By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

On November 15, community members gathered at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown as the City of Burnaby offered a formal apology for its historic discrimination against people of Chinese descent. This included policies that deprived them of employment and business opportunities. The “goals of these actions was exclusion,” Burnaby mayor Mike Hurley said. 

“Today, we shine a light on the historic wrongs and systemic racism perpetuated by Burnaby’s municipal government and elected officials between 1892 and 1947, and commit to ensuring that this dark period of our city’s history is never repeated,” he stated. “I’ll say that again, because it’s important — never repeated.”

The earliest recorded Chinese settlers arrived in Nuu-chah-nulth territory (known colonially as Nootka Sound) in 1788 from southern China’s Macau and Guangdong province. In the 1850s, a larger flux of Chinese migrants landed in BC due to the Fraser River Gold Rush. Canada’s Chinese population boomed in 1881, when over 17,000 Chinese railway workers were recruited to help construct the Canadian Pacific Railway. Many also laboured in the mining and forestry industries, while others established flourishing businesses, including laundromats, restaurants, and most famously, Kwong Lee & Co., a major merchant surpassed only by the Hudson’s Bay Company. 

When Burnaby became a municipality in 1892 on unceded Indigenous lands, Chinese residents were among the earliest inhabitants. They built the dikes and ditches bordering the Fraser River, grew produce and raised livestock that sustained communities across the province, and worked in other industries that facilitated Burnaby’s economic growth.

In 1885, when Chinese labour was deemed no longer necessary after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the federal government imposed a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants, a fee which increased to $500 by 1903. $500 was equivalent to “about two years’ salary or the purchase of two homes.” Rising anti-Chinese sentiment eventually culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923. This act effectively halted all Chinese immigration to Canada for more than two decades. 

The recent apology comes after city staff found three remaining discriminatory bylaws, though inactive and unenforced. Council officially repealed these during the November 15 meeting. Bylaws 14775 and 14776 prohibited the employment of people of Chinese or Asian race with the municipality or its partner contractors. Bylaw 14777 restricted the operation of piggeries, disproportionately affecting Chinese farmers’ livelihoods. These bylaws were originally adopted in 1917, 1929, and 1921, respectively. 

A ceremonial service was also held to honour Chinese Canadian veterans who served in the First and Second World Wars, and whose actions and advocacy were foundational in granting full citizenship rights for people of Chinese descent. 

“We accept responsibilities for Burnaby’s role in perpetuating racism and exclusion. And we commit to actions to address the ongoing legacies of historic discrimination to build a brighter future for all of our community,” said mayor Hurley.

“We denounce the actions of the past that discriminated against the people of Chinese descent.”

“We denounce the racist ideology that treated some categories of people as superior to others. Those ideas created harmful legacies that continue to shape present day racism in Canada and in our community.”

— Mike Hurley, mayor of Burnaby

“Our actions made life harder for them (first-generation Chinese Canadians) and for all community members of Chinese descent. For that, we are deeply sorry. Today, we learn from the past to forge a more inclusive future where all community members are safe, welcome, and valued.”

“Burnaby’s greatest strength is its diversity,” Hurley stated.

The City promised to promote “awareness of Chinese Canadian contributions to Burnaby’s history, including commemorating significant people, places, and events, and sharing educational resources” and foster intercultural education to “learn about each other’s cultures, histories, and traditions.” They likewise committed to promoting inclusion and accessibility by having city staff undergo cultural competency training and encouraging greater diversity of public participation “in the development of city policies and programs.” As well, “core community safety programs” will also be delivered in Chinese languages. They added that city planning policies will be guided by principles grounded in anti-racism and inclusion.