4 records – page 1 of 1.

Interview with Lee Rankin by Kathy Bossort December 2, 2015 - Track 6

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory647
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1973-2015
Length
0:17:26
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin telling stories about various people, including Doug Drummond, the Barnet Rifle Range and Dr. Mauser, John Stubbs, and Jack Blaney. He also talks about the change in providing higher education from the full university experience to development of pa…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Lee Rankin telling stories about various people, including Doug Drummond, the Barnet Rifle Range and Dr. Mauser, John Stubbs, and Jack Blaney. He also talks about the change in providing higher education from the full university experience to development of part time and online courses and satellite campuses. He tells about presenting an idea to Jack Blaney for a satellite campus at Metrotown.
Date Range
1973-2015
Length
0:17:26
Names
Drummond, Douglas P. "Doug"
Barnet Rifle Club
Stubbs, John
Blaney, Jack
Subjects
Education
Buildings - Schools - Universities and Colleges
Transportation
Recreational Activities
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
December 2, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Lee Rankin conducted by Kathy Bossort. Lee Rankin was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about Lee Rankin’s involvement in finding a resolution to the dispute between the City of Burnaby and Simon Fraser University over land ownership and control on Burnaby Mountain. He talks about the origin of the dispute, the positions taken by the two sides, the key people who brought about a resolution, and the main features of the agreement between the City, SFU and the province of BC. He talks about how the agreement met SFU’s goals, fostered trust between the City and university, and removed uncertainty from protecting parkland on Burnaby Mountain.
Biographical Notes
Lee Rankin was born in 1953 in Vancouver. He attended SFU 1973-78, completing his BA degree in 1985. He earned his law degree at UBC in 1988, was called to the Bar in 1989, and practiced in immigration and refugee law. Lee has lived in Burnaby since 1976 and was a member of Burnaby Council for 22 years, from 1983-1999 and 2002-2008. His particular interests as a Councillor were in community planning, housing and environment. Among other duties and accomplishments as Councillor, Lee served as chair of the Simon Fraser Liaison Committee and was involved in the negotiations with the province and SFU that resulted in the university returning more than 800 acres of land to the City, which was dedicated as part of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. He has also served on the GVRD, volunteers as a coach for team sports in Burnaby, and has served on numerous community and business associations and committees. Lee is married to Ragini Venkat Rankin and has one son Henry.
Total Tracks
8
Total Length
1:50:35
Interviewee Name
Rankin, Lee A.
Interview Location
Lee Rankin's home in Burnaby
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks
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Interview with Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager by Kathy Bossort November 18, 2015 - Track 4

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory624
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1965-2015
Length
0:13:31
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of the relationship of SFU’s faculty and administration to Burnaby Mountain’s environment, including stewardship of the land, academic research related to the mountain, and the development of UniverCity. Dr. Evenden ta…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Dr. Evenden and Dr. Seager’s description of the relationship of SFU’s faculty and administration to Burnaby Mountain’s environment, including stewardship of the land, academic research related to the mountain, and the development of UniverCity. Dr. Evenden talks about Dr. Colin Crampton’s writings about the natural history of Burnaby Mountain, and Dr. Seager references the controversy over the target ranges on the mountain and Dr. Stephen Collis’ work, as examples of faculty involvement in local environmental issues.
Date Range
1965-2015
Length
0:13:31
Names
Simon Fraser University
UniverCity
Crampton, Colin
Collis, Stephen
Mauser, Gary A.
Barnet Rifle Club
Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Company
Subjects
Geographic Features - Forests
Planning
Education
Protests and Demonstrations
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 18, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager conducted by Kathy Bossort. Leonard Evenden and Allen Seager were two of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about aspects of Simon Fraser University’s history that is related to its site on Burnaby Mountain, as told by two retired SFU professors, Dr. Evenden of the Geography Department and Dr. Seager of the Department of History. The interview ranges over campus access and housing issues created by the isolated mountain site; the relationship of the university to the local community and the dispute over land ownership and control with the City of Burnaby; SFU’s environmental stewardship; the development of UniverCity; and the future of parkland in the conservation area on Burnaby Mountain.
Biographical Notes
Dr. Leonard J. Evenden was born 1937 in Beijing, China, to parents and Salvation Army missionaries Leonard Evenden and Elsie Pearl March. Dr. Evenden attended McMaster University (B.A. 1960), University of Georgia (M.A. 1962) and University of Edinburgh (Ph.D. 1970). He was appointed to Simon Fraser University’s Department of Geography in 1966, shortly after SFU opened in the fall of 1965, and retired in 2002. Dr. Evenden’s research has focused on Canadian urban geography. He edited a collection of essays about Burnaby titled “Suburb of Happy Homes: Burnaby centennial themes” (1995), and directed “Voices of Burnaby”, an SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee oral history project (1992). Dr. Evenden is married with three children. Dr. Allen Seager was born 1953 in Montreal, Quebec, to parents C.F.B. Seager and Evelyn DeGex Chesam. Dr. Seager is a retired Simon Fraser University professor, being a member of SFU’s Department of History from 1981 to 2014, and has current links with SFU as an instructor for Continuing Studies. His research interests include history of Canada and Western Canada, and labour and working class history, particularly in the coal mining and railway industries. Dr. Seager moved to Burnaby and the Montecito area in 1981 where he continues to live and enjoy the hiking trails on Burnaby Mountain and the amenities at SFU. Dr. Seager is a member of the Burnaby North NDP, and has volunteered with Scouts Canada and the Burnaby Centennial Committee.
Total Tracks
6
Total Length
1:11:28
Interviewee Name
Evenden, Leonard J.
Seager, Allen
Interview Location
Clubhouse at Burnaby Mountain Golf Course Restaurant
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track four of interview with Dr. Leonard Evenden and Dr. Allen Seager

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Interview with Maninder Arora

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription19351
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
2 sound recordings (wav) (67 min., 25 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (66 min., 45 sec.)
Scope and Content
Item consists of a recording of an oral history interview with Maninder Arora conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Museum Registrar James Binks. 0:00 – 07:33 Interview opens with introductions. Maninder Arora shares her immigration story and how she came to emigrate from India to Canada…
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) (67 min., 25 sec.) + 1 sound recording (mp3) (66 min., 45 sec.)
Material Details
Interviewers: Anushay Malik Co interviewer: James Binks Interviewee: Maninder Arora Location of Interview: In Burnaby at the home of Maninder Arora Interview Date: December 7, 2022 Total Number of tracks: 2 Total Length of all Tracks: (01:07:25) 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 Maninder Arora conducted by Anushay Malik with assistance from Museum Registrar James Binks. 0:00 – 07:33 Interview opens with introductions. Maninder Arora shares her immigration story and how she came to emigrate from India to Canada at 16 years of age with her mother, her older sister (18 yrs) and her younger brother (11 yrs) in 1974. Maninder explains how her sister immigrated first after marrying a South Asian Canadian and subsequently was able to sponsor members of her family to immigrate about one year later. Arora describes what life was like for her and her family in the northern part of Punjab in India prior to immigration to Canada. Arora describes her family composition with her being the second youngest of eight children and how at the time of immigrating, four of her elder siblings (three sisters and one brother) stayed behind. 07:34 – 16:23 As a new immigrant to Canada at the age of 16 years of age, Maninder Arora recalls the many challenges that she faced. Maninder describes how she attended Vancouver Technical School and then worked at a restaurant on Friday nights and weekends. She recollects how she got her first job through the Sikh community from the Akali Singh Sikh Gurdwara on Fraser Street. Maninder recalls that during the first five months in Canada, Maninder, her mother, sister and brother lived with her elder sister, her husband and child before finding a place of their own. Arora recalls where her family shopped for traditional Indian spices and foods. 16:24 – 25:50 Maninder Arora describes the next home that her family moved to and how she and her brother attended David Thompson Secondary School. Maninder explains that she dropped out of school in Grade 12 to go to work full time to help her family repay the debt that they owed for their immigration expenses. Around 1981, her mother was able to purchase a house at Marine Drive and Ross Street and her mother got work at the same restaurant that Maninder was working. Maninder shares and reflects on a disturbing encounter of racism that she and her older sister faced while taking local transit. 25:51 – 34:17 Maninder Arora talks about her past work experience. Maninder describes how with the help of her sister, she began working as a nurses' aide at care homes and private hospitals. Maninder reflects on how she intended to get a job in a unionized care home where she can make a better living wage. Maninder describes some of the places that she worked before obtaining certification as a nurse’s aide from Kwantlen College. 34;18 – 51:15 Maninder Arora describes the events that led to her marrying her future husband in 1986 and how it wasn’t an easy decision for her. Maninder describes where she and her family lived after her marriage and how her hard work led her to obtaining full time employment as a nurses' aide in Richmond. 51:16 - 56:16 Maninder Arora tells of how she decided to move to Burnaby where her sister and extended family were living. Maninder recalls what lead to her decision to move from Surrey to Burnaby in 1992. 56:17 - 1:04:23 Maninder Arora shares some experiences of her life in Burnaby. Maninder further reflects on her decisions for moving to Burnaby including providing what she thought would be a safer environment and education for her children. Maninder conveys how racism is still very much prevalent in society and recounts a personal encounter that she experienced while shopping for shoes at Metrotown. 1:04:24 – 1:06:45 The interviewer asks Maninder Arora what she would like to see conveyed as a message for younger people in an upcoming exhibit at Burnaby Village Museum on South Asian history. Maninder conveys that she would like all Canadian citizens living in Burnaby to make the environment better by not littering, living peacefully together and not causing people grief or struggle for nothing, “Be kind to each other”. In closing Arora shares the transportation route she took when emigrating from India to Canada.
History
Interviewee biography: Maninder Arora was born in the northern part of Punjab, India. Her sister immigrated to Canada in 1974 after marrying a South Asian Canadian. In 1975, after her father died, her sister was able to bring her mother, her 11 year old brother and Maninder at 16 years of age. After arriving in British Columbia, they first lived with her sister and family before finding a place of their own. Maninder attended Vancouver Technical School and later David Thompson Secondary School and worked in a restaurant on weekends to help her family out. Maninder and her family were members of the Sikh community and attended Akali Singh Sikh Gurdwara on Fraser Street. Maninder left school in Grade 12 to work full time to help her family repay the debt that they owed for their immigration expenses. In the early 1980’s Maninder’s family moved to a house near Marine Drive and Ross Street that her mother was able to purchase. With the help of her sister, Maninder got work as a nurses’ aide at care homes and private hospitals which eventually led her to obtaining certification from Kwantlen College. Maninder married in 1986 and had two children while living in Richmond. Around 1992, she moved from Surrey to Burnaby to be closer to her sister and to provide as safer environment for her children. 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”. James Binks has lived in the Lower Mainland since 2009 after relocating from Ontario. James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, where he conducted researched on heritage, environment, and globalization in India, Nepal, and Italy. At Burnaby Village Museum, James contributed to the exhibit “Truths Not Often Told: Being South Asian in Burnaby”.
Creator
Burnaby Village Museum
Subjects
Persons - South Asian Canadians
Social Issues
Social Issues - Racism
Occupations
Occupations - Nurses
Migration
Names
Arora, Maninder
Responsibility
Malik, Anushay
Binks, James
Accession Code
BV022.29.6
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022
Media Type
Sound Recording
Notes
Title based on contents of item
Transcription available on Heritage Burnaby
Documents
Audio Tracks

Interview with Maninder Arora, [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022

Interview with Maninder Arora, [1974-2022] (interview content), interviewed 7 Dec. 2022

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Sound_Recordings/Oral_Histories/2022_0029_0006_003.mp3
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Interview with Ron Burton by Kathy Bossort November 16, 2015 - Track 5

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory619
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date Range
1995-2015
Length
0:10:20
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Ron Burton telling about the creation of the Mountain Air Bike Park and the importance of skill building for bike riders. He also talks about the shift from using the site as a target range and how sports affect our view of who we are in the world.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Summary
This portion of the interview is about Ron Burton telling about the creation of the Mountain Air Bike Park and the importance of skill building for bike riders. He also talks about the shift from using the site as a target range and how sports affect our view of who we are in the world.
Date Range
1995-2015
Length
0:10:20
Names
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Mountain Air Bike Park
Barnet Rifle Club
Subjects
Geographic Features - Parks
Sports - Cycling
Geographic Access
Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
Interviewer
Bossort, Kathy
Interview Date
November 16, 2015
Scope and Content
Recording is of an interview with Ron Burton conducted by Kathy Bossort. Ron Burton was one of 23 participants interviewed as part of the Community Heritage Commission’s Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project. The interview is mainly about the founding, goals, and activities of the Burnaby Mountain Biking Association as told by one of the founders and President of the club, Ron Burton, and about the development of mountain biking and trail construction on Burnaby Mountain, both prior to and after the creation of the conservation area in 1995/96. Ron Burton also talks about his childhood, his work as a Burnaby school trustee, and the sports and recreational activities he has enjoyed on the mountain.
Biographical Notes
Ron Burton was born in Burnaby in 1954 to Fred and Shirley Burton. He grew up in East Vancouver and attended Hastings Elementary and Gladstone Secondary schools. He worked on the waterfront for Viterra, became a member of the Grain Workers Union and joined the NDP in 1972. He and his wife moved to Burnaby’s Vancouver Heights in 1982 and Forest Grove in 1988. He has served as a Board of Education Trustee in the Burnaby School District since first being elected in 1987, currently serving as Board Chair. Ron is founder and President of the Burnaby Mountain Biking Association and an active rider on Burnaby Mountain since 1988. The Association was founded in 2000, registering as a society in 2005, with the goals to build sustainable trails on Burnaby Mountain, to provide education about trail riding, and to advocate for and improve the image of mountain biking. Under Ron’s leadership the Association has successfully recruited members and formed a cooperative relationship with Burnaby’s Parks staff and with other park trail users.
Total Tracks
6
Total Length
1:01:32
Interviewee Name
Burton, Ronald C. "Ron"
Interview Location
Meeting room at the Burnaby School District office
Interviewer Bio
Kathy Bossort is a retired archivist living in Ladner, BC. She worked at the Delta Museum and Archives after graduating from SLAIS (UBC) in 2001 with Masters degrees in library science and archival studies. Kathy grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and, prior to this career change, she lived in the West Kootenays, earning her living as a cook for BC tourist lodges and work camps. She continues to be interested in oral histories as a way to fill the gaps in the written record and bring richer meaning to history.
Collection/Fonds
Community Heritage Commission Special Projects fonds
Series
Burnaby Mountain Oral History Project series
Media Type
Sound Recording
Audio Tracks

Track five of interview with Ron Burton

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