage in England in 1968, their immigration process and explain how they arrived in Burnaby residing with a cousin at 4649 Georgia Street until they were able to purchase their own home after a few years. Gurmail shares names and connections to the relatives that came to British Columbia before him. Gurmail and Mohinder tell how they lived in the basement of the house and rented out the upper floor to save money. The couple recall what they brought with them when they immigrated to Canada and Mohinder Kaur Gill tells of how before leaving India, she and her mother made a special rajai for her to take with her. Mohinder describes the process of making a rajai (a quilted blanket that was made by hand). Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about the challenges that they’ve experienced as new immigrants including not being fluent in English, the cold weather and not having very many family or friends nearby to provide support. They attended the Gurdwara on Ross Street or Akali Singh Sikh Society Gurdwara on Skeena in Vancouver. They explain how there was limited access to grocery stores that supplied Punjabi and Indian spices and other cooking supplies. They talk about how they used a food mill and mortar and pestle to grind their own spices and flour and how Mohinder often made traditional sweets like barfi and laddo and pakoras using pea flour when they couldn’t get Besan flour. 27:35 – 36:11 Gurmail provides more details on his family’s immigration story, including names of relatives, how his six siblings and parents all immigrated to British Columbia in 1970 and how in the early 1970s and mid 1980’s Gurmail and his family sponsored approximately 70 friends and relations from India (including Mohinder’s family) to immigrate to Canada. When Mohinder’s family arrived they lived with them in their house until they were able to purchase property next door and build their own home. Children in the families all attended elementary and high school in Burnaby which now amounts to three generations. 36:12 – 59:28 Gurmail and Mohinder Gill talk about their experiences of racial discrimination. Gurmail recalls members of the South Asian community, Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma, Harinder Mahil and Charan Gill starting the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism. Gurmail tells of how he got involved contributing some of his union dues as a member of CAIMAW (Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Allied Workers Union- Local 15) and as a friend of Charan Gill and Raj Chouhan of the Canadian Farm Workers Union. Gurmail Gill explains how he was a founding member of CAIMAW and treasurer until the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union (in 1991). Mohinder and Gurmail tell of how people from the South Asian community were discouraged from wearing Punjabi dresses or head coverings for fear of being yelled at with racial slurs and how it was often scary to go outside. Many from their community often avoided attending the Akali Singh Gurdwara since a head covering was required and people were afraid of being a target. Gurmail provides details about his work with A1 Steel, how different unions were formed pertaining to various skillsets and jobs per company and how he became a member of CAIMAW Local 15 (foundry workers). Mohinder recollects her experiences as a mother, the daily tasks involved and friends that she made who’d also emigrated from Punjab. Mohinder describes how she designed and sewed many Punjabi dresses using her electric sewing machine and how she learned English by attending adult classes at a church on Commercial Drive. Mohinder and her mother attended the classes for two hours per day for six years at a cost of twelve dollars for ten weeks. Once Mohinder could speak a little English, she started working and was able to practice more. 59:29 – 1:06:08 Mohinder, Gurmail and Prem talk about some of their favourite traditional foods including corn roti and spinach curry and how they grow many of their own vegetables including peppers, eggplant, saag (spinach), onions, garlic, cilantro, zucchini, squash and fenugreek. Mohinder reflects on how access to Punjabi clothing and fabric stores in Vancouver has changed and that ready made food is now more available. Traditional foods were previously made from scratch with women gathering together and cooking for hours and now it’s gotten easier but more expensive and less of a community feel. 1:06:09- 1:55:20 Mohinder and Gurmail Gill discuss and share their perspectives and experiences on raising a family in the past versus today. Gurmail imparts that all of his siblings became educated and secured professional careers while he continued to work in the trades. Prem Kaur Gill shares her own experiences growing up and attending school in Burnaby. Gurmail and Mohinder Gill recall the type of suitcase that they brought with them when they immigrated and how they recently they got rid of it. Gurmail and the group reflect and discuss the confusion with racial identity terms that have been used in this country. They comment that South Asians were referred to as “Hindu” and “East Indian” and Indigenous peoples were referred to as “Indian” and the controversy and racism behind some of these terms. The group discusses the impact of the caste system and other discriminatory experiences and compare their experiences of living in England to living in Canada. Prem comments on how it’s just recently that South Asian customs, celebrations and practices have been recognized and celebrated here in Canada, like Diwali and yoga. They comment on how much of the language, culture and customs have been retained in Surrey where many can still communicate in Punjabi and don’t need to be fluent in English. The group discusses how many South Asians immigrants first lived and worked in Vancouver but with rising property prices many moved to Surrey expanding and establishing a much larger South Asian community with resources. The group discusses and compares the differing travel routes that many of them and their relatives took when immigrating and travelling between India and Canada. The group talks about Rajdeep’s ancestral village in India which is near the Gill village of Firozpur. Gurmail explains the origins and details behind his family name that was changed from “Shergill” to “Gill” and the name “Santokh” from his maternal side.
History
Interviewees' biographies: Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill was born in the District of Jalandhar in Punjab, India. Gurmail moved to England with his family in 1957 and immigrated to British Columbia in 1966. Gurmail married his wife, Mohinder Kaur Gill in England in 1968 and she immigrated to British Columbia from England soon after. Gurmail first lived with a cousin in Burnaby before purchasing a home of his own in Burnaby where he raised his family. Gurmail worked in the steel industry and was a member and treasurer of the CAIMAW before the union merged with the Canadian Auto Workers Union. Mohinder Kaur Gill was born in the Hoshiapur in Punjab, India. She married her husband Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill in England in 1968 and immigrated to Burnaby, British Columbia to join her husband. Mohinder and Gurmail Gill have four children, all born in Burnaby. Prem Kaur Gill was born in Burnaby in 1969 and is the eldest child of Santokh "Gurmail" Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill. Prem grew up and attended school in Burnaby. Interviewers' biographies: 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”. Rajdeep was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and is of Punjabi (South Asian) descent. She has an Associate of Arts degree in Asian Studies from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She is a student in the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. Rajdeep works at Simon Fraser University as a Program Assistant and as a researcher with the City of Burnaby. At Burnaby Village Museum, Rajdeep contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
Creator
Burnaby Village Museum
Subjects
Clothing
Foods
Indigenous peoples
Buildings - Religious - Temples
Food Processing Tools and Equipment
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Social Issues
Social Issues - Racism
Migration
Occupations
Organizations - Unions
Names
Gill, Prem Kaur
Gill, Mohinder Kaur
Gill, Santokh "Gurmail" Singh
Responsibility
Rajdeep
Malik, Anushay
Accession Code
BV022.29.2
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022
Media Type
Sound Recording
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Transcript available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Indian Family System Reference notes: Baba = informal way to say grandfather; old man Bibi = informal way to say grandmother; old woman Dada= paternal grandfather Dadi= paternal grandmother Dadke= paternal family members; paternal side (Various spellings might exist for the following terms) Thaiyya= father’s elder brother (uncle) Thaiyyi= father’s elder brother’s wife (aunt) Chacha= father’s younger brother (uncle) Chachi= father’s younger brother’s wife (aunt) Bua= father’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Phuphar= father’s sister’s husband (uncle) Nana= maternal grandfather Nani= maternal grandmother Nanke/nanka= maternal family members; maternal side Mama= mom’s brother (older or younger) (uncle) Mami= mom’s brother’s wife (aunt) Maasi= mom’s sister (older or younger) (aunt) Maasard= mom’s sister’s husband (uncle)
Audio Tracks

Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022

Interview with Prem Kaur Gill, Santokh Singh Gill and Mohinder Kaur Gill, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 11 Nov. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0002_002.mp3
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Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19349
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)
Scope and Content
Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant…
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
1 sound recording (wav) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (49 min., 21 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewer: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Honourable Raj Chouhan Location of Interview: Residence of Honourable Raj Chouhan Interview Date: December 2, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 1 Total Length of all Tracks: (00:49:21) Digital master recording (wav) was converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
Scope and Content
Item consists of an oral history interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. Raj Chouhan shares his ancestral background and personal experiences immigrating to Canada from India in 1973 and living and working in Canada as an immigrant and the organizations that he became involved with. Honourable Raj Chouhan recalls how he arrived in Burnaby with his family in 1973 and that his family worked in farming. Chouhan imparts his first hand experiences as a new immigrant working as a labourer in the farming industry and describes the unsafe and unfair working conditions that he and migrant workers faced. Chouhan conveys how this experience lead him to become an activist for better working conditions for migrant workers. This lead Chouhan and others to form the Canadian Farm Workers Union in 1980. Chouhan recollects his experiences flying from India to Canada with his wife, his first impressions after arriving in Vancouver and driving to Burnaby and what he brought with him. Chouhan explains his connections to Burnaby. Members of Chouhan's wife's family immgrated to Canada in 1957 and his wife and her three brothers joined them in 1970. Chouhan's father in law, Hardial Singh Grewal immigrated in 1957 and became president of the Sikh temple in New Westminster. Hardial Singh Grewal worked in a lumber mill in Vancouver and eventually bought a house in Burnaby. Chouhan married to his wife at the Sikh temple in New Westminster and lived in Burnaby for a period before moving to New Westminster where they could find more affordable housing. Chouhan shares that he first worked as a farm labourer in Abbotsford and then found a job in the sawmill which paid more. Chouhan describes the extreme racism and discrimination that he and other immigrants faced which lead to the formation of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism under the leadership of Dr. Hari Prakash Sharma. Chouhan describes this organization that he was a part of and the Canadian Farm Workers Union that were both formed in Burnaby. Chouhan shares that he moved to Victoria in 1988 to serve on the Hospital Employee's Union and moved back to the mainland in 1993 and returned to Burnaby in 2001. Chouhan reflects on the history of South Asian immigration in Canada, how many of the migrants settled in the lower mainland including Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver establishing temples in Vancouver and New Westminster which became the centre for the South Asian community. He conveys how earlier occupations were limited to farming and millwork and how over time employment opportunities and education have broadened but there is still work to do. He imparts how second generation Canadians’ experiences differ from first generations providing examples of his own daughters’ and the occupations that they are working in. Chouhan provides his insights into the South Asian Canadian experience imparting “We make history every day and that history needs to be recorded and learned from.."... “People from different communities, different backgrounds who lived in Burnaby have contributed so much and South Asians are just like another community and participated in all aspects of social life, cultural, religious, economy. I'm so proud of our community, our forefathers who had that vision to fight for our rights. I'm inspired by people who struggled so much to gain basic rights, like the right to vote". Chouhan refers to these first immigrants as “Gadri Babbas” “revolutionary old people” who were also the main motivation that lead to India becoming a free country in 1947 and for fighting for basic rights here in Canada and how they made their contributions for future generations. Chouhan expresses what he imparts to students “Do not forget your past... if you remember your past then you are much more knowledgeable. Then we know what we need for the future. If we don't know the past, we don't know what the future is going to be like. To make a better future, you have to learn from the past and improve".
History
Interviewee biography: Honourable Raj Chouhan was born in the city of Ludhiana in the Province of Punjab in India and immigrated to Canada in 1973. After arriving in Canada, Raj's family settled in Burnaby. Raj grew up in Burnaby and attended schoool. Honourable Raj Chouhan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as the MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds in 2005 and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2020. Honourable Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism and has served as a director of the Hospital Employees' Union, the Labour Relations Board of B.C. and the Arbitration Bureau of B.C. Honourable Chouhan has also served as the Vice President of B.C. Human Rights Defenders since 2003 and has taught courses in Human Rights, the B.C. Labour Code and Collective Bargaining since 1987. Interviewer biography: Kate Petrusa is the Assistant Curator at the Burnaby Village Museum. In her role, she manages all aspects of the collection – including caring for physical artifacts and making their digital counterpart accessible. Before coming to Burnaby Village Museum in 2019, Kate has worked at several Museums around the Lower Mainland as a Curator and contractor since 2013.
Creator
Burnaby Village Museum
Subjects
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Social Issues
Social Issues - Racism
Occupations - Agricultural Labourers
Migration
Organizations - Unions
Rights
Rights - Human Rights
Agriculture
Agriculture - Farms
Government - Provincial Government
Government
Names
Chouhan, Raj
British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism
Sharma, Dr. Hari Prakash
Grewal, Hardial Singh
Canadian Farmworkers Union
Hospital Employees Union
Khalsa Diwan Society
Responsibility
Petrusa, Kate
Accession Code
BV022.29.4
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022
Media Type
Sound Recording
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

Interview with Honourable Raj Chouhan, [1957-2022] (interview content), interviewed 2 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0004_002.mp3
Less detail

Repairing Interurban 1223 at Kingsway and Edmonds

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37366
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1966]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of seven unidentified men standing on scaffolding next to the interurban tram car no. 1223.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[1966]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Historical Society fonds
Series
Community Archives Collection series
Subseries
Photographs subseries
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
364-001
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
BHS2007-04
Scope and Content
Photograph of seven unidentified men standing on scaffolding next to the interurban tram car no. 1223.
Subjects
Transportation - Electric Railroads
Occupations - Labourers
Media Type
Photograph
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Kingsway
Edmonds Street
Historic Neighbourhood
Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Edmonds Area
Images
Less detail

Working at the Dominion Bridge Co.'s Burnaby plant

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45613
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
April 1966, published April 18, 1966
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 24 x 18.5 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of workmen at the Dominion Bridge Co.'s Burnaby plant. They are feeding a flat steel plate, more than three inches think inot a pyramind roll for fabrication in the making of a sulfinol vessel for the petroleum industry in Alberta. The workmen are wearing asbestos aluminum suits to withs…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
April 1966, published April 18, 1966
Collection/Fonds
Columbian Newspaper collection
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 24 x 18.5 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
480-507
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
Accession Number
2003-02
Scope and Content
Photograph of workmen at the Dominion Bridge Co.'s Burnaby plant. They are feeding a flat steel plate, more than three inches think inot a pyramind roll for fabrication in the making of a sulfinol vessel for the petroleum industry in Alberta. The workmen are wearing asbestos aluminum suits to withstand the intense heat reflected from the heated plate (the plate was heated in a furnace before being fed into the pyramid roll).
Subjects
Buildings - Industrial - Factories
Occupations - Labourers
Names
Dominion Bridge Company
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Henry Tregillas Photography Ltd.
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Geographic Access
Boundary Road
Street Address
2400 Boundary Road
Historic Neighbourhood
Broadview (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
West Central Valley Area
Images
Less detail

All steel climax baling presses : electric power and hand operated

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumlibrary2290
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Author
Climax Baler Company Limited
Publication Date
1969
Call Number
670 CLI
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection
Special Collection
Material Type
Book
Accession Code
HV977.29.88
Call Number
670 CLI
Author
Climax Baler Company Limited
Place of Publication
Hamilton, Ont.
Publisher
Climax Baler Co. Ltd.
Publication Date
1969
Physical Description
1 v. (unpaged) : ill. : 28 cm.
Library Subject (LOC)
Farm equipment--Canada
Agricultural machinery
Agriculture
Machinery
Machinery industry
Catalogs
Subjects
Agriculture
Agricultural Tools and Equipment
Less detail

Bill Sharlow, John Cloutier and Don Yerxa

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription1691
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1967 or 1968]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 16.5 cm print
Scope and Content
Photograph of (from left) Bill Sharlow, John Cloutier and Don Yerxa standing in front of a large wooden crate addressed to Thailand (the crate housed an x-ray unit).
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum Photograph collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 16.5 cm print
Scope and Content
Photograph of (from left) Bill Sharlow, John Cloutier and Don Yerxa standing in front of a large wooden crate addressed to Thailand (the crate housed an x-ray unit).
Subjects
Industries - Shipping
Tools and Equipment
Names
Sharlow, Bill
Cloutier, John
Yerxa, Don
Accession Code
BV003.68.126
Access Restriction
Restricted access
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Date
[1967 or 1968]
Media Type
Photograph
Related Material
The photograph was received with item BV003.68.121, which is a file folder of documents relating to the shimpment of a x-ray unit to Thailand, 1967-68.
Scan Resolution
600
Scan Date
09-Jun-09
Scale
100
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Note in black ink on recto of photograph reads: "Bill Sharlow John Cloutier Don Yerxa"
Images
Less detail

Brentwood Laundromat

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription51391
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1963
Collection/Fonds
Harold H. Johnston fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
Scope and Content
Photograph of Frances Johnston and her daughter Wendy standing in front of a line of washing machines at what has been indentified as a laundromat in the Brentwood area.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
1963
Collection/Fonds
Harold H. Johnston fonds
Physical Description
1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
Description Level
Item
Record No.
483-026
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No reproduction permitted
Accession Number
2008-08
Scope and Content
Photograph of Frances Johnston and her daughter Wendy standing in front of a line of washing machines at what has been indentified as a laundromat in the Brentwood area.
Subjects
Maintenance Tools and Equipment
Names
Johnston, Frances
Johnston, Dr. Wendy
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Johnston, Harold H.
Notes
Title based on contents of photograph
Planning Study Area
Brentwood Area
Images
Less detail

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