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Interview with Cice Brown, May 13, 2005 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4477
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:06:11 min)
- Scope and Content
- Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to responsibilities, chores, and money. Cice recalls her chores, and how she spent her allowance. She describes her jobs in Mr. Pitman’s drygoods stores, on Kingsway and on Jubilee Ave., and in Anne Reid’s candy shop. Asked about church, Cice discuss…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Growing Up in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:06:11 min)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Cice Brown Date of interview: May 13, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 7 Total length of all Tracks: 0:40:19
- Scope and Content
- Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to responsibilities, chores, and money. Cice recalls her chores, and how she spent her allowance. She describes her jobs in Mr. Pitman’s drygoods stores, on Kingsway and on Jubilee Ave., and in Anne Reid’s candy shop. Asked about church, Cice discusses her involvement with the Henderson-Jubilee United church, and C.G.I.T..
- History
- Recording of an interview with Cice Brown, interviewed by Tom Gooden on May 13 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1930s and 40s.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial - General Stores
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores
- Buildings - Commercial - Stores
- Names
- Brown, Cice Chandler
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- Jubilee Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV017.45.3
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Date
- 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
Audio Tracks
Interview with Cice Brown, May 13, 2005 - Track 2, 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
Interview with Cice Brown, May 13, 2005 - Track 2, 1930-1949 (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0003_002.mp3Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4468
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:14 min)
- Scope and Content
- Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to childhood responsibilities, chores, and early jobs, and the growth of Burnaby as experienced by a child. Janet describes her chores, and her first jobs at the PNE, Sears, and Super Value. She discusses how she used her allowance and employment inco…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Growing Up in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:04:14 min)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34
- Scope and Content
- Track 2: This portion of the recording pertains to childhood responsibilities, chores, and early jobs, and the growth of Burnaby as experienced by a child. Janet describes her chores, and her first jobs at the PNE, Sears, and Super Value. She discusses how she used her allowance and employment incomes.
- History
- Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Subjects
- Buildings - Commercial
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores
- Buildings - Commercial - Stores
- Names
- Gooden, Tom
- White, Janet
- Accession Code
- BV017.45.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 2, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 2, [195-] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_002.mp3
Interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19608
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on …
- 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
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (84 min., 14 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (62 min., 3 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Rajdeep Interviewees: "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra Location of Interview: Burnaby Village Museum Interview Date: July 8, 2023 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:02:03 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby Photograph credit: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with "The Bollywood Boyz", Harvinder Sihra and Gurvinder Sihra conducted by Burnaby Village Museum Registrar, Rajdeep. 00:00:00 – 00:05:26 Gurvinder “Gurv” Sihra and brother Harvinder “Harv’ Sihra introduce themselves, providing details on where they were born and grew up (in Burnaby), names of their parents and provide details on their family history. They describe how their grandparents and other relatives continued to live in Punjab after their father and mother immigrated to Canada in the 1970’s, recall the reasons their parents decided to immigrate and details of their lives before and after arriving in Canada. 00:05:27 – 00:06:46 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe some of their experiences travelling through Vancouver airport and compare their experiences with their mother’s own experiences. Gurvinder and Harvinder describe the layout of the airport and how customs and immigration has changed over time. 00:06:47 – 00:09:21 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide details about their mother, Parveen Sihra. They share information regarding her education in India and how she was unable to get work related to her degree in biology after immigrating to Canada. They convey how she worked in the Burnaby City Hall cafeteria in the 1990’s and how she worked part time in order to take care of her children. They share how their parents were proud Canadians participating in events inside and outside the South Asian community and were both fluent in English but often spoke Punjabi at home. 00:09:22 – 00:16:06 Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their childhood experiences growing up in Burnaby. They talk about the sports that they were involved with including hockey and Taekwondo, family vacations spent travelling to India and their experiences attending Marlborough Elementary School and Moscrop Secondary School.They describe how they first became interested in watching wrestling and trying it out on their own in their family home. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall their own experiences of discrimination while growing up and playing sports. 00:16:07 – 00:27:37 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect and recall events that lead them to their dream of becoming professional wrestlers. They talk about pivotal events including attending their first live wresting event at GM Place with their father in 1996, beginning their training in Calgary in 2004, travelling across the country to participate in minor wrestling events, wrestling in Rogers Arena in 2017 and 2020 and getting their first call to join WWE. They talk about the support that they’ve had along the way to getting them where they are today and comment on why they want to be wrestlers in the WWE. 00:27:38 – 00:29:25 Gurvinder and Harvinder provide background information on their various wrestling personas and names in the world of professional wrestling including the Singh Brothers and the Bollywood Boyz. 00:29:26 – 00:38:43 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their experiences wrestling in India and the support and expectations of family members in becoming successful. Gurvinder and Harvinder recall and reflect on the experience of being fired from the WWE when cutbacks were made during the COVID pandemic. 00:38:44 – 00:42:53 Gurvinder and Harvinder describe what a day in their lives looks like now. They talk about how they’re still very passionate and focused on their wrestling careers and describe their experiences of having support and enthusiasm from fans and their parents. They talk about travelling across the country to particpate in different wrestling events. 00:42:54 – 00:47:18 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their training regimen including exercise and diet and describe areas in Burnaby where they like to train in gyms and the outdoors. 00:47:19 – 00:49:49 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about neighbourhoods in Burnaby including Metrotown and Deer Lake and how they’ve seen them change over the years. 00:49:50 – 00:54:27 Gurvinder and Harvinder talk about their highest and lowest points in their wrestling careers, highlighting specific events. They talk about the physical stamina it takes for wrestling and compare their sport with the sport of Kabaddi (a contact team sport between two teams originating in India). 00:54:28 – 00:59:01 Gurvinder and Harvinder reflect on what toughness means to them, and what keeps them motivated to do what they do. 00:59:02 – 01:01:31 Gurvinder and Harvinder impart their words of wisdom to younger kids in chasing their passions and dreams and talk about their favourite Bollywood films and actors.
- History
- Interviewees' biographies: The Bollywood Boyz are a Canadian professional wrestling tag team composed of brothers Gurvinder "Gurv" Sihra (born in 1984) and Harvinder "Harv" Sihra (born in 1987). The pair are best known for their time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where Gurvinder and Harvinder performed under the ring names Sunil Singh and Samir Singh. They were both born and raised in Burnaby by their parents Harjeet and Parveen Sihra and attended Moscrop Secondary School. Gurvinder graduated from Douglas College where he studied criminology and has worked in loss prevention and has a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. Harvinder attended Douglas College with studies in history and has worked as a model and an actor. Both Gurvinder and Harvinder Sihra are Sikhs. Interviewer biography: 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
- Education
- Migration
- Pandemics - COVID-19
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Religions - Sikhism
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Discrimination
- Social Issues - Racism
- Sports
- Sports - Martial Arts
- Sports - Wrestling
- Sports - Ice Hockey
- Travel
- Names
- The Bollywood Boyz
- Sihra, Guvinder "Gurv"
- Sihra, Harvinder "Harv"
- Sihra, Harjeet
- Sihra, Parveen
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Moscrop Secondary School
- Marlborough Elementary School
- Metrotown
- Responsibility
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Park
- Accession Code
- BV023.16.12
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1970-2023] (interview content), interviewed 8 Jul. 2023
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Photographer
- World Wrestling Entertainment "WWE"
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Transcription available upon request - contact Burnaby Village Museum
Images
Audio Tracks
Interview with
Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription4473
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:25 min)
- Scope and Content
- Track 7: This portion of the recording pertains to changes in Burnaby since Janet’s childhood, and her continuing connection to the community and its values. She also describes her family’s shopping routines from the 1940s and 1950s, which centred on the Super Value at Canada Way and Smith St., and…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Subseries
- Growing Up in Burnaby subseries
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 sound recording (mp3) (0:03:25 min)
- Material Details
- Interviewer: Tom Gooden Interviewee: Janet White Date of interview: May 10, 2005 Total Number of Tracks: 8 Total length of all Tracks: 0:31:34
- Scope and Content
- Track 7: This portion of the recording pertains to changes in Burnaby since Janet’s childhood, and her continuing connection to the community and its values. She also describes her family’s shopping routines from the 1940s and 1950s, which centred on the Super Value at Canada Way and Smith St., and the Hudson’s Bay store downtown. When Woodward’s and Sears opened, the family also shopped there occasionally.
- History
- Recording of an interview with Janet White recording by Tom Gooden on May 10 2005. This recording was completed for an exhibit, Growing Up in Burnaby, for the Burnaby Village Museum. Major themes discussed are growing up in Burnaby in the 1950s.
- Creator
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Names
- Gooden, Tom
- White, Janet
- Geographic Access
- Canada Way
- Smith Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV017.45.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- May be restricted by third party rights
- Date
- [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 7, [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
Interview with Janet White May 10, 2005 - Track 7, [1950-1959] (interview content), interviewed May 10, 2005
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2017_0045_0001_007.mp3
Dave Mercier at McDonalds
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription46290
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- April 1, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 23.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing a t-shirt which reads: "THE MAYOR" helps out during McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings Street outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on the far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- April 1, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19.5 x 23.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1178
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing a t-shirt which reads: "THE MAYOR" helps out during McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings Street outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on the far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions beside him. A female employee is visible on the other side of the mayor, and looks to be pushing him, to get closer to the hamburger buns that they are all helping to dress.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Hodge, Craig
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Newspaper clipping attached to verso of photograph reads: "HAMBURGER HELPER ... Burnaby Mayor Dave Mercier, wearing identifying T-shirt, used his former experience as short-order cook to pitch in with McDonald's Restaurants McHappy Days last Wednesday. Joining the mayor at McDonald's Hastings St. outlet were Harold Snepts of the Vancouver Canucks on far left, and Gino Bolognes of the North Burnaby Lions beside him. Regular restaurant employee on far right tries to squeeze into the action as well."
- Geographic Access
- Hastings Street
Images
Interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19346
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1600-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Oct. 2022
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (111 min., 51 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (111 min., 51 sec.)
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar discusses and provides in…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Village Museum fonds
- Series
- Museum Oral Histories series
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 2 sound recordings (wav) (111 min., 51 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (111 min., 51 sec.)
- Material Details
- Interviewers: Anushay Malik, Rajdeep Co Interviewer and technical support: Kate Petrusa Interviewee: Nadeem Parmar Location of Interview: Residence of Nadeem Parmar in Burnaby Interview Date: October 7, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: 01:51:51 min Digital master recordings (wav) were recorded onto two separate audio tracks, edited and merged together and converted to mp3 for access on Heritage Burnaby
- Scope and Content
- Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar conducted by interviewers, Anushay Malik and Rajdeep with assistance from Burnaby Village Museum Assistant Curator, Kate Petrusa. During the interview Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar discusses and provides information on; his ancestral background, his education, his employment background, his experiences of racial discrimmination as a South Asian immigrant, saw mills established by South Asian relations in Paldi (Vancouver Island), in North Vancouver and Burnaby, family relations in the South Asian Canadian community and in regions in Punjab, the caste system, his literary works, locations of family homes in Burnaby, the architectural design of his house, personal stories and anecdotal information as a South Asian Canadian living and working in Canada. 00:00 – 01:45 The framework and purpose of the interview is explained to interviewee Nadeem Parmar by interviewers Rajdeep and Anushay Malik. The interviewers explain how the information from this interview can be drawn on for Burnaby Village Museum’s future exhibits and also how researchers will learn more about the history of the South Asian community in Burnaby through residents’ stories. Interview begins with Nadeem providing his full name "Kulwant Singh Parmar". He clarifies that his name was given to him by his grandfather who was a civil engineer and that his father also worked as a civil engineer. Nadeem expresses that he was born with a “silver spoon in his mouth” as a descendent of his maternal grandfather who was a successful landlord. Nadeem explains that when the Partition of India came into effect, (1947) he was 11 years old. He and his family left the partitioned side, his native village was located in Punjab and his forefathers were located in Rajasthan. 3:20 – 4:57 Nadeem explains further about his forefathers who came from Rajasthan. He shares information about his ancestor on his father’s side, named Vijay Singh who was friends with Emperor Jahangir. When fighting began against Jahangir he left the area to head to the middle of central India, then to the Punjab area with small states. As a clan, as a Parmar, he conveys there were about eleven or twelve villages with the same name. Interviewer, Anushay helps Nadeem to clarify the time period of this information. Nadeem refers to the time period being similar to the epic historical film “Moghal-e-Azam” and Anushay confirms the time period being the 1600s when they left Rajasthan. 4:58 – 10:59 Interviewer Anushay asks Nadeem to about his migration to Canada. Nadeem conveys that his first ancestor on his in-laws side of the family migrated around 1889. Further discussion ensues about reading Punjabi and how interviewer Rajdeep can read Punjabi and that she comes from the village of "Lakhpur" in Punjab. Rajdeep notes that “Lakhpur” is near "Phagwara". Nadeem clarifies that his village is "Panchat" and this family used to live in "Phagwara". and Nadeem and Rajdeep compare their familiarity and memories of the area. Nadeem conveys some of his comments in Punjabi and then changes to English. Nadeem recollects when the Japanese bombarded Shillong, he was around seven years old and attended missionary school. The only languages that were taught were English and Persian. Nadeem conveys that his mother had hopes of Nadeem becoming an army officer and moving up the ranks but Nadeem wasn’t interested. Nadeem attended college, graduated with a Bachelor of Science, BSC with Physics and Chemistry, followed by another Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and finally a degree in his favourite subject in the language of Urdu. He completed these degrees in Punjab in Doaba College, Jalandher. Nadeem recollects how he started teaching but wasn’t getting paid very well. When he was at college, with encouragement from his professor, Veer Pankalia [sic] he began writing poetry and short plays. His professor also introduced him to a famous poet of Punjab, Mila Ram Offa [sic] and he gave him the name of Nadeem. Nadeem explains the meaning of the name “Nadeem” “…the one who know about it, inside out…” even though we generally think of the meaning being “friend” it’s not just about friend. 11:00 -24:48 Nadeem provides background information on how he ended up marrying his future wife who was born in India and immigrated to Canada with her family. Nadeem explains how the marriage was arranged through family relations that were already established in Punjab over a century ago. One of his wife’s ancestors, head of the family called “baniye” (traders) immigrated to Canada in [1899]. This relation returned to Punjab where he had nephews, the youngest of the nephews was Nadeem’s father (Lashman Singh Manhas) in law’s father (Sher Singh Manhas). He expresses that his wife’s ancestor couldn’t bring Nadeem’s father in law’s father since he was only 12 or 13 years old but he brought three of the nephews back to Canada with him. The nephews were named, Pola Singh, Ginaya Singh and Doman Singh (also named Dolmans). He describes how the group left India but it took them two to three years before they arrived in Canada. The group travelled to Burma, Indonesia and Hong Kong before landing in San Francisco. From San Francisco they walked and worked on the rail line before entering Canada and arriving in Grand Forks. The men got work on the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and eventually made their way to the lower mainland. Nadeem conveys that the younger brother of Ginaya Singh, Maya Singh joined the others in Canada taking the same route, arriving in Bridal Falls where they were working at a saw mill and in CP rail construction. He describes Maya Singh as business minded and since he was too young to work in the mill, he began working as a cook and then began growing potatoes on land that he leased from a Dutch land owner. The local mill at Bridal Falls was facing bankruptcy and Maya Singh arranged to lease the mill, eventually buying it. From there the group moved their business to Strawberry Hill in Surrey and when the sale of logs declined, they moved over to Vancouver Island and established a sawmill with Doman Singh in the community of Paldi (originally known as Mayo Lumber) near Duncan. He explains further how the South Asian community helped each other like they did back home. He clarifies that his father in law’s father is the youngest cousin of Ginaya and Doman Singh and when he died, his father in law’s younger brother started Kashmir Lumber. Eventually his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) and the rest of the whole family including cousins and nephews were sponsored by their relations and immigrated to Canada. Nadeem explains how in 1959, his brother in law returned home to Punjab to get married, bringing his family with him. He tells of how during this time period, a marriage was arranged by his parents for him to marry his future wife. Nadeem recollects how this came to be. Nadeem and his wife Surjeet married in Punjab in December 1960, Nadeem was 24 years old and his wife was 18 years old. 24:49 – 39:42 Nadeem describes how he obtained his teaching degree from Ramgarhia College in Phagwara (located in the Kapurhtala district of Punjab) and after a disagreement with a teacher at home, he decided to go to England. He explains how he joined his brother who had moved to England and was working as a labourer. Nadeem tells of the difficulties he faced applying for a teaching job in England and how he had to go back to school to help with his English pronunciation. Nadeem explains that after taking this course, he got work teaching Grade two students which he felt was below his qualifications (he mentions that while living in Punjab, he was a Secondary School teacher) and the pay was very low. He discovered that his brother was making more money working as a labourer so Nadeem became discouraged and quit. When Nadeem couldn’t find work as a labourer, his brother advised him to shave off his beard. Nadeem conveys how difficult it was for him to shave off his beard and how once he was clean shaven he got work as a sweeper in a factory. He shares his experience of working in the factory and of how with his former education he got himself promoted to a more technical position. With encouragement from his employer, Nadeem enrolled in technical courses which lead to him obtaining an HNC Engineering Degree. He completed the course work in two years, obtaining skills in microwave communication becoming the senior test engineer at the factory. While working in this position, Nadeem shares how he suffered discrimination when he was passed over for a senior chief engineer position at the factory by a less educated and experienced employee. 39:43 – 53:38 Nadeem recollects how things changed for him in the 1970s. It began with his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) passing away in 1970 while he and his family were living on 18th Street in Burnaby. His father in law had been working at the saw mill, Kashmir Lumber Company in North Vancouver that was owned by his father in law’s younger brother (Kashmir Singh Manhas). The mill had burnt down and many of the workers lost everything. Nadeem confides that during this time, his wife was suffering from depression and wanted to be with her mother back in Canada now that her father had passed away. Nadeem emphasizes how his wife’s family (over 300 relatives) in Canada often get together every year on July 1st in Paldi near Duncan. In 1972, Nadeem arrived in Canada on his own to find work but was unsuccessful so he and his wife made plans to move to Uganda where he was offered a job. In 1973, when his visa didn’t come through for Uganda, Nadeem, his wife and two children decided to come to Canada. Nadeem describes that after several unsuccessful experiences to find skilled work in Canada, he eventually found work at Canadian National Telecommunications. During this time, Nadeem and his family lived with his father in law’s family at 5216 Pandora Street in Burnaby and in 1974, Nadeem purchased a house at 131 Fell Avenue in Burnaby. Nadeem provides further details of when the families lived at these different addresses and how in 1983 he had a house built on Woodsworth Street where he is still living now. He conveys some of the history of the lot where his current house resides including details on the lot subdivision, lot ownership and the cost of building his new house. Nadeem tells of how he designed his home with help from his son who was working as an apprentice with architect Arthur Erikson at the time. He describes the architectural interior as an open concept design, in an “L” shape in honour of his father “Lakhmir Singh”. Nadeem shares information on his mother’s name which was Jamna (prior to her marriage) and became Davinder Kaur after she was married. (Note: Jamna was her name before marriage. Traditionally after a woman is married, her husband’s family changes her first name because she is now considered a part of a new family). 53:39 – 58:56 Nadeem provides information on his career working as CNCP technician working with CPIC systems and how he was promoted to a new position. Nadeem inserts a quote from a Punjabi poem which he translates to English as “Somebody asked the blind people. What do you need? He said, do you need two eyes?, he said, what else do I need?”. Nadeem conveys how in 1986 his mother passed away so he went back home to the village of Lakhpur where his father and younger brother were living. His father and younger brother were on their own and in 1986 they decided to demolish the family home. He explains that there’s a college there now and that a library was built at this location in the name of his grandfather. 58:57 – 1:04:38 Nadeem shares how he suffered a heart attack in 1990 during the marriage ceremony of his son in Williams Lake. Nadeem talks about the complicated relations of the South Asian families and the saw mill owners in Paldi and comments on the problems with the caste system that provokes discrimination within the South Asian community. Nadeem refers to disputes that arose amongst mill owners and investors that included Kapoor Singh Siddoo, Mayo Singh, Gurdial Singh Teja and Ginaya Singh which caused problems amongst his family and also lead to Kapoor Singh selling his portion of the mill. Nadeem spells “Ginaya” Singh’s name and explains that this name is the nickname for “Krishna”. Nadeem provides his insight into the joint ownership of the saw mills located in Paldi and how the the joint ownership was dissolved in 1952. Nadeem clarifies that Ginaya Singh also left Paldi and that Ginaya Singh’s wife is his mother in law’s aunt and that he also moved to Burnaby. Nadeem explains the proper name spelling of mill owner “Mayo Singh” and that the correct spelling is actually “Mayan Singh” but he changed it to “Mayo” when it was mis-pronounced. Nadeem also comments on the problems that he encountered in 1970 on the pronunciation of his own name while living in England and at one point his employer referred to him as “Paul”. 1:04:39 – 1:18:50 Nadeem relays that when he emigrated from India and to Canada that he carried his personal possessions in a small suitcase made from cardboard since the weight limit on the airplane was just three pounds. He conveys that many of his relations have all suffered from heart problems including Ginaya Singh and his children. Nadeem shares that Ginaya Singh’s three sons all lived in Burnaby. Nadeem conveys that many South Asians lived in Burnaby and many worked at saw mills in North Vancouver and in the L&K sawmill near Pemberton. Nadeem explains further about the how the disagreements came to be between Mayo Singh and Kapoor Singh. He describes how each had a different business strategy in harvesting lumber and that there were feuds amongst the families. Nadeem provides further details on the root of the family feuds. Nadeem provides definitions for certain Punjabi terms that he’s using including “Mehta”(meaning lowest class of farmers, foreigner as well head as a title given to people of a clan living in the area) and ‘Panchat”, the name of his family village that was built and founded by five brothers and one nephew (Panj- meaning five and the sound “cht” meaning six). Nadeem explains that these terms were given to people from his own clan living in the area because it was small. Nadeem explains further about status that is based on money and the Punjabi terms “Parsu”, “Parsa” and “Pasaram” that are often used to describe a person. When you are poor the term “Parsu” is used and when you become rich the term “Pasaram” is used. Nadeem refers to Mayo Singh as a Pasaram as the second most successful millner in British Columbia, second to Frederick John Hart. Nadeem mentions that Ginaya Singh, elder brother to Mayo Singh helped provide the finances to start the mill and when there was a disagreement, Ginaya Singh left the mill business, moved his family to Burnaby and began working in insurance. Nadeem shares the sad story of Ginaya Singh’s sudden death (in 1953). Nadeem states that many of the people who left the mills at Paldi went to work at the Kapoor Mill in Burnaby and some relocated to the Interior of British Columbia. Nadeem mentions that his father in law (Lashman Singh Manhas) was able to purchase a house on 18th Street in along with other residences that he bought with his hard earned money working in the farms and mills, 16 hours per day, seven days a week. 1:18:51 – 1:32:04 Nadeem explains why he thinks that most South Asian people worked in the mills in the earlier days. Nadeem conveys that since Sikh men wore beards and turbans they encountered discrimination and were unable to get work in the business community. Nadeem shares his own personal experiences of wearing a turban and the discrimination he’s encountered while living in Scotland and Canada. Nadeem mentions that a defense committee was formed to protect the Gurdwaras and people’s homes from being vandalized due to racial discrimination. Nadeem describes some of the troubles that he’s encountered in his own neighbourhood when he had to call the police. Nadeem shares a personal experience just after 9/11 where he was the target of racial discrimination in the parking lot of Burnaby Lake. Nadeem emphasizes that he has experienced many incidents of racial discrimination, especially in the workplace and that this was not unusual for him. 1:32:05 – 1:36:19 Nadeem talks about his interest in writing and his many literary works including 12 novels that he’s written in Punjabi. Nadeem highlights a few books that he’s written including a book titled “Rape” and another one titled “Sponsorship” which conveys the complex nature of people immigrating to Canada. Nadeem mentions a particular book about AIDS, titled “Wide Net” that he’s been trying to get published. Nadeem speaks to the challenges and high costs of trying to get his works published. Nadeem provides a brief synopsis of his book “Wide Net”. Nadeem relays that this is a personal account of a gay couple that he knew where one of the partners died of AIDS and that the couple gave Nadeem permission to tell their tragic story. 1:36:20 – 1:51:51 Nadeem talks about his children and compares their experiences to his own as a South Asian immigrant. Nadeems talks about the accomplishments of his son, his daughter and grandchildren including their education and careers. Nadeem says that his children are well educated and well established in their careers. Nadeem’s children attended Capitol Hill Elementary School and North Burnaby High School in Burnaby. Nadeem shares specifics of his son’s career history. Nadeem expresses that he still considers Canada to be the best country for opportunities and that he prefers to live in Burnaby rather than Surrey and shares some personal anecdotes. Nadeem lists some local places that he’s shopped for South Asian groceries and spices rather than travelling to Surrey. He mentions shopping at Kelly Douglas, stores in Chinatown, small grocers on Capitol Hill, Patel’s on Commercial Drive and Main Street. As an aside Nadeem mentions that he worked as a security guard and the wages that he earned. Nadeem comments that he has been awarded various certificates and certifications from his education and career over the years, including a Bachelor of Science. The interviewers further express their interest in seeing the cardboard case that Nadeem brought with him when immigrating to Canada. In closing Nadeem states that his favourite food from back home was kheer (rice pudding).
- History
- Interviewee biography: Kalwant Singh "Nadeem" Parmar was born June 9, 1936, Chuck 138 in Lyalpur (India before 1947) to parents Lakhmir Singh Parmar and Davinder Kaur Jamana Parmar. Nadeem grew up in the village of Panchat in the northern region of Punjab, India. Nadeem married his wife Surjeet in Punjab in 1960. After marrying the couple immigrated to England where Nadeem was already working. While living in England, Nadeem and Surjeet had two children. After Surjeet's father died in Canada in 1972, Nadeem, Surjeet and their two children immgrated to Canada, joining Surjeet's family who were living in Burnaby. After Nadeem immigrated to Burnaby in 1973 he worked various jobs before working with CN/CP Telecommunications. Nadeem holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Teaching from Punjab University and a diploma from the London Board of Education (L.B.E.) and a P.Eng. from Lancaster. He has seven books published in Punjabi, three in Urdu and is published in eight anthologies. He is fluent in Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. 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
- Buildings - Commercial - Grocery Stores
- Buildings - Industrial - Saw Mills
- Buildings - Industrial - Factories
- Education
- Employment
- Industries - Logging/lumber
- Migration
- Occupations - Engineers
- Occupations - Millworkers
- Occupations - Teachers
- Occupations - Writers
- Persons - South Asian Canadians
- Social Issues
- Social Issues - Racism
- Names
- Parmar, Kalwant Singh "Nadeem"
- Kapoor Sawmills Limited
- Siddoo, Kapoor Singh
- Teja, Gurdial Singh
- Parmar, Surjeet Kaur
- Manhas, Ghania Singh
- Singh, Mayo
- Manhas, Kashmir Singh
- Manhas, Sher Singh
- Manhas, Budhan Kaur
- Manhas, Lashman Singh
- Responsibility
- Malik, Anushay
- Rajdeep
- Geographic Access
- Woodsworth Street
- Accession Code
- BV022.29.1
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1600-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Oct. 2022
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Capitol Hill (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
- Capitol Hill Area
- Related Material
- See also BV022.29.5 - Interview with Surjeet Kaur Parmar
- Notes
- Title based on contents of item
- Spelling of "Ginaya Singh" found as "Ghania Singh Manhas" in obituary and death certificate
- Interview is conducted in English with various segments of discussion in Punjabi
- Transcript of interview available upon request
Audio Tracks
Interview with Kalwant Singh
Interview with Kalwant Singh
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0001_003.mp3![Magee grocery store building, [1983] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2020/2020_0005_1521_001.jpg?width=280)
Magee grocery store building
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription14682
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Date
- [1983]
- Collection/Fonds
- Century Park Museum Association fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. slide ; 35 mm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Magee Grocery Store building at it's original location at 6108 Patterson Avenue in Burnaby. The exterior of the building is painted brown and the windows and entrance doors are covered with plywood. Two large pieces of timber supports are visible sticking out of t…
- Repository
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Collection/Fonds
- Century Park Museum Association fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. slide ; 35 mm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the exterior of the Magee Grocery Store building at it's original location at 6108 Patterson Avenue in Burnaby. The exterior of the building is painted brown and the windows and entrance doors are covered with plywood. Two large pieces of timber supports are visible sticking out of the lower side of the building. The building was moved from this site and installed at the southeast end of Hill Street in Heritage Village becoming the Real Estate and Surveyor's Office building.
- History
- The building was originally located at 3043 (pre-1958) / 6108 Patterson Avenue, Lot 22, Block 33, District Lot 151, Plan 2002. It was built ca. 1929, possibly by Mr. Cuthbert Pratt. Over the years it was used as a confectionary store, grocery store, home, and small boarding house. By 1977, it was operating as the Magee Grocery Store. The building was moved to BVM in May 1977 and then adapted to look like the original Dow, Fraser & Co. Ltd. real estate building.
- Names
- Burnaby Village Museum
- Geographic Access
- Patterson Avenue
- Street Address
- 6108 Patterson Avenue
- Accession Code
- BV020.5.1521
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Date
- [1983]
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Scan Resolution
- 2400
- Scan Date
- 17-Nov-2020
- Scale
- 100
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Magee grocery store building, [1983] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Images/2020/2020_0005_1521_001.jpg)
![Mayor Lewarne and Council Members, [between 1981 and 1983] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/351-001.jpg?width=280)
Mayor Lewarne and Council Members
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription37331
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1981 and 1983]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 20 x 25 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mayor William Lewarne and Council members, 1981-1983. Back row (l to r): Alan Emmott, Egon Nikolai, Vic Stusiak, Donald Brown, Doug Drummond. Front row (l to r) George McLean, Tom Constable, William Lewarne, and Doreen Lawson. The photograph was taken in Council Chambers at Burnaby…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1981 and 1983]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Municipal record subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : col. ; 20 x 25 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 351-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- BHS1997-11
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mayor William Lewarne and Council members, 1981-1983. Back row (l to r): Alan Emmott, Egon Nikolai, Vic Stusiak, Donald Brown, Doug Drummond. Front row (l to r) George McLean, Tom Constable, William Lewarne, and Doreen Lawson. The photograph was taken in Council Chambers at Burnaby Municipal Hall.
- Subjects
- Officials - Alderman and Councillors
- Buildings - Civic - City Halls
- Officials - Mayors and Reeves
- Names
- Emmott, Alan H.
- Nikolai, Egon
- Stusiak, Victor V. "Vic"
- Brown, Donald N. "Don"
- Drummond, Douglas P. "Doug"
- McLean, George H.F.
- Constable, Thomas W. "Tom"
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Lawson, Doreen A.
- Burnaby City Hall
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Canada Way
- Street Address
- 4949 Canada Way
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
![Mayor Lewarne and Council Members, [between 1981 and 1983] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/316/351-001.jpg)
![Burnaby Public Market, [1982] (date of original), copied ca. 2002 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/371/426-001.jpg?width=280)
Burnaby Public Market
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription38396
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1982] (date of original), copied ca. 2002
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.7 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Burnaby Public Market at Kingsway and 15th avenue.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1982] (date of original), copied ca. 2002
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- New Westminster Public Library subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.5 x 17.7 cm print
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 426-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2002-8
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the Burnaby Public Market at Kingsway and 15th avenue.
- Names
- Burnaby Public Market
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph.
- Geographic Access
- Kingsway
- 15th Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Edmonds (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Edmonds Area
Images
![Burnaby Public Market, [1982] (date of original), copied ca. 2002 thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/371/426-001.jpg)
Frances in Supermarket
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription52897
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Frances Johnston with her back to the camera, standing in the bakery aisle of an unidentified grocery store.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 483-106
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No reproduction permitted
- Accession Number
- 2008-08
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Frances Johnston with her back to the camera, standing in the bakery aisle of an unidentified grocery store.
- Names
- Johnston, Frances
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Johnston, Harold H.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Grocery store
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription52859
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified grocery store.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- 1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Harold H. Johnston fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (jpeg) : b&w
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 483-103
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No reproduction permitted
- Accession Number
- 2008-08
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of an unidentified grocery store.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Johnston, Harold H.
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
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.mp3
Mrs. Brady and Allison
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58955
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 12.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Brady and a child in a shop. Bins of bulk food are in the background. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 12.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1400
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Brady and a child in a shop. Bins of bulk food are in the background. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Caption on recto reads: "Mrs Brady & Allison"
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby / B-4 / 100% / impressed with variety"
Images
Mrs. Elizabeth Rood
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58954
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.3 x 17.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Elizabeth Rood, holding bags inside of a shop. Bins of bulk food are in the background. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.3 x 17.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1399
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Elizabeth Rood, holding bags inside of a shop. Bins of bulk food are in the background. The photograph is from Burnaby Today.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto reads: "Mrs. Rood / Elizabeth D"
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby / B-4 / 100% / Certainly ph[?] are better"
Images
Mrs. Margaret Bolster
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription58953
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 18 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Margaret Bolster. Bins of bulk food are in the background.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11.5 x 18 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1398
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a woman identified as Mrs. Margaret Bolster. Bins of bulk food are in the background.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto reads: "Mrs Bolster / Margaret"
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby / B-4 / 100% / it's really quite a s[?]"
Images
Seafood Market
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription59019
- 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 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a seafood market on Hastings Street and the market's employee. An individual is looking through the window at the seafood from the street.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- ca.1983
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 20.5 x 25 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1426
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2009-01
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a seafood market on Hastings Street and the market's employee. An individual is looking through the window at the seafood from the street.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on verso reads: "Burnaby Today / Hastings page / 64%"
Images
![Svend Robinson and Dave Mercier, [between 1979 and 1981] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/480/480-1206.jpg?width=280)
Svend Robinson and Dave Mercier
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription46318
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16.5 x 11 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier, an unidentified man, and Burnaby New Democratic party Member of Parliment Svend Robinson standing together, talking.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1979 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 16.5 x 11 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1206
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Burnaby mayor Dave Mercier, an unidentified man, and Burnaby New Democratic party Member of Parliment Svend Robinson standing together, talking.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note on recto of photograph reads: "'I'm going to live in OTTAWA - WITH SVEND' - [intelligible] Mayor Mercier"
Images
![Svend Robinson and Dave Mercier, [between 1979 and 1981] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/480/480-1206.jpg)
![Dave Mercier, [between 1971 and 1981] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/480/480-1162.jpg?width=280)
Dave Mercier
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription46274
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1971 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w contact sheet ; 24 x 20 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of nineteen negatives, depicting Dave Mercier sitting at a desk with a coffee, contact printed together onto one page. Dave Mercier was on the council from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [between 1971 and 1981]
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w contact sheet ; 24 x 20 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1162
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of nineteen negatives, depicting Dave Mercier sitting at a desk with a coffee, contact printed together onto one page. Dave Mercier was on the council from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
- Names
- Mercier, David M. "Dave"
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
![Dave Mercier, [between 1971 and 1981] thumbnail](/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Images/_Unrestricted/480/480-1162.jpg)
Justice G. L. Murray swearing in Mayor Dave Mercier
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription46289
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- March 11, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Justice G. L. Murray administrating the oath of office to Mayor Dave Mercier. Dave Mercier was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- March 11, 1980
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 19 x 24 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-1177
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Justice G. L. Murray administrating the oath of office to Mayor Dave Mercier. Dave Mercier was a council member from 1968 to 1971, and from 1977 to 1981, serving as Mayor from 1979 to 1981.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- King, Basil
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Canada Way
- Street Address
- 4949 Canada Way
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
Lieutenant-Governor Henry Bell-Irving
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45763
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Lieutenant-Governor Henry Bell-Irving smiling at someone off camera, with Shah Karim al-Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV and his wife Her Highness Begum Salimah, and Burnaby Mayor William A. Lewarne standing nearby. A man with a television camera is visible in the background, filming.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1982
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 11 x 16.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-657
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Lieutenant-Governor Henry Bell-Irving smiling at someone off camera, with Shah Karim al-Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV and his wife Her Highness Begum Salimah, and Burnaby Mayor William A. Lewarne standing nearby. A man with a television camera is visible in the background, filming.
- Names
- Bell-Irving, Henry P "Budge"
- Shah Karim al-Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV
- Her Highness Begum Salimah
- Lewarne, William A. "Bill"
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Braid, Tom
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
