Category Archives: Main Page

Friday Night in Vancouver: Robson Square Summertime Dancing + Singapore cuisine

Friday Night Dance lessons and Dance Sport demonstrations at Robson Square – photo Todd Wong

Every Friday night at Robson Square in Vancouver, there is dancing… Last Friday night was tango night. I joined some Gung Haggis dragon boat food and social club members, for dinner at Primataste Singapore style restaurant. 570 Robson Street, 604-685-7881. Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. I couldn't remember the last time I had ever been a to Singapore restaurant before… but my cousin's wife is from Singapore, and I have eaten Singapore cuisine many times.

The food was good, and it was fast, once we ordered. My girlfriend ordered a curry chicken noodle dish for me. My mistake was in casually adding in the spicy paste that sat on a corner of the dish. Hot! Her noodle dish with prawns and calamari was much more mild and very tasty. The service was friendly and helpful, and we all enjoyed it.

Check out this reviews:
Hakka House: Prima Taste Restaurant

VancouverBest Eating | Prima slings fab Singaporean | Straight.com Vancouver

Then we walked the block over to Robson Square. Tonight was Tango Night. While I have played tangos on my accordion such as La Cumparsita and El Choclo… I have never before danced a tango.

“Step, step, step, stop, rock, rock, back…”

The instructors were good and Asian!!! Gee… that would make sense in multicultural Vancouver, with so many Asians practicing ball room dancing. They explained and demonstrated each of the opening steps. But the “dance floor” was crowded and not easy to see up close. My girlfriend and I tried the steps again. “Oops…” missed a step. “Oops…” wrong foot. It was good to try. I had taken ballroom dance lessons many many years ago… and it all came back to me quickly – the mis-steps, the hesitations, the clumsy feeling like I had two left feet. But we were having fun, and if we knew that if we really wanted to be good, we would have to take some lessons.

At 9pm, the first evening showcase began. Competitive dancers stepped onto the floor to demonstrate the tango, and other dances. Beautiful. Then the couple that had been giving the tango lessons did a wonderful dance performance to the same music used in the movie: “Shall We Dance” with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. Beautiful. Wow!

We tried some more general dancing – then a few of us headed back to my girlfriend's apartment and we watched “Shall We Dance” leaving the dancing to to the experts. Of of course, I just had to watch the Richard Gere/ Jennifer Lopez tango dance scene twice!

Check out the DanceSport BC website for information:

DanceSport BC (DSBC) is proud to present the Robson Square Summertime Dance Series 2007.
This free community event has been held every summer since 1979. It is
open to the general public, and people of all ages and backgrounds are
encouraged to join in the fun. Spectators and participants range from
children to the elderly and ballroom enthusiasts to interested downtown
passers-by.

Each week we start the night with a free dance lesson given by a
local hand-picked dance instructor. Lessons will vary each week
providing a fun, social atmosphere. Show-case dancers perform dressed
in full competitive costumes, making the two twenty-minute show-cases
the highlights of each night. Dance couples and teams have been chosen
from local dance studios to perform. This is a chance to see ballroom
at its best with performances which may include Standard, Latin or
Social dances; such as Waltz, Cha-Cha, Tango, Jive, Swing and Salsa.
During the general dancing, DJs will play a mixed selection of ballroom
and social dance music for the audience to enjoy.

Nightly Schedule

8:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Professional dance lesson
8:30 pm – 9:00 pm: General Dancing
9:00 pm – 9:20 pm: First Dance Performance
9:20 pm – 10:00 pm: General Dancing
10:00 pm – 10:20 pm: Second Dance Performance
10:20 pm – 11:30 pm: General Dancing
11:30 pm: Last Waltz

News from Scotland… SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds + deciding Scotland's future

2 Replies

News from Scotland… SFU bagpipes place 2nd at Worlds
+ deciding Scotland's future

Every now and again, I receive news from the Scottish diaspora about the Scottish diaspora, and even from good old Scotland itself.

The following information is from Ron Macleod – chair of SFU Scottish Cultural Studies, and Russell Walker from the Govt. of Scotland – who is a big Gung Haggis Fat Choy fan.

Here are today's (Saturday's) results at the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships, Glasgow.

Regards, the other Ron

1st Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland)

2nd Simon Fraser University (Canada)

3rd House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead (Scotland)

4th Scottish Lion-78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada)

5th Strathclyde Police (Scotland)

Choosing Scotland's Future

Scotland's First Minister, Alex
Salmond MSP launched a White Paper today inviting the people of
Scotland to join in a national conversation on the nation’s
constitutional future.The First Minister values the engagement of
Scotland's diaspora in this conversation. The paper has been published
as part of the Government's fulfilment of its manifesto commitments and
100 days undertakings, and to ensure competent government.

The paper sets out three principal choices.

· Small extension of devolved powers

· Radical redesign of devolution and greatly enhanced powers

· Independence

A new website – http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/a-national-conversation
– has been launched to attract comments from all shades of opinion.
Anyone interested in contributing to the discussion, can do so by
e-mailing joinin@anationalconversation.com.

Greetings, an interesting BBC website, courtesy Norman Calder. regards, the other Ron

Scots 'mither tongue' goes online

An archive of the Scots language is now available all over the world thanks to a comprehensive new website.

Researchers
at Glasgow University have completed work on the online resource, which
contains more than four million words in Scots and Scottish English.

As well as meaning and usage, the project also has audio links, allowing people to hear words being spoken.

The site, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, can be accessed at www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk

People
from the US, Australia, China, Japan and South America have already
logged on to use the service, as well as people in Scotland.

It is one aspect of a long and flourishing cultural heritage.

Dr Wendy Anderson

Project researcher

The website currently includes text from 1945 up to the present day, with researchers working on expanding it.

They are building up a new resource for older varieties of language, dating from 1700 to 1945.

Once completed this should allow people to trace the development of features of Scots and Scottish English over time.

Project
researcher, Dr Wendy Anderson, said: “The Scots language is a source of
interest across the world as it is one aspect of a long and flourishing
cultural heritage.The website will be a useful language resource for
academic researchers and students, language learners and teachers,
dictionary writers and secondary school language teachers, not to
mention for the large number of general users who just want to satisfy
a curiosity about the Scots language.”

Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper… Monday August 13

Leave a reply

Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper… Monday August 13

Scripting Aloud is organized by film-maker Kathy Leung and writer/actor Grace Chin, two friends that originally met in my dragonboat and Ricepaper circles. It is a fun event that encourages both writers to bring developing scripts and actors to come help read them… a fine collaboration that helps build community.

This event really helped to develop Twisting Fortunes, the play that Grace wrote with fellow writer Charlie Cho. I reviewed it and really enjoyed attending the performance.

The following is the latest message from Kathy and Grace:

Hi All,

It's getting a little too hot…not! But summer's still
got some post-Celebration of Light sparkle with a few events in August.
VAFF's Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (the evocatively abbreviated
MAMM) returns for a threepeat, this time with a new genre requirement.
As always, the winning teams share $5,000 in prize money
(mmmm…money).

Put your scripting hat on, crew up and find your cast for MAMM 2007, if you haven't already, at the Scripting Aloud Summer Sipper
this coming Monday! Or show up just for an excuse to party on a weekday
– yes, the cafe is licensed. 🙂
Snoozers lose – this year there's a MAMM registration cutoff of 15
teams, and to date seven have already confirmed participation.

WHAT: Summer Sipper
WHEN: Monday, August 13, 2007, 6:30 pm – 9 pm
WHERE: Our Town Café, 245 E. Broadway (at Kingsway) in Vancouver

Scripting Aloud is now on Facebook!
Rather than spam everyone with Facebook invites, and knowing many of
you may already be on – we thought we'd build it and let y'all come. 🙂
Find us and join the group today!

This weekend's Chinatown Festival features two sketch groups
from SKETCHOFF!#$%!! in May – prepare to be disorientaled and licked.
And if a Vietnamese accent is in your voice repertoire – there may be a
gig for you.

Kathy & Grace
Producers, Scripting Aloud

www.scriptingaloud.ca

CUPE 391: Vancouver Library workers still on strike

Leave a reply

CUPE 391: Vancouver Library workers still on strike

Todd Wong is thanked by Donald Law – photo Sam King

Yesterday I met Donald Law while I was playing my accordion on the picket line. Donald came up to me and asked “Are you Todd Wong?”

He said I had been instrumental in helping direct him to the information to help his family apply for the Chinese Head Tax ex-gratia payments. I had directed Donald to the history division which holds a micro-fiche collection of Chinese head tax registrations, of which the Vancouver Public Library is one of the few institutions in Canada to have.

It’s people like Donald who understand how important having access to information is, and how the information that we provide helps their lives, that make working at the library so satisfying. We are proud of the jobs that we do at the library. I have worked for VPL for over thirty years… I love it.

Meanwhile…

We are disappointed with the labour negotiations for the library. Our union has told us that the library board finally presented us with their “opening offer” – 9 months after CUPE 391 submitted an offer back in Nov. ’06. In all the months since, they kept saying make something “more reasonable” without constructive guidelines.

Fellow Library Workers of CUPE 391, + CUPE 15 and 1004 city inside and
outside workers cheer on speakers at Friday’s rally at City Hall –
photo Todd Wong

Alex Youngberg speaking at the Friday August 10th rally at City Hall for Fairness for Civic Workers – photo Todd Wong

from www.cupe391.ca

Friday, August 10, 2007

Back on the Line with 391

Bargaining Committee wrote this in the late afternoon:

Today, the Bargaining Committee returned to the picket lines frustrated,
exhausted, but more resolved than ever to get a fair settlement. We are
extremely angry and frankly a bit horrified that the Employer and City
of Vancouver thinks that it is perfectly fine to waste thousands of tax
payers’ dollars on hotel rooms and countless hours of our time waiting
to finally start meaningful negotiations while our members are stuck on
the picket line and the public is unable to access library and city
services.

Needless to say, after our return we were met with the most amazing
show of support yet for both our bargaining team and our key issues.
Everyone has been so amazing and we cannot thank you enough for the
warm welcome home and the incredible show support. As long as you are
behind us willing to fight for what is right, we will always be able to
find the strength to carry on.

Later today, we joined hundreds of members from CUPE 15, 391, 1004,
the HEU, and the Vancouver Fight Fighters Union, Local 18 at a rally at
City Hall to show our support and let everyone know that we want a fair
collective agreement.

With so much solidarity out there from our members, other unions,
and the public it is unfathomable why the City is still continuing to
behave in such a non-constructive manner. Around the region
municipalities and unions are reaching fair agreements:

Richmond contract – ratified July 26
Delta contract – ratified August 1
Burnaby contact – ratified August 2
North Van contract – ratified August 4
Surrey contract – ratified August 7

So, what is the problem with our Employer and the City of Vancouver?
And where exactly does City Council and our Library Board stand on
getting a fair settlement?

The only thing that has been made clear to us is that the Employer
and the City have no interest in negotiating a fair collective
agreement at this time.

So, if we are to get a fair settlement any time soon we must more
than ever continue to be strong and encourage the public to contact
City Council to demand that a fair deal be reached immediately with all
civic workers.

When the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Public Library Board are
prepared to seriously address our issues, then CUPE 391 is prepared to
bargain anytime.

Early next week the Bargaining Committee with be meeting to
strategize the next steps. In the meantime, stay strong and check the
blog for more information.

Again you are heart, soul, and will behind us. Thank you for doing the right thing.

– Your Bargaining Committee

CALL FOR POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07”

Leave a reply

CALL FOR
POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07“

Chris Lee of the UBC English Department is heading up the call for poems to help recognize the Anniversaries of Change project that is drawing attention to significant events in Asian Canadian history from 1907, 1947, 1967 and 1997. The catalyst for these historic events is the 100th anniversary of the September 8th, Chinatown Riots by the Anti-Asiatic League.

Vancouver has come a long way from a small pioneer town on the edge of civilization, to become a bustling global city that celebrates ethnic and cultural diversity that no other city in Canada can match. Vancouver was one of the entry points for Asian immigration to Canada, and thus was also a lightning rod for Anti-Asian or anti-immigration sentiment.

A call for poetry to celebrate the historic event, and to recognize how far we have come, is a worthy project that will help bring contemporary insight to historical hindsight, combined with artistic creativity. Okay… I admit… I had a hand (or rather some brain cells) in helping to spark this creative project. Hope you can help out… write a poem… tell you poet friends…

CALL FOR POEMS: “SEVEN FOR '07”

2007
Anniversaries of Change is a broad-based coalition of
institutions and
organizations that have come together to mark 2007 as
an anniversary year in
the quest for equality and justice in
Canada.
The years 1907, 1947, 1967, and 1997 each mark a watershed moment
in
the history of Asian migrants in Canada and their struggles to
fight
discrimination and oppression. These anniversaries not only call for
historical reflection, but also offer
opportunities to renew ongoing
efforts in anti-racism.

On September 8,
2007, there will be an all-day public event at the
Vancouver Public Library
Central Branch that will include panels,
displays, multimedia, and performing
arts. We are currently soliciting
short poems (maximum 20 lines) from local
writers addressing the
themes of this year of anniversaries. Please note:
Writers do not have
be of Asian descent and submissions do not have to
directly address
the historical events being commemorated. We are seeking
entries that
can, in conjunction with other community events, creatively
provoke
reflection on the current state of diversity and justice in
Vancouver
and British Columbia.

Seven poems will be chosen and circulated in the following
ways: (1)
large wall-size posters of each poem will be produced and displayed
in
the VPL atrium on September 8; (2) smaller posters with all seven
poems will be printed and widely distributed as
part of commemorative
activities in the fall. We will extend a token
honorarium to each
writer chosen to participate in Seven for '07.

Please email entries to
instrcc.events@gmail.com by August 9,
2007.
Please attach entries in either .pdf or .rtf formats and ensure
that
no identifying notes or markers are included in the file. In the
body
of the email, please provide the following information: name,
address,
telephone number, contact email, and a short (maximum 40 words)
biographical
statement. After a blind review process, chosen writers
will be contacted in
order to arrange publication details.

For more information about Seven for '
07 please contact Chris Lee (UBC
Department of
English) at leechr@interchange.ubc.ca. More
information
about the Anniversaries of Change can be found on
www.anniversaries07.ca.
Thank you for your interest!

Toddish McWong in Vancouver's Pride Parade

Leave a reply

Toddish McWong in Vancouver's Pride Parade

Toddish McWong finds a fellow kilt wearer at the Vancouver Pride Parade – photo E. Harris/T. Wong collection

I had never ever before attended Vancouver's Pride Parade, let alone actually be in the parade.

But I admit… I'd thought about it before.

Each year Vancouver Library Workers union CUPE 391 participates in the Pride parade. This year, I thought it would be good to go out and join fellow co-workers – especially during the strike.

While I am straight… I have supported Gay-Lesbian issues on a number of community fronts, especially in my past roles with student newspapers, when I once was a regional human rights coordinator for Western Region, Canadian University Press.

CUPE 391 Pride parade participants… Janis (front), Ross, Catherine, Todd and Electra – photo T. Wong collection

It was good fun walking with fellow Vancouver library workers, some I have known for years and years, and some whom I met brand new. One librarian had only worked four shifts with VPL, before we went on strike, and yet she still came out to join the CUPE 391 delegation for the Pride Parade.

We met on Robson Street, with other CUPE locals and other unions. Our parade number was 31, just behind the official City of Vancouver delegation with the mayor and other city councillors at number 27.

CUPE 391: Ross with cowboy hat, Janis with child in stroller, Electra with tutu, Sophie with hand bag – photo T. Wong

While past library participants had created the now legendary “book buggy brigade” in which they took book trucks and wheeled them in formations similar to the RCMP musical ride… we simply walked along with the group flow. Ross danced along waving the CUPE BC flag. Electra held out bubbles for children to blow. It was a parade. It was a happy time. And it was good to be able to participate.

Afterwards, somebody asked me if I was afraid that people who saw me in the parade might think that I was gay. I said I wasn't. The parade is about celebrating diversity… well more sexual diversity rather than ethnic or cultural diversity. But is still about diversity, human rights and respect.

Pride parade '07… Does this guy think he is supposed to be Chinese? He isn't short enough! photo T. Wong

Maybe next year will see an official Gung Haggis Fat Choy parade entry. I have put a Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat float in the first three years of Vancouver's St. Patrick's parade, since the Celtic Fest Vancouver people originally asked me to be involved as a way of helping the parade be multicultural. Hmmm… a dragon boat float in the Pride parade? Since 1997, I have coached gay paddlers and lesbian paddlers on my teams. Do you think Vancouver is ready to handle a parade entry full of “Dragon Boat Queens?”

Toddish McWong carrying a CUPE flag in the Pride Parade – photo E. Harris for T.Wong collection

see my Pride pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53803790@N00/sets/72157601262211104/

Redress Express comes to Centre A – bringing art and examination about Canada's racist past

Leave a reply

Redress Express comes to Centre A – bringing art and examination about Canada's racist past

What is the Redress Express, and what does it have to do with racism?

2007 is a significant year for anniversaries in Asian-Canadian history:

1907 – 100 year anniversary of the Chinatown riots by the Anti-Asiatic League

1947 – the end of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the beginning of franchise rights including voting for Canadians of Chinese ancestry.

1957 – Canada's first Chinese-Canadian MP elected to Parliament – Douglas Jung

1967 – Changes in immigration law, making it more fair and accessible for Chinese immigrants.

1997 – Hong Kong turnover to China

1996 – 1st year anniversary of federal apology and promise of redress payments for the Chinese Head Tax.

Centre A, brings together an exciting program working with community groups and artists. Here is what Ron Mah had to say about the weekend's events.

Redress Express Symposium ( 01 & 02 August )

– Sid Chow Tan is now an “Artist” after his brief 5 minute talk & 10 minute video presentatsion of the journey of Head Tax Redress; Hank Bull (curator plus) stated that “If Sid's video isn't art, then I don't know what is!”

– Victor Wong had an excellent talk on Head Tax & Redress

titled “True Grits, Kwan Gung and Luck: The Inside Stories of the Head Tax Redress Campaign”

– Many excellent national speakers of academia and the arts provided

varied views from many perspectives providing an
interesting program.

– filming of the first day was done by both ACCESS, FEARLESS TV

and also by the Symposium.

-Henry Yu, graciously, organized a delicious 10 course Retro period

Chinese Canadian Restaurant Dinner. Fortunately, I was sitting next to Henry and Karin Tam who were also at the same table. They had both researched and provided the chefs with the specific customized dishes that is not normally on their menus. It was fun, filling and informative.

-Centre A is now transformed into a retro Chinese Canadian Restaurant for

the next 5 weeks by Karen Tam but no food is served. This is a must see

free installation.

-Karin Lee's Friday evening outdoor showing at the Chinese Night Market was just
starting and I saw myself for a brief second in the short produced by

the women's dragon boat team Genesis.

-Sean & I networked and partied till 2am and 3am until Karen Tam had to

catch her 6am flight back home to Montreal. The Saturday night party was

great: lots of fun and jamming and all round opportunity for future collaboration with the whole group.

-Thanks to Alice Ming Wai Jim, Henry Yu and Victor Wong for making this happen for us.

from the Centre A website:

REDRESS EXPRESS

In conjunction with:
2007 Anniversaries of Change (http://www.anniversaries07.ca)
Powell Street Festival (August 4-5, 2007, http://powellstfestival.shinnova.com)
explorASIAN (Vancouver Asian Heritage Month, http://www.explorasian.org).

Patron: Anndraya T. Luui

EXHIBITION
Date: August 3 to September 1, 2007
Venue: Centre A, 2 West Hastings Street
Opening: Friday, August 3, 7pm, Centre A, 2 West Hastings Street

SYMPOSIUM
Date: August 2-3, 2007, 10am to 5pm
Location: Chinese Cultural Centre, 555 Columbia Street
Co-sponsors:
Gail & Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art
at the Department of Art History, Concordia University, the University
of British Columbia, and Emily Carr Institute for Art + Design + Media
(Click here to download the symposium program and abstracts)

Free admission

The
exhibition “REDRESS EXPRESS: Chinese Restaurants and the Head Tax Issue
in Canadian Art” features recent photography, video and installations
by five Chinese-Canadian artists: Gu Xiong (Vancouver), Shelly Low
(Montreal), Ho Tam (Victoria, BC), Karen Tam (Montreal), and Kira Wu
(Vancouver). It is held in conjunction with the two-day symposium
“REDRESS EXPRESS: Current Directions in Asian Canadian Art and Culture”
which brings together over twenty scholars, community activists,
cultural organizers, and artists from many disciplines to consider
current and future directions in Asian Canadian art and culture. The
REDRESS EXPRESS project is curated by Alice Ming Wai Jim and
accompanied by a colour catalogue with additional graphic illustrations
by Joanne Hui (Montreal).

As a whole, the REDRESS EXPRESS
project is an attempt to examine the current politics of
representation, redress and recognition in Canada as they relate to
art, activism, identity and geography. The call for redress has long
been the bookends for Asian Canadian critiques of Canada's racist past.
The recent victory of the redress campaign for surviving Chinese head
tax payers and their spouses and its inevitable effects on the current
politics of reparation and representation in this country, however,
presents another challenge: to ensure an ongoing, rigorous treatment
these issues demand in political, cultural and educational sectors.
With the host of 2007 anniversaries of historical dates significant to
Canadians and Asian Canadian communities in particular celebrated this
year, this provision of critical texts in contemporary discourse and
practice and the broadening of understanding to address cross-cultural
perspectives and realities remains imperative.

Olivia Chow speaking in Vancouver on immigration issues with Don Davies

Leave a reply

Olivia Chow speaking in Vancouver on immigration issues with Don Davies

This comes to me from Meena Wong:

An evening with MP Olivia Chow:

To listen and to discuss with community
issues facing immigrant families

You are cordially invited to the Panel Discussion and Dinner
Reception hosted by Vancouver Kingsway federal candidate Don
Davies for Member of Parliament Olivia Chow.

The Panel Discussion will be on issues concerning immigrant families in the
areas of childcare, senior care, family reunification, employment,
entrepreneurship. Panelists will be drawn from immigrant services
agencies such as SUCCESS, Civic Education Society, BC
Internationally Trained Professionals Network and from the
Chinese media.

Come hear what MP Chow and MP candidate Davies think about
these issues and help them understand your views and opinions. There will be
also a Question and Answer period from the audience at the end of Panel
Discussion. Dinner reception and mingle will follow afterwards.

Panelists:

Olivia Chow Member
of Parliament

Don Davies
Vancouver Kingsway federal candidate

Ken
Tung Chair of
the board of directors, SUCCESS

Virginia Chiu
Director,
Civic Education Society

Patrick Coady
Coordinator,
BC Internationally Trained

Professionals Network;

Executive Director, Association of International

Medical Doctors of BC

Jerome Yau
Managing editor, Fairchild TV News

Andy Cheung
Program editor and Phone-in talk show host,

CHMB AM1320

Tina
Song Reporter,
Global Chinese Press

Date:
Aug, 7, 2007 Tuesday

Time:
5 pm Reception

5:30 pm Panel Discussion

6:30 pm Question and Answer from audience

6:45 pm Buffet dinner

Venue:
Fantastic Restaurant, 3309 Kingsway,
Vancouver , just
east

of Joyce St
on the north side of Kingsway.

Fee:
FREE

Public from the Vancouver
area are welcome to attend. Please RSVP with Meena Wong at 604-603-7447 or meena@cope.bc.ca (limited seating, please book
early)

Dim Sum with Olivia Chow in Vancouver

Leave a reply

Dim Sum with Olivia Chow in Vancouver

Olivia Chow and Todd Wong (center) with Barry Morley (left) and Mary-Woo Sims (right) – photo Todd Wong Collection

Olivia Chow came to Vancouver, ditched husband Jack Layton, and attended Meena Wong's monthly Dim Sum networking lunch at Rich Ocean Restaurant. Actually, Jack Layton attended the Pride brunch, as Jack and Olivia attend Pride parades across Canada. Meena has known Layton and Chow from her time living in Toronto, and is now continuing to handle communications and community building in Vancouver's Chinese language community for the NDP. I've known Meena since 2002, when soon after arriving in Vancouver, she came to help volunteer for Asian Heritage Month events organized by explorASIAN.

Meena Wong and Olivia Chow addressing 40 people at Rich Ocean restaurant on Saturday- photo Todd Wong

The crowds came out to welcome Olivia to Vancouver. Libby Davies MP for Vancouver East, dropped in to say hello. COPE organizer Mel Lehan and his wife attended. Victor Wong, executive director of the Chinese Canadian National Council was in town. Sid Tan, Sean Gunn and Ron Mah of the Chinese Head Tax Families Society attended. Even Faye Leung dropped in. In all there were about 40 people.

I had a nice chat with Olivia. Meena had seated us at the same table. I knew she would be interested in hearing about the CBC documentary Generations: The Chan Legacy. And she was also very interested to learn more about Gung Haggis Fat Choy – which she would love to attend, if and when I bring my Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner to Toronto.

Olivia joins Vancouver's head tax descendants for a picture: standing: ??, Mary, Ron Mah, Olivia Chow, Sid Tan, Faye Leung, Todd Wong; sitting: Sid Wong, Sean Gunn, Victor Wong (executive director of Chinese Canadian National Council) + head tax redress supporter Mary-Woo Sims.

The federal NDP was the first national party to recognize the
importance of redress for Chinese Canadian head tax issue. Olivia
recognized that it was Margaret Mitchell who first brought the issue to
Canadian Parliament in 1984. Olivia also supported the calls for Chinese Head Tax redress, as head tax became an issue in the 2006 federal election. She also supports and inclusive redress that would honour every head tax equally, not just for the surviving head tax payers and their spouses, but also the head tax certificates that were left in the hands of the daughters, sons and grandchildren when the original head tax payers couldn't live to see the federal apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Powell Street Festival 2007

Leave a reply

Powell St. Festival 2007 – Always lots to see and do!

Is this Todd Wong? He's wearing a Gung Haggis Fat Choy shirt and he's
Chinese-looking… I tlooks like he's hawking haggis won-ton…

Noooo!!!! It's Todd's friend Walter Quan… and he is holding up his
famous sushi and won-ton cnadles that he sells at the Powell Street
Festival every year.

Lots to see and do at the Powell Street Festival.
Great arts, entertainment, history and culture displays. It integrates
traditional and contemporary Japanese-Canadian cultures with the
Downtown Eastside and the historic sites of Japantown.