July 16, 2023 - Following a unanimous vote by city council on June 14, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim sent a letter of support for a Filipino cultural centre to B.C. Premier David Eby.
In his letter to the premier on behalf of city council, Sim urged the provincial government to “allocate the necessary funding from the provincial budget to support the establishment of the new Filipino Cultural Centre in Vancouver”.
In April of this year, the provincial government provided a grant funding for public engagement for such a dedicated space for Canadian Filipinos.
Lauding Filipinos’ contributions to the city’s diversity, Sim acknowledged “the Filipino community’s immense contributions that continue to shape our city’s economic, social and cultural landscape”.
Mayor Ken Sim is serving his first term in office
He further stressed that an investment in a Filipino cultural centre is “not only an investment in cultural diversity and inclusivity but also a recognition of the important role that the Filipino community has played and will continue to play in our province”.
In late June, Eby attended a Filipino heritage month event in Burnaby where he reiterated government’s commitment to getting the centre built. “I know … how important it is for this community to have a cultural centre to gather together to celebrate proud Filipino heritage,” said Eby.
The motion attached to the letter cited that Vancouver is home to Canada’s second largest Filipino
About the Author
Rachel Ramos-Reid started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings. Currently she is the Executive Assistant to a small rural college on Vancouver Island.
Canadian Filipino Net is an independent, non-profit digital magazine produced by volunteer writers, editors, and webmasters. Your donation will go a long way so we can continuously publish stories about Canadian Filipinos. Click on a donate button and proceed either through PayPal, Debit, or Credit Card.
