On June 21, Heritage Vancouver Society hosted Shaping Vancouver: The Joyce Food Hub virtual panel to discuss the rezoning of small Filipino businesses. These cultural cornerstones are facing displacement due to building development on Joyce St. near the Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain station.
The Joyce St. food hub was described as the “Filipino Heart” of Vancouver by The Tyee. Stores like Kumare Express, Pampagna’s Cuisine, Plato Filipino, and Kay Market offer “dishes from home” to the large Filipino community that lives in Vancouver.
These mom-and-pop shops are currently at risk of displacement due to the city’s plan of building new condos around the SkyTrain station. In the City of Vancouver’s precinct plan, they noted this development would “transform the station into a vibrant entry point for the community and unify the neighbourhood.” The event explored how the Filipino community of Joyce St. is not ready to give up their sense of community, and are rallying together to support local businesses.
Hannah Balba was one of the panelists at the event and works as a settlement worker for Filipino families at Collingwood Neighbourhood House. When asked about how this development will impact the Filipino community that has built up around Joyce St., Balba noted “these changes are already happening.”
In Canada, the Filipino community experienced more job loss than other visible minorities during the COVID-19 outbreak, as they contribute largely to essential services that cut workers’ hours, such as food service, retail, and hospitality. For the restaurant owners of Joyce St., taking care of Filipino frontline workers is a source of pride. Edith Malang of Pampanga’s Cuisine told The Tyee, “The frontliners, especially nurses, they don’t have time to cook.”
Balba explained many of the Filipino seniors have settled in this neighbourhood for decades, often came as migrant workers or live-in caregivers. Some places on Joyce St. offer remittance services, which allow immigrants to send money back home. “People are not only working for themselves here, but are helping to lift their families out of poverty back home,” Balba said.
Gentrification is a process where a city displaces the current community in an urban area by building more housing and attracting wealthier people to that area. “Filipino seniors have stayed here precisely because it has been affordable, precisely because they have had access to these cultural assets, because of the access to these kinship relations,” Balba said.
On March 29, Vancouver Council members voted unanimously to consider the importance of intangible cultural heritage in Vancouver and investigate what can be done to prevent such losses. The city also updated their website to reflect the feedback they received about the proposal, stating “the loss of these important cultural food assets would be a significant impact to the community and [ . . . ] City staff will be discussing these concerns with the project applicant.”
Bennet Miemban-Ganata from Plato Filipino told The Tyee, “I want my fellow Filipinos to do more, get involved in the community and reach their goals — not just settle for what is given to them.”
