2020 Heritage Legacy Fund Projects

Secwépemc Landmarks and Trailhead Signposts Project

Shuswap Hut and Trail Alliance Society, Salmon Arm

The Secwépemc Landmarks project is designed to create awareness of Secwépemc traditional territory through the research, design, and publication of 8 interpretive panels that feature Secwépemc oral histories, place names, culture and stories connected to the Shuswap Lakes region. The interpretive panels will be positioned beside 8 Secwépemc Coyote Pillar Landmarks (sculptures) modeled after the natural pillar rock formations that are of cultural significance to the Secwépemc Nation. Each Secwépemc Landmark will have a series of viewing tubes fixed to the sculpture that point to the different locations and physical landmarks (i.e. mountain peaks and important parts of the landscape) within line of site, and the 8 interpretive panels will list the Secwépemc and English placenames as well as intangible cultural heritage connected to the landscape highlighted by the viewing tubes.

Hogans Alley Project

Vancouver Mural Festival

2020 Vancouver Mural Festival Guest Curator, Krystal Paraboo, is developing a mural project with Hogan's Alley Society and a local artist from the community, Anthony Joseph. This project will build awareness of the cultural erasure and forced displacement of the historic Black community in Vancouver at the edge of Chinatown during the creation of the Georgia Viaduct in the 1970s.

Séytknmx he tmíxʷ (The People of the Land): Working Together to Bring Nlaka’pamux Voices to the Mimi Falls Interpretive Trail Project

Lower Nicola Indian Band, Logan Lake

LNIB is working in partnership with the District of Logan Lake. Phase 1 of this project has been funded. It will involve the construction of the 3.3-km trail along with interpretive signage to Mimi Falls. The trail passes through an area important to both Logan Lake residents and LNIB members. It was a place where Nlaka'pamux people hunted, gathered, traveled through enroute to important cultural practice areas and was a survival area.

In the spirit of reconciliation and embracing the TRC Calls to Action, we wish to build on our past work together. Phase 2 of this project will include linking the signs (tangible heritage) to a website (intangible heritage) where recorded stories (spíləxṃ ) will provide in-depth cultural knowledge and background allowing trail users the opportunity to more meaningfully learn about Nlaka’pamux heritage values, history, language, cultural and traditional knowledge specific to this locality.

Engaging Chinatown

Love Intersections, Vancouver

To research and digitize the archival history of the Lim Sai Hor Kow Mok Association and its building at 525-531 Carrall St., and to engage the public with the building’s significant history through public art collaborations during celebrations of 2021 Lunar New Year.

East Lillooet Internment Memorial Garden

District of Lillooet

This project is to upgrade the Japanese-Canadian Internment Memorial Garden to a low maintenance Japanese style rock garden. The upgrade involves preparing the ground surface to ensure appropriate drainage and to cover the exposed surface with weed-resistant fabric. A garden design sketched by a Japanese landscape designer will guide placement of feature rocks obtained at the local quarry, layout of a paver-constructed pathway, design and placement of the gateway structure and wooden benches. Structures will be built and secured, forms will be constructed for concrete pathways and bases, gravel filled areas will be tamped down, and hardy pine trees equipped with a slow release watering system will be planted.

Through Western Windows: Repairing the Windows Joy Kogawa Looked Through as a Child

Historic Joy Kogawa House, Vancouver

“The house in which we lived is … more splendid than any house I have lived in since. It does not bear remembering. None of it bears remembering.”—Joy Kogawa

Our project repairs and reinstalls original heritage wood windows that at one time made this 1912 Craftsman bungalow “more splendid than any house.” The project also removes aluminum-frame windows installed during a 1970s renovation and replaces them with wood sash multi-light windows that replicate the high artisanship and natural materials of the original but ensure enhanced energy efficiency. Part of a larger phased project that fully restores this heritage resource while creating universal access, these window repairs and improvements restore character-defining elements that enhance the form and historical character of the beautiful home Joy Kogawa lived in but was forced to leave as a child.

St. Mary's Metchosin

St. Mary of the Incarnation, Metchosin

The main focus is improving drainage both under the 147 year old church as well as perimeter drainage to substantially address the damage resulting from previously inadequate treatment of this problem. The other issue is providing wheelchair access to the building that meets required safety standards for such infrastructure.

Potato House Restoration

Potato House Project, Williams Lake

The Potato House Society intends to restore the interior of the heritage house known as "the Potato House" on 49 Borland St. Williams Lake. Specifically, there are a number of rooms on the main floor of the house that are in significant need of repair if the heritage character of the house is to be maintained. In 2018, the insulation failed after an unfortunate flood, leaving much of the interior prone to large temperature fluctuations. Additionally, flooring needs to be redone to eliminate mold which could compromise the structural integrity of the space. Furthermore, the paint has been chipping away significantly as a result of water
contamination and needs to be redone, while still keeping the heritage character of the Potato House as a priority. These repairs would restore the site for public enjoyment and ensure its lasting legacy as a space for public history and education in Williams Lake.

Restoring the vibrancy of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver

The purpose of our project is to conduct exterior painting for exterior wood columns and fixed hand railings. Since the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden was constructed in 1986, the columns and hand railings have deteriorated over time due to sunlight exposure, water decay, general exposure, and usage by external visitors. In addition to the dullness of the paint in the areas exposed to sunlight, the paint is heavily peeling off many of the railings and the columns are chipped. Another key issue is that varying shades of colour were used for exterior painting in the past. This project aims to restore all exterior surfaces to their historic colour, vibrancy, and character as the first phase of a global painting project. We also find it imperative to document these interventions, and build a strong record of conservation efforts within the Garden along with accompanying education and awareness materials.

Repair and Restoration of Facade and Marquee

Blue Bridge Theatre, Victoria

A project to repair and restore the marquee sign and infrastructure (roof) and to paint the facade, of the iconic Roxy Theatre in Victoria's Quadra Village. The work will encompass replacing the flashing on the triangular outcropping, replacing the burned out 'theatre' sign, and replacing and upgrading the marquee track with new plexiglass and tracking for letters, as well as upgrading to LED lighting fixtures. The facade will receive minor plaster repair and paint.

Henry Ruckle house interior restoration

Friends of Ruckle Park Heritage Society, Salt Spring

To restore the floors in the 1876 Henry Ruckle house (excluding the 1886 kitchen addition), stairs and railing, upstairs walls and ceilings, interior window trim, and modern baseboard heaters.

Crawford Bay Community Hall Heritage Assessment

Crawford Bay & District Hall & Parks Association

The project will be the completion of a full heritage assessment of the Crawford Bay Community Hall. It will provide our association with a Statement of Significance, assess the building’s condition, identify heritage values, and provide a Conservation Plan and Maintenance Plan to guide any rehabilitation work on the building going forward. The reports generated could be used for actual construction and conservation work on the structure. A Heritage Assessment will also provide valuable documents that could be included in future funding applications.

National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple Statement of Significance

South Asian Studies Institute, Abbotsford

The Statement of Significance objectives are to identify the physical and non-physical heritage and historic cultural assets of the National Historic Site Gur Sikh Temple (NHSGST) and the Sikh Heritage Museum (SHM) located in Abbotsford BC. These assets include the contributions of indigenous, Japanese, Chinese and Mennonite communities, early settlers of South Asian decent, and to assist in articulating the importance of these assets to the local community, our neighborhoods, the city as a whole and to the Province of BC and Canada. The Statement of Significance document will reflect the social, cultural, political and economic history to the present day of the NHSGST. Using an equity, diversity and inclusion lens, we will identify the key themes and assets associated with the history and evolution of the Site to the present day significance as a living history monument with the SHM. The document will provide a medium to cultivate connections, allow for the expression of historical significance, provide opportunities for legacy work beyond the here and now, reflect the cultural history of South Asian Canadians etc. As the only early Sikh temple that has survived intact, the NHSGST is imbued with symbolism. For the Sikh community the building is a gift given to them by the early settlers - their stories are embedded in the walls. It signifies their sacrifices, their perseverance against many odds and their resilience to carve out a place for themselves and their families.

Holy Eucharist Cathedral

Holy Eucharist Cathedral, New Westminster

The ultimate goal of the project is to enter into a Heritage Revitalization agreement with the City of New Westminster. We are at the first stages of producing Heritage Assessment and Statement of Significance.

Reconciliation/Traditional Territory Plaque

Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society, Kelowna

The Friends of Fintry Provincial Park Society in partnership with and guided by the Syilx – Okanagan Nation propose to develop and install an acknowledgement of traditional territory plaque at the Fintry delta. The plaque will be approximately 18 x 18 inches in cast bronze and will be permanently mounted with edges embedded on a large natural rock. The acknowledgement text will be in English and NsyilxcƏn, with the text and location determined by elders and staff of the Okanagan Indian Band.

Personal and Material Geographies: Craft at the Cultural Centre

IL CENTRO Italian Cultural Centre, Vancouver

The project is an exhibition partnering with the Craft Council of BC, Italian Cultural Centre and 7 First Nations Master artisans. The exhibition opens in September 10, 2020 and explores the means through which craft, and its educational structure ensures the transmission of cultural knowledge. This innate educational structure ensures the cultural survival of artistic life and traditional knowledge in communities. The exhibition adopts the perspective that craft because it is tied to community, and relies on a relationship with the elders, who are the holders of knowledge, facilitates the passage of artistic skill and oral traditions to the next
generation. This has enabled communities to survive despite the disruption in First Nations cultural life caused by residential schools. Artist statements from the 7 invited First nations artists about experiences with elders and community is fundamental to the exhibition as well as their new artistic work.

Indigenous Languages Program

Vancouver Art Gallery

The Vancouver Art Gallery proposes to partner with the Musqueam Language & Culture Department and the non-profit organization Kwi Awt Stelmexw to develop an Indigenous Languages Program, offering programs and resources focused on
hən̓q̓ əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim—the languages of the unceded territories that the Gallery occupies. These mutually beneficial activities will support language learning within partner communities and educate the Gallery’s staff and many publics. Developed within a larger Gallery effort to strengthen relations with local First Nations, this project serves as a pilot for developing a long-term partnership focused on language revitalization and education. It responds to impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous languages, and looks to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as guiding frameworks, which advocate for Indigenous language rights and call settler governments and institutions to respond in action.