IN early May, 70 students from Richmond presented their projects at the Richmond-Delta Regional Heritage Fair. The City of Richmond announced this week that three of those students will be representing the Richmond-Delta region at the 2014 BC Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops from June 29 to July 3:

* The History of Rapid Transit by Vedanshi Vala, Grade 7, McNeely Elementary School
* Clara Hughes by Yonatan Marom, Grade 4, Whiteside Elementary School
* Nobel Winner Alice Munro by Veronica Xia, Grade 6, Cornerstone Christian Academy

These projects were selected for their thoughtful consideration of historical significance, extensive research and creative display. These students embody the qualities of a historian and they are keen to share their knowledge with fellow Canadians.

The BC Provincial Heritage Fair will bring together 65 students from the twelve regions of British Columbia.The students will enjoy an itinerary of historical and fun activities, including visits to Historic Hat Creek Range and McQueen Lake Environmental Centre, where they will explore First Nations traditions, gold mining and environmental history. One of the highlights of the Fair will be the public showcasing of student projects during Kamloops’ Canada Day celebrations at Riverside Park on Tuesday, July 1.

As part of the nation-wide Heritage Fairs program, over 600 students in Richmond and Delta created project displays on a wide range of topics drawn from Canada’s unique and diverse history and heritage. One hundred projects were selected for showcase at the Richmond-Delta Regional Heritage Fair, presented by the Richmond Museum and Delta Museum and Archives Society on May 2-3. Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon was in attendance.

SEVERAL months ago, I had the privilege of working with the Vancouver Maritime Museum to curate their exhibition on the history of the Komagata Maru. An interpretive storyteller by profession, I was honoured to have the opportunity to research this important event, and to consider how best to engage visitors with such a complex and troubling history. It is, after all, a story about how Canada receives, and ultimately rejects, a boatful of Indian emigrants—“British subjects” in legal and colonial terms—based solely on stereotypical notions of racial differences. It’s a story about how the desired end—that of a “white man’s country”—was used to justify largely unjust means, turning an autonomous passenger ship into a floating detention shed that was “deliberately kept,” to quote filmmaker Ali Kazimi, “in legal limbo.”

This is a history that I came to as an outsider, as a Chinese-Canadian researcher not familiar with the language or culture of the Punjab, the region from which many of the earliest Indian emigrants came. The opportunity to interview South Asian community members as part of my research process was therefore extremely meaningful for me. It meant a lot to be entrusted with personal stories and to hear how the history of the Komagata Maru has intersected with the lives of many South Asian Canadians today, directly and indirectly.

Some of the stories I heard were sad and challenging, and opened my eyes to the kind of overt racism that existed not only in 1914, but right up to the 50s and early 60s. I had always known that Canada’s history was marked by racism towards those deemed ‘other,’ but to hear, for example, that people of Indian descent were expected to sit at the back of buses, even into the 1950s, really drove home the impact of racism—how it can pervade everyday life down to the most minute of levels.

At the same time, however, I was struck by the resilient spirit that came through again and again in the stories I was privileged to hear. One South Asian pioneer in his 80s shared about having to create his own job—because no one would give an Indian one. Another interviewee told me about how his father fought in the courts to get his industrial first aid certificate—initially denied to him because it was believed no white person would accept first aid from an Indian. These stories of perseverance were inspiring—and it seemed to me that the perseverance shown by the passengers of 1914 in sticking it out two months on a boat, in the heat of summer, with dwindling supplies and a hostile community around them, was just one example of the general resilience of the South Asian community’s history in Canada as a whole. It’s a history that spans over a century, beginning in 1904 when the first emigrants from India came to BC.

Listening to these community members, it became clear that interpreting the story of the Komagata Maru required situating this event within a wider context. The injustice experienced by the passengers was one part of the larger story of the multitude of injustices faced by the Indian pioneer community in Canada—from the early loss of voting rights to the forcible deportations of activists. In turn, the fighting spirit demonstrated by the passengers, and by the countrymen who came to their aid—the fact that the latter raised $25,000 in a matter of weeks to support their friends on board, for example—reflected a longstanding tradition within the Indian community of taking a stand against injustices. It’s a tradition of activism with remarkably early roots in Vancouver.

This theme of unflagging resilience in the face of deep-seated racism became the big idea that informed the exhibition’s development, the stories and images we chose to feature, and the title of the end result. Komagata Maru: Challenging Injustice explores not only discrimination, but also determination. When faced with injustice, the passengers and pioneers of 1914 chose to do something about it, many at their own expense and with great costs beyond the financial. This is a message of continuing relevance. It is one that we can draw inspiration from as we critically consider how racism and injustice still persist—albeit in more subtle forms—and what action we can take to ensure Canada is a country where people of all backgrounds and ethnicities can truly thrive.

Komagata Maru: Challenging Injustice is on display until June 8 at the Vancouver Maritime Museum. For more information, visit:
http://vancouvermaritimemuseum.com/exhibit/komagata-maru.

BY VICKY TRAN
Photos by Gary Fiegehen

THE Langley International Festival Society and the Langley Canada Day Celebrations Society had their media launch on May 27 where numerous dignitaries, the media, the event sponsors, the festival organizers, and the community partners participated. Introducing the event, Bob Barrett, President of the Langley International Festival Society, said that this year the society has joined hands with the Township of Langley, Tourism Langley, Langley Events Centre, Langley School District, Fraser Valley Regional Library and many others to put on a four-day spectacular celebration, from June 28 to July 1, like never seen before in this growing community.

Over the past 22 years, the Langley Canada Day Celebrations have become a premiere event with record-setting attendance, family fun and entertainment, community bonding and pride in affirming Canada’s heritage., and the 2014 celebrations will add even more colorful and multicultural flavour as the Langley’s International Festival and the Langley Canada Day celebrations have merged to have one big celebration. This non-profit event is organized entirely by community volunteers who contribute over 18,000 hours throughout the year to plan the celebration.

Mark Warawa, M.P. said, “Langley’s International Festival and Canada Day Celebrations are an important way for our community to celebrate Canada through sports, our various cultures, and our common heritage as Canadians. Every year tens of thousands of people gather to enjoy the exciting, family-fun celebrations that Langley has to offer. I look forward to celebrating Canada Day with Langley residents over the course of the four-day series of events held at the Langley Events Centre and nearby Willoughby Community Park.”

Wishing the best to the event, Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman said, “The world identifies Canada as a multicultural society and a model of tolerance and acceptance for other countries to follow. So it is very fitting that the Langley International Festival is being celebrated on the same day as Canada Day.”

Township of Langley Mayor Jack Froese attended the event along with Councillor Grant Ward and Councillor Charlie Fox. Froese said, “Canada Day has become a much loved tradition in Langley. We look forward to seeing what the International Festival Society has in store for us this year, as we explore all the cultures that make our community so vibrant and celebrate what it is to be Canadian.”

“The City of Langley is very excited about this year’s Canada Day celebration presented by Langley International Festival Society,” said City of Langley Acting Mayor Ted Schaffer. “Such a celebration reaffirms Canada’s important multicultural history and through the sharing of art, music, dance, foods, tradition and culture, we learn from one another and become better people and better communities for it.”

This year, the venue has been changed from McLeod Park to Willoughby Community Park just outside the Langley Events Centre near 200th Street and 80th Avenue to accommodate the special events that will be occurring. Over the four-day celebrations, the first two days will be the sports fest, and the traditional celebrations will be held on June 30 and July 1, including main stage entertainment, marketplace, vendors, international pavilions, children’s’ entertainment, Kidz Have Talent, rides, a car show, an assortment of ethnic foods, dog show, fireworks, and various other attractions.

The parade of nations on July 1 will be another entertaining activity where people from over 70 countries will be participating. There will be no entry fee and the parking will be free. Everyone is cordially invited to come and enjoy multicultural entertainment through colorful ethnic performances, visual arts, sports, visiting an international marketplace, taste different cultural foods, and many more activities.

The Mexico Vivo Dance Group entertained the attendees with a fabulous dance item. Mun Bagri from Langley Tourism confirmed that 600 players will be participating in five different sport tournaments during the first two days on June 28 and 29.

At the end of the event, Dr. Sarwan Singh Randhawa, the society’s communication and media director, thanked everyone. Shar Dubas, founder of the Langley’s International festival requested the community to help them by sponsoring the event or joining them as a volunteer. The sponsors and vendors are asked to email at [email protected] or visit the www.internationalfestival.ca/ or www.langleycanadaday.ca website for further details.

PICTURE this. You’re on your way home from work, waiting to turn left at a busy intersection. The vehicle in front of you decides to take advantage of a brief gap in the flow of oncoming traffic, but then suddenly swerves to avoid pedestrians in the crosswalk. You saw the pedestrians ahead of time and knew that would happen as soon as the driver decided to proceed with the left-hand turn. You also noticed that some of the pedestrians were caught by surprise while others seemed to have expected it.

We’ve all likely seen similar close calls or perhaps experienced it as a driver or pedestrian. Yielding is something we do every time we drive – from the minute we leave home until we arrive at our destination – and yet many people don’t give it much thought. You might even think that failing to yield is harmless, but the reality is that it’s a high-risk driving behaviour that leads to crashes everyday on our roads.

Almost 60 per cent of all crashes in B.C. happen at intersections. That means on an average day, 226 crashes occur at intersections. According to police data, failing to yield is the second leading cause of crashes that result in injuries and fatalities on our roads.

It’s probably not surprising to learn that the majority of these crashes are preventable. That’s why ICBC’s current high-risk driving campaign aims to help educate drivers about avoiding these high-risk driving behaviours that put them at risk of crashing – especially failing to yield and making unsafe left-hand turns at intersections.

Determining when it’s safe to make a left-hand turn at an intersection is not always easy. As a driver, you must not only consider the speed of approaching vehicles including motorcyclists and cyclists, but also the time it will take you to complete the turn safely and for your vehicle to accelerate to the speed of traffic while also yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Have you ever panicked at an intersection when the light turns yellow while you’re still waiting to make a left-hand turn? You shouldn’t. You’re legally allowed to complete your turn if you’re already in the intersection. But make sure to watch for approaching vehicles – especially drivers trying to beat the red light.

If there’s ever any doubt about who has the right-of-way or if there is any chance of a crash, it’s always better to yield to the other person. Whether you’re a driver, cyclists or pedestrian, don’t count on others to obey the rules of the road or to make allowances for you.

As a pedestrian, are you watching your surroundings when you’re waiting at a crosswalk? How about when you’re crossing a driveway or parking lot entrance? You should always be looking for vehicles turning and not assume a driver has seen you. If you have children with you, take the opportunity to point out the things they should be watching for too.

Yielding is not only about understanding and following the rules of the road, but also about watching out for each other and paying close attention to what’s happening around you so you have time to react to the unexpected, whether you’re a driver, cyclist or pedestrian.

To learn more about high-risk driving including tips to keep you and your family safe and videos about yielding and intersection safety, visit icbc.com.

BY HARVEY KOONER
ICBC Road Safety Coordinator

THE Board of Directors of Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) in its meeting held on Saturday, May 24, appointed Harinder Singh Sohi as the new Board Chair.

The three new young, Canadian-born directors who came on board are Parvkar Singh Dulay, Narinder Kaur Kahlon and Gurminder Kaur Malik.

KCU is a full service credit union with 13,000 members spread over five locations (Abbotsford, Vancouver, and Surrey, Victoria) and has assets of $315 million. It is the world’s largest Sikh owned financial institution.