On February 27, 2023, Burnaby’s Mayor and Council directed staff to implement a reconciliation framework to address past discrimination against Chinese residents in Burnaby, conduct outreach to the community, and identify potential reconciliatory actions, including a formal apology to be issued in July 2025. A Chinese-Canadian Reconciliation Advisory Group was established to advise staff on community communications, engagement strategies, and reconciliation actions.
My experience sitting on Burnaby’s Chinese-Canadian Reconciliation Advisory Group (2023-2025) has so far been rewarding and enlightening since my appointment in July 2023. Being an immigrant myself, arriving in the 1990s, I was unaware of the historic discriminatory practices against Chinese residents in Burnaby. I am deeply honored to be one of two City of Burnaby staff members serving on the Advisory Group, where I work alongside another staff member of Chinese-Canadian background and five community members, including a historian, members of historic families, educators, and representatives of community organizations.
The Advisory Group members have met five times to date and engaged in various activities and events, including a public survey, the book launch of Rooted on October 5, 2023, a Community Dialogue on October 17, 2023, and the Paul and Eileen Lin Commemorative Lecture on January 25, 2024. I also had the opportunity to meet interesting people from the Burnaby Heritage Planning Team, Vancouver Chinese Cultural Centre, Burnaby Heritage Commission, Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table, Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC, BC Anti-Racism Data Committee, and other community members, listening to their diverse perspectives.
Here are some interesting anecdotes from my role as an Advisory Group member:
- I met various historic families, including one woman whose grandfather paid the head tax, whose father experienced livelihood hardships, and who has a granduncle—a centenarian—who fought for Canada during WWII.
- We received very encouraging feedback from the general public during the Community Dialogue, where attendees applauded the City of Burnaby and our City Council for taking the initiative to address discriminatory practices and seek reconciliation with Burnaby’s Chinese community groups and residents. This was a successful and completely sold-out event, with all 170 seats fully taken.
- Sometimes, there were very engaging conversations among Advisory Group members, each bringing different perspectives, but we always found the best path forward based on our common goals.
- While attending the Paul and Eileen Lin Book Lecture, I met someone who turned out to be originally from the same locality in China, and we conversed fluently in our familiar dialect. It truly is a small world!
- I attended a BC Anti-Racism Data Committee meeting, which was composed of grassroots representatives from different ethnicities. It was an eye-opener for me to learn not only about proposed anti-racism measures but also about broader anti-discrimination initiatives, including those addressing LGBTQ+ issues.
- I am impressed by the careful planning and the extraordinary effort put into public dialogues and publications. These were conducted in English with Chinese translations provided.
There were many more anecdotes, but these are the ones that stood out to me.
I have a hard copy of the book Rooted (扎根) in my office. This book compiles the stories of various historic families and highlights their resilience during the difficult period between 1892 and 1947. You are welcome to come and browse through the book. It is published in English alongside Traditional Chinese. I am trained in Simplified Chinese as a second language, but I have a love for Traditional Chinese characters due to their beautiful strokes and the way they convey deeper meanings. There are also two online versions of the book, one in Simplified Chinese and another in Traditional Chinese, available at the following link:
Rooted – Heritage Burnaby
You may wonder why there has not been much publicity or outreach to Burnaby staff about the Chinese-Canadian Reconciliation initiative. Don’t worry—you will hear more about it in the coming months. We hope you will participate actively and join us. If you would like to learn more about this work, feel free to visit the following website:
[Burnaby Chinese-Canadian Reconciliation]
It is always the safer choice not to get involved in anything, but if you wish to make a difference, you can have your voice heard and contribute to something you are passionate about.
— Kim Lai