In 1958, the Corporation of the District of Burnaby embarked on an address re-numbering project. Burnaby's new address system was a numerical continuation of the Vancouver system. The project included East Burnaby which had previously worked off of the New Westminster address system. This was problematic due to the diagonal grid system that New Westminster and East Burnaby was based off of.
The project was completed in two phases: From 1958 to 1959, and 1960 to 1961.
Chinese Canadians have contributed to Burnaby’s growth for over a century. The long and intertwining histories between Chinese Canadians, Indigenous people and other communities have shaped the founding of Burnaby and British Columbia. This resource guide was created because their life experiences and important contributions to Burnaby’s development are not widely known.
"Presented
To my valued fried Rev. D. W. Scott. a former neighbor at Capitol Hill with best wishes of the author
George Green
Victoria March 1 1947" [handwritten in black ink on page opposing front pastedown]
"BMMM-WU SIGNED 1st ED 50.00" [handwritten in pencil on page opposing front pastedown]
"By George Green, pioneer resident of Burnaby, and an ex-Councillor. Charter Member of the British Columbia Historical Association, Vancouver Branch, and an Executive Member."
2019 version of working document developed by Burnaby Village Museum in collaboration with a number of First Nations partners over the course of several years.
We recognize that Burnaby falls within the shared, ancestral and unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking people. We equally respect each of the Nations who share territory in Burnaby, and invite and welcome their ongoing participation in developing the contents of the Indigenous History in Burnaby Resource Guide.
A history of the Burnaby school district and individual school buildings in Burnaby, BC, between 1893 and 2013.
The “First Nations cemetery” described on page 109 in Mary Johnson’s recollections was originally written as “Indian” and may refer to the Khalsa Diwan Society’s Sikh cremations at the Vancouver Cemetery.
Early Burnaby as recalled by the settlers themselves who arrived from every corner of the world between 1888 and 1930, some witnessing incorporation of the district in 1892, all seeking a better life for themselves and especially for their children, all helping transform the wilderness into the modern municipality of today.
There are two versions of the book: English and Simplified Chinese (left, below) and the other in English and Traditional Chinese (right, below).
From the late 1800s to the present day, Chinese Canadians have made Burnaby into a more vibrant and livable city. Rooted: Chinese Canadian Stories in Burnaby brings together a collection of diverse stories and photographs from the community, celebrating the legacy and contributions of Burnaby’s Chinese Canadian community spanning over a century. This coffee-table book features oral histories and interviews with descendants of multigenerational family farms, green grocers, corner stores, restaurants, and places of worship. Also included are archival research and community perspectives on anti-Asian racism, community activism, courage, and resilience.
The publication has been timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Chinese Exclusion Act by the Government of Canada in 1923. This federal legislation followed decades of discriminatory legislation by Canada’s federal, provincial and municipal governments that targeted Chinese Canadians by limiting opportunities to live, work and raise families in Canada. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned almost all migration from China and remained in place until 1947. Publishing this book in 2023 is an effort by the City of Burnaby to recognize the impact of discriminatory legislation on Chinese Canadians in our community, including discriminatory bylaws and practices implemented by Burnaby’s early municipal government.
Edited by Denise Fong (Lead Researcher), Jane Lemke (Burnaby Village Museum Curator) and Lisa Codd (City of Burnaby Heritage Planner).