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Vancouver Heritage Foundation's Heritage Hour Lectures are back and the registration is now open for three fall sessions: Heritage Hour - Vancouver Heritage Foundation
Join us at University Women’s Club at Hycroft from 7pm to 8:30pm to enjoy fascinating pieces of Vancouver’s heritage with a selection of local speakers. You may purchase tickets here.
Uncovering a Lost Chapter of Canada’s History: An Evening with Catherine Clement
Tuesday, September 23rd, 7pm - 8:30pm
$20/15+tax
Many of us think we know Canadian history. But sometimes we can discover a dark story that has been silenced, buried and lost to time. Historian and award-winning author, Catherine Clement will share the story she uncovered of a monumental yet tragic and largely forgotten chapter in our nation’s and in Vancouver’s past: The quarter century of Chinese exclusion.
About the Speaker:
Catherine Clement is an award-winning historian, curator and author whose work focuses on memory and excavating the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times. She is renowned for her landmarks public history projects that crowdsource memories and materials to help reveal the forgotten stories of our country’s past.
Blood in the Boonies: Crime and Misadventure in Old South Van
Tuesday, October 28th, 7pm - 8:30pm
The southeast corner of the city has always had its perilous moments. The working class neighbourhoods that comprised the formerly independent municipality of South Vancouver spread across a steep hill, where one flank dove sharply to a river lined with sawmills. It was the perfect booming ground for harrowing accidents, tragic bridge mishaps, and fatal tram slams. Join local historian Rob Howatson for a chilling journey through South Vancouver, where every road seems to end at Mountain View Cemetery.
Rob Howatson is a writer, local history buff and lifelong South Van’er. He caught the heritage bug in 2007 when he discovered a time capsule hidden in the old Sunset Community Centre. (It contained rare Bing Crosby footage!) Rob also works for the City of Richmond at Steveston’s heritage sites.
An Imaginary Line: the HBC, the US, and the Fight against the 49th Parallel
Tuesday, November 25th, 7pm - 8:30pm
How did the Pacific Northwest get divided between the U.S. and the British Empire? Where does British Columbia’s name come from? Why are there two Vancouvers? From 1821 to 1846 the Hudson’s Bay Company attempted to carve a British claim west of the mountains. The result is a gripping story involving Métis emigrants, legacy-hungry billionaires, and a wandering artist. A dive into the little-told tales of the Pacific Northwest.
About the Speaker
Tom Long has worked in museums and heritage spaces for 25 years, including Fort Edmonton Park, Mangawhai Museum (NZ/Aotearoa), and the Amelia Douglas Institute. He loves storytelling and history and combining the two. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide from the National Association of Interpretation with a particular interest in the 19th century Canadian fur trade. You can find him, his blogs, and his other offerings at northwindheritageconsulting.ca .
Doug Mayer, Vice-President of the Revelstoke Heritage Railway Society, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Railroad Historical Association.
The award is given to a person who has demonstrated "significant contribution over a period of years" to the preservation of Canadian railway history. Doug has written a series of books on the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Revelstoke area, and is the President of the Revelstoke Model Railway Club.
Congratulations to Doug on this award!
For more information, contact your local host!
The Vancouver History Society tours the Chung/Lind Collections at the University of British Columbia.
The Chung collection comprises over 25,000 rare items highlighting the history of the Chinese community in North America. The Lind Klondike Collection documents the transformative events of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Presentations by Matthieu Caron and Denise Jacques.
Watch the full video here.
"City in Colour: Rediscovered Stories Of Victoria's Multicultural Past" tells the story of some fascinating but little-known "first" explorers, significant female pioneers, and of course, ethnic groups who have left lasting cultural legacies.
Music. Fashion. Art. A Karaoke Stage! Welcome to "Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s to 2000" — on now at the museum! This is the story of many celebrities who grew up or had ties in Vancouver and Canada. It's the story of a Chinese Canadian population who grew up listening to their songs and really made it part of their identity and their lives. From powerhouse ballads to unforgettable pop idols, this immersive exhibition uncovers the golden era of Cantopop and Mandopop — and reveals Canada’s unexpected role in shaping the soundtracks of a generation.
Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind exhibition! Learn more at www.chinesecanadianmuseum.ca/exhibitions
The call for proposals for Digital Museums Canada is now open! Submit your proposals before the December 25th, 2025 deadline.
For more information, visit the Digital Museums website.
From the BC Museum's Association:
"With 68 wildfires currently burning in BC, 7 of which are out of control, it is important to prepare your site and staff for an emergency response. Museums, galleries, and cultural spaces have important roles to play in keeping their staff, volunteers, and communities safe during extreme weather events.
Explore BC HERN resources and learning opportunities here."
A new art gallery will showcase more of Revelstoke Museum and Archives’ extensive collection and celebrate the leadership of Cathy English, long-time museum curator. The Cathy English Gallery will capitalize on a rare opportunity of new space for the museum, created from the building of the museum’s access lift.
“We were left with a completely blank slate to do whatever we wanted with, and we came to the decision that it would be the perfect space for an art gallery,” Laura VanZant, assistant curator said.
Read the full article from the Revelstoke Mountaineer here.
The Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre (VHEC) is proud to announce the launch of Fragments in Focus: A History of the Holocaust, a groundbreaking online exhibition.
This powerful digital exhibition showcases over 160 artefacts and archival records from the VHEC’s collection. Through personal belongings, photographs, documents, and recorded testimonies, Fragments in Focus offers an intimate lens into the individual experiences of Holocaust victims, survivors, and witnesses.
Fragments in Focus was developed with the support of Digital Museums Canada, an investment program managed by the Canadian Museum of History. DMC is the largest national investment program dedicated to supporting digital projects. It helps build digital capacity in museums and heritage, cultural and Indigenous organizations across Canada, offering unique access to diverse stories and experiences.
The exhibition invites educators, students, researchers, and the general public to experience Holocaust history through tangible fragments of memory. Endorsed by the BC Ministry of Education for teaching in BC classrooms, Fragments in Focus: A History of the Holocaust is bilingual teaching resource for audiences across BC, Canada and around the world.
The exhibition is available at www.fragmentsinfocus.ca.
British Columbia Historical FederationPO Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, Canada, V1M 2R7Information: info@bchistory.ca
With gratitude, the BCHF acknowledges that it carries out its work on the traditional territories of Indigenous nations throughout British Columbia.
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