Blog & News

A Community Heritage Register is a heritage planning tool to potentially save historic buildings, parks, and totem poles from development that could alter or delete the past of a town or city. In Smithers, two buildings currently have Heritage designation: The Central Park Building, which is home to the Smithers Art Gallery, the Bulkley Valley Museum, and numerous artist studios. It was built in 1925 and received heritage designation in 1981. The other is Smithers Canadian National Railway Station at the end of Main Street, which was built in 1919.

Kira Westby, the Bulkley Valley Museum Director has been working for nearly seven years on a project to identify other locations in Smithers which might benefit from being included on a Community Heritage Register. A Community Heritage Register is enacted by local government, unlike Heritage Status, which is federally bestowed.

Smithers community members can nominate properties now using this online form.

The British Columbia Historical Federation’s quarterly magazine chronicles British Columbia’s unique story through the words and images of community writers, public and academic historians, story keepers, and more.

Featuring some of the contributing authors of this newest issue themed on Chinatowns and moderated by Aimee Greenaway, managing editor of the BC History Magazine, this panel discussion explores different facets of the vibrant histories of Chinatowns across the province.

Speakers:

• Imogene Lim, author of “Beyond Chinatown: The Chinese and English Phrase Book”
• Catherine Clement, author of “A Match Not Made in Heaven”
• Sarah Ling, author of “Canned Salmon and China Lily: Chinese and Indigenous relations in Small-town British Columbia”
• Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese, author of “Not So Uncommon an Oath: The ‘Chicken Oath’ in BC Chinese Canadians’ Testimonies”
• Elwin Xie, author of “Sharing Stories of My Chinese Community”

Watch the full video here.

From the Vancouver Historical Society:

"Paradise? Picture this: a bid red interurban tram drifting through Richmond in the 1950s, making its way from downtown Vancouver to Stevenston via Marpole. Can you imagine at time when this system was the backbone of transportation?

So how did we let go of something so essential? Fast forward to today, and we're now spending billions to bring it back!

Join us as we explore this fascinating part of Vancouver's history at the Vancouver Historical Society's Incorporation Day Luncheon.

Date: April 6th

Location: Quilchena Gold Club

What's Included: A delicious buffet lunch, displays about BC Electric Railway (BCER), and a presentation by special guest Henry Ewart, author of The Story of the BC Electric Railway."

Seats are limited, purchase your ticket here.

March 3, 2025, Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Museums Association (CMA) was proud to recognize the outstanding contributions of museum professionals across Canada during a special ceremony in Victoria, BC on February 19, 2025. 14 recipients were presented with the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal by CMA’s Executive Director & CEO, Janis Bomberry at a reception at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. 

Click here to view the list of recipients, including several British Columbia-based heritage professionals who have made significant contributions to the field.

The Chemainus Valley Historical Society is planning to examine the historical experience of Japanese Canadians living in the community.

In a letter to North Cowichan, society president Ron Waller said a special exhibit on the subject is being planned at the Chemainus Valley Museum from late July to early October, 2026.

He said the exhibit is intended to coincide with plans initiated by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the Festival of Murals Society to install a heritage mural commemorating the Japanese community in Chemainus, which was once prosperous and plentiful, on municipally owned land on Croft Street, just below Water Wheel Park, in August, 2026.

Read the full article here.

Three-year-old Goldie Gustard got to savour the apple-pie flavour of success after entering a $4,000 winning bid in the Best of the Shuswap Pie Baking Contest and live pie auction. 

A local B.C. Heritage Week tradition hosted by and in support of R.J. Haney Heritage Village and Museum, this year's pie baking contest (for apple, fruit or berry pies), held at the Mall at Piccadilly on Saturday, Feb. 22, drew fierce competition with wide variety of mouth-watering creations to challenge the palates of participating judges. In the end, Bonnie Peterson once again took the red first-place ribbon, her ninth, this time for a tart cherry pie. Coming in second was Norma Harish for a Pink Lady apple pie. The third-place ribbon was won by Kate Korda for her Fresh B.C. apple pie. 

The competitive spirit grew more intense during the live pie auction, with 17 pies on the block for the Haney fundraiser. A couple of local kids wound up getting involved in the auction action including Goldie who, with father Glen (the two representing Tech-Crete Processors), wound up in a bidding war with developer Bill Laird over a classic apple pie made by Missy Blair. Goldie's persistence and a $4,000 bid brought an end to the philanthropic battle, which had been entertaining for all involved. 

Read the full article here.

New video from the Vancouver Historical Society: "Fundraisers, Axe-Wielders, & Star Witnesses: Women on both sides of the Greater Vancouver Island Miners' Strike 1912-1914"

Women played essential roles as activists in a divided community during the Great Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike, 1912-1914. Join Aimee Greenaway for stories about women in Extension BC and Ladysmith, BC - from axe-wielding Minnie Axelson to Charlotte (Maffeo) Schivardi who was nicknamed a "non-union Joan of Arc" by the press. Stories are drawn from archival sources, give women back their names and voices, and highlight the integral role they played in the drive for justice and woman's rights.

Aimee Greenaway grew up in Extension, BC listening to stories about the Great Vancouver Island Coal Miners' Strike. She is curator at the Nanaimo Museum and Managing Editor of British Columbia History magazine.

Watch the video here.

This year’s Canada’s History Forum explores how history and education can help us understand and address environmental challenges. Join us on Thursday, March 20th from 6 pm until 9 pm to explore how learning from our environmental past can inspire action toward a sustainable future.

The event is free , but pre-registration is required.

Register here.

The Kamloops Indian Residential School, which was in the building now known as the Chief Louis Centre, was opened in 1890, and closed in 1978. Those who attended were between the ages of four and 18, from over 108 communities and at least 38 different Indigenous nations from across British Columbia.

Now the school, along with three other properties on the site have been designated as a national historic site by the Government of Canada and Parks Canada.

“Our survivors, and our intergenerational survivors and those not yet born, they are going to be able to take pride in that real collective history is what is being made today,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir.

Read the full article here.

It’s a small greenspace sitting in the shadow of Christ Church Cathedral and across from the Provincial Law Courts on Quadra Street. While there are several monuments inside the park, it’s not obvious that Pioneer Square was once Pioneer Cemetery.

John Adams, with the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria says it’s a popular stop on his walking tours.

“There are benches, there’s grass, there are trees. But underneath what most people don’t know is that there are still 1,300 people,” he says.

Read the full article here.