Clifford Pereira - Canadian Secret Sailors

Clifford Pereira – Canadian Secret Sailors

November 29, 2016

Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by the UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections. Historical geographer Clifford Pereira delivers this lecture about his current, groundbreaking work on the history of Chinese crews on Canadian vessels during the First World War. After a century of silence, a story emerges of hundreds of Asian crew working, and thousands of Chinese transported on ships of the Canadian Pacific “Empress” line as part of the First World War Effort. Clifford Pereira is Kenyan-Asian of Goan heritage, formally based in London, UK and now based in Hong Kong (SAR), who worked in several places around the world and in several industries before embarking on the current career in the heritage industry. This talk is part of the Remembrance Day speaker series, in conjunction with an exhibit at the Chung Collection curated by Clifford Pereira.

This event happened on November 8, 2016.

Select Articles and Books Available at UBC Library

Macri, F., & Franco David Macri. (01/01/2011). Journal of the hong kong branch of the royal asiatic society: Canadians under fire: C force and the battle of hong kong, december 1941 The Branch. [Link]

Roland, C. G. (2001). Long night’s journey into day : Prisoners of war in hong kong and japan, 1941-1945 Wilfrid Laurier University Press. [Link]

The damned : the Canadians at the battle of Hong Kong and the POW experience, 1941-45 / Nathan M. Greenfield. [Available at Koerner Library Stacks- D767.3 .G73 2010]

UBC Library Research Guides

History

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Aboriginal Unhistory Month 2014 at UBC Library

June 2, 2014

The University of British Columbia Point Grey campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓speaking Musqueam people. We thank Musqueam for its hospitality and support of our work.

UBC Library, in partnership with the Musqueam Indian Band, the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology and the Museum of Anthropology,  will be celebrating Aboriginal scholarship, creativity, and intellectual traditions with its third annual Aboriginal (Un)History Month.

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Paddle created by Keith Point, of the Skowkale First Nation in Chilliwack, who also descends from the Musqueam First Nation.

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Featuring exhibits at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC) and book displays at several library branches, the (Un)History month activities introduce ways UBC Indigenous scholars are creating relationships, educating and inviting dialogue about indigenous issues.

Since 2009, the month of June has been designated as ‘National Aboriginal History Month’ by the federal government of Canada. National Aboriginal Day is June 21 every year. UBC Library and the participating curators have been observing Aboriginal (Un)History Month since 2011. The exhibits and programs are meant to celebrate Aboriginal creativity, scholarship, and intellectual traditions; cultivate conversations about relationship, representation and recognition; and inspire participants to be better informed about the Aboriginal lands and peoples of whom we are guests.

This year’s theme is “Honouring our Journeys,” which celebrates journeys that have been emotional, spiritual, and educational; personal, community, and institutional; and historic, contemporary, or moment-in-time.

The exhibits at IKBLC foyer include:

  • The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology – Our Time and Place at UBC: Reflecting on the TRC in 2013
  • Ch’nook – Indigenous Business Education
  • Decolonizing Knowledge – Knowing the Land Beneath Our Feet at UBC
  • Musqueam Indian Band – mən̓ə to mana: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) to Māori (Rotorua, New Zealand)
  • The Museum of Anthropology – Claiming Space: Voices of Urban Aboriginal Youth
  • Bruce Muir of West Moberly First Nations – Protecting Treaty Rights: the Klinse-Za Caribou Herd’s Journey Towards Recovery

For those interested in online resources,

Partners this year include: Musqueam Indian Band, Bruce Muir of West Moberly First Nations, the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at UBC, Ch’nook Indigenous Business Education, the Irving K Barber Learning Centre, the First Nations House of Learning, UBC Library Communications, UBC’s Education Library, the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and Xwi7xwa Library.

case

For more information, visit the IKBLC website or contact Sarah Dupont, Aboriginal Engagement Librarian.

 

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Wesbrook Talks – Influential Women in Business

May 16, 2014

Wesbrook Villagealumni UBC and Wesbrook Village at UBC (DiscoverWesbrook.com) presents the inaugural Wesbrook Talks event (first in a three-part series). It will featureBusiness in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business award-winners Barbara Brink, BA’63; Barbara Dunfield, BEd’80; and Barbara Kaminsky, BA’70, MSW’73, MSc’82, in a panel discussion with CBC’s Renee Filippone. Come learn about their influences, commitment to their community, and career paths; followed by a Q&A and reception. Wesbrook Talks is a new and exciting series presented by Wesbrook Village and alumni UBC. It is designed to provide intimate opportunities to listen to and engage with prominent alumni in the community. The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will be sponsoring the recording of this event for online viewing at a later date.

Event Details

Tuesday, June 10, 2014 6:00 – 8:30 pm Program begins at 6:00 pm with a reception to follow.

Light refreshments will be served.

MBA House
3385 Wesbrook Mall
UBC’s Vancouver campus
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1W5 – map Free parking is available in Wesbrook Village.

Moderator

Renee Filippone – Host, CBC News Vancouver Saturday and Sunday

Panelists

Barbara Brink, C.M., O.B.C., BA’63 – Vice President, Applied Strategies Ltd; Community Volunteer

Barbara Dunfield, BEd(Elem)’80 – Chief Financial Officer, Newport Exploration Ltd and Sennen Potash Corp.

Barbara Kaminsky, BA’70, MSW’73, MSc’82 – Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Cancer Society BC and Yukon

Cost

$10 per person

RSVP

Please RSVP online at http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1420&EID=17594 before Friday, June 6, 2014.
Questions? Please contact Nicola Schuck at nicola.schuck@ubc.ca or 604-822-9519.

About Wesbrook Village

Wesbrook Village

Wesbrook Village is UBC’s newest gathering place. Wesbrook offers shops, services, a school, residences and a range of community services within a vibrant pedestrian-friendly setting, with easy access to Pacific Spirit Park, countless beaches and all the amenities of the UBC campus. Come visit us today – on Wesbrook Mall just south of 16th Avenue.

Panelist Biographies

Renee Filippone

FilipponeRenee Filippone joined the CBC team in 2005 and in addition to hosting duties, is the CBC reporter based south of the Fraser. From transportation, to education and the environment, she has her eye on issues that matter to people in the Valley. She is a born and raised west-coaster, growing up in Burnaby and with a Metis mother and an Italian-Scottish-English father, she considers herself a true reflection of Canadian diversity. Renee has a Degree in Communications from Simon Fraser University and a Diploma in Broadcast Journalist from BCIT. She has received a number of Jack Webster and RTNDA award nominations for her work at the CBC and has worked in both radio and television, on air and behind the scenes.

Barbara Brink, C.M., O.B.C., BA’63

Barbara BrinkFor twelve years Barbara Brink was a driving force behind the creation of British Columbia’s SCIENCE WORLD. As President of the Board of Governors and C.E.O. she spearheaded the campaign to obtain the Expo Centre, secure $12 million of public sector funding and oversaw the $19 million retrofit. SCIENCE WORLD opened in May 1989. The exhibits of its Outreach program now reach out across the province. In 1997 she returned as CEO during a major restructuring. With a new CEO in place she again chaired the Board for four years. She has been named a “Friend of SCIENCE WORLD”, an honour that she shares with Dr. Cecil H. Green, founder of Texas Instruments, Dr. Michael Smith, Nobel Prize winner, Hon. Stan Hagen, Haig Farris, John Pitts, and Dr. Ken Spencer.

She is Vice President of Applied Strategies Ltd., a management consulting firm. For several years she was a provincially appointed Public Governor of the Vancouver Stock Exchange. She serves on the Boards of the Legal Services Society and the Institute of Chartered Accountants British Columbia. She is Co Chair of the Business Laureates of British Columbia Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremonies Cabinet. She serves on the Board of Junior Achievement of B.C. She is also Vice Chair of the West Vancouver Police Board.

She is a past Chair of the Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Foundation. She is the immediate past chair and founding chair of the West Vancouver Community Centres Services Society which operates the new award winning Community and Aquatic Centres. The centres welcome over 1.1 M visitors a year. She was one of two BC appointees to the Western Canada Wait List panel. She served on the executive of the Provincial Capital Commission. She was a founder and Chair of Leadership Vancouver, a program to train and encourage the best of the community’s emerging new leaders. In 1999 she led the drive to establish 20 new programs across Canada. She was the first Canadian to serve on the Community Leadership Association, Board of Directors. She served as Vice Chair of the Laurier Institution, a think tank that studies the economic and socio impacts of immigration.

In 1997 she chaired a national conference: “Equity, Community Participation and Citizenship”. This conference on social justice for the 21st century was co-sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Christians and Jews, to mark their 50th anniversary, and by Simon Fraser University.

She was the 1995 and 1996 General campaign Chair, the United Way of the Lower Mainland. For many years she has been a volunteer trainer for the United Way Volunteer Leadership Development Program. In this capacity she has designed and presented over 150 courses on diversity, motivation, delegation, board/staff relations, strategic planning, governance, and fundraising.

Previous commitments to the community include serving as chair for the 1991 Capital Campaign for the B.C. Cancer Agency, serving as chair or co-chair for a series of fund raising World Affairs Dinners that featured Henry Kissinger, Jesse Jackson, Benazir Bhutto, Lee Iacocca and Honorary Chair for the dinner with Mikhail Gorbachev. She has served as a director of the B.C. Heart Foundation, the Greater Vancouver Salvation Army Board, the Opportunity Rehabilitation Workshop, the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, and KCTS Public Television.

She is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia; as a member of the Order of Canada she has presided at over 25 Citizenship Ceremonies. She was also a mentor for the 20 under 20 program sponsored by the Governor General.

She is a recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the Simon Fraser University’s 1994 President’s Club Distinguished Leadership Award. In 1993, B.C. Business Magazine included her as one of the 12 most powerful women in British Columbia, the only volunteer included in the group. She has been honoured on the occasion of the University of B.C.’s 75th anniversary as one of the 75 graduates recognized for service to the community. In 2001, to mark British Columbia’s entry into Confederation, she was named, by the Vancouver Sun, as one of 130 people who have made a significant contribution to British Columbia. In 2014 she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business.

Barbara Dunfield, BEd(Elem)’80

Barbara DunfieldCurrently the Chief Financial Officer for two public companies, Barbara is viewed as an industry leader and expert in the mining industry. With her business skills and leadership, she has successfully funded a number of companies, and worked all over the world with projects in North America, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia and South America.

Formerly an investment advisor with a large Canadian brokerage firm, Barbara has served as a Director, Secretary and/or CFO for a variety of organizations in the industry and previously acted as CFO and Director of Eastern Platinum, one of the top global platinum producers.

Barbara also established the Barbara Dunfield International Business Competition Team Sponsorship Fund, which supports students who want to compete in international business challenges. Barbara, a UBC and SFU alumna, is a 2014 recipient of Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business Award.

Barbara Kaminsky, BA’70, MSW’73, MSc’82

Barbara KaminskyBarbara Kaminsky has made a significant contribution in cancer control both in the province and nationally over the eighteen years as Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Cancer Society BC and Yukon.

She has been instrumental in changing the way government agencies, health care professionals and individuals view cancer and their role in preventing it. Her singular vision for cancer prevention has resulted in an increase in funding, more research and programs to help people reduce the risk of cancer and led to healthier communities.

Following the creation of a Canadian Cancer Society Chair in Cancer Primary Prevention, she secured a partnership with UBC to create a new Cancer Prevention Centre in Vancouver. Other partnerships with the BC Healthy Living Alliance, the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and BC Healthy Families have kept cancer at the forefront of public health issues.

She is the past Chair of both the BC Healthy Living Alliance and of the Prevention Working Group for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Vision 2020 initiative—The Future without Breast Cancer.

Barbara has authored several publications and co-authored a book, The Health Impact of Smoking & Obesity and what to do about it. In addition to certification as a health executive, Barbara has three degrees from the University of British Columbia—a BA in English, a Master of Social Work, and a Masters of Science in Health Services Planning and Administration. She is currently an adjunct Professor at UBC and is a 2014 recipient of Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business Award.

Partners

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June is National Indigenous History Month

June 4, 2026

The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. In fact, anywhere you step in Canada is land on which Indigenous people have lived and stewarded since time immemorial.

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to learn about and celebrate the unique Indigenous cultures within Canada as well as recognize the ongoing impacts of colonization. While much work has been done to uphold Truth and Reconciliation efforts, it is an ongoing process of learning and decolonizing our ways of thinking. It is important to learn about cultures and impacts on Indigenous communities from Indigenous voices. Reading books by Indigenous authors, watching Indigenous films or performances, and following Indigenous creators on social media are all ways to learn directly from Indigenous peoples.

UBC Resources

UBC has begun implementing the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP), a series of goals and actions the university will take to advance our vision of becoming a leading university globally in the implementation of Indigenous peoples’ human rights. The ISP was created in response to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice.

The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at UBC addresses the colonial impacts of Residential Schools and other oppressive policies imposed by the Canadian government on Indigenous peoples. The Centre helps Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, and their families access their records and family information in a safe, trauma-informed environment. You can also browse their online collections without visiting the Centre in person through their Collection Website.

The X̱wi7x̱wa Library at UBC is a centre for academic and community Indigenous scholarship. Because UBC campus is located on the lands of the Musqueam people, they have created a research guide to help us learn about the Musqueam contributions to the the library collections called Musqueam: Land Beneath Our Feet.

X̱wi7x̱wa Library has approximately 12,000 items in their collection and collects materials written from First Nations perspectives, such as materials produced by First Nations, First Nations organizations, tribal councils, schools, publishers, researchers, writers, and scholars. include open databases with significant Indigenous content.

The First Nations House of Learning, based in the First Nations Longhouse at UBC, supports Indigenous students and community members by making UBC’s vast resources more accessible and to improve their ability to help First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.

UBC offers a number of Indigenous-focused programs within various faculties as well as a guide to finding courses with significant Indigenous content.

Community Events & Resources

The Vancouver Public Library is hosting a number of events celebrating National Indigenous History Month including dance performances, film screenings, book clubs, and learning sessions. They have also created a Resource List of books, films, music, and online resources created by and about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples available at all VPL locations.

The Government of Canada provides a list of Mental Health Resources specifically for Indigenous communities including help lines, information on counselling services, cultural support programs, and more.

Find National Indigenous History Month events in and around Vancouver through the Indigenous Tourism BC website.

UBC Library Materials 

To read more from Indigenous voices, check out these materials available through the UBC Library:

Fraser, C., & Komarnisky, S. V. (2026). Talk treaty to me: Understanding the basics of treaties and land in Canada (First ed.). Collins, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. [Available at UBC Library]

Grant, L. & Steedman, S. (2025). Reconciling: A lifelong struggle to belong (1st ed.). ECW Press. [Available at UBC Library]

Highway, T. (2022). Laughing with the trickster: On sex, death, and accordions. Anansi. [Available at UBC Library]

Kimmerer, R. W. & Burgoyne, J. (2024). The serviceberry: Abundance and reciprocity in the natural world (First Scribner hardcover;1; ed.). Scribner. [Available at UBC Library]

Metcalfe-Chenail, D., & Xwi7xwa Collection. (2016). In Metcalfe-Chenail D. (Ed.), In this together: Fifteen stories of truth & reconciliation (1st ed.). Brindle & Glass. [Available at UBC Library]

Web Sources Consulted

Government of Canada. (2016, June 22). National Indigenous history month [Administrative page; promotional material]. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1466616436543/1534874922512

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Intriguing Connections – Pop-Up Book Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens on July 5

June 2, 2026

Please join us for an Intriguing Connections: Pop-Up Book Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens.  We invite you to a community pop-up library in the UEL Community Gardens to slow down, browse, and connect through books. Featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of multilingual, translated, and independent titles under the theme of World Literature, the book display offers something for every kind of reader, from introspective nonfiction to contemporary fiction. Set amid the natural beauty of a community garden, the pop-up encourages spontaneous discovery, quiet reading, and shared conversation.

Take a break and join us to linger and explore with others through a shared love of storytelling and a sense of community belonging in an open, welcoming outdoor summer setting. Participants are also invited to contribute to a collaborative sticky-note recommendation board, where community members can share favourite books, memorable reads, and literary discoveries with one another.

This initiative is funded by the Inspiring Community Grant.

Sunday, July 5, 2026, 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the

UEL Community Gardens

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in the University Endowment Lands (UEL)

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Intriguing Connections – Pop-Up Book Display and Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens on July 25

May 6, 2026

Please join us for an Intriguing Connections: Pop-Up Book Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens. We invite you to a community pop-up library in the UEL Community Gardens to slow down, browse, and connect through books. Featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of multilingual, translated, and independent titles under the theme of Environment and Nature, the book display offers something for every kind of reader, from introspective nonfiction to contemporary fiction. Set amid the natural beauty of a community garden, the pop-up encourages spontaneous discovery, quiet reading, and shared conversation. Take a break and join us to linger and explore with others through a shared love of storytelling and a sense of community belonging in an open, welcoming outdoor summer setting.

Take a break and join us to linger and explore with others through a shared love of storytelling and a sense of community belonging in an open, welcoming outdoor summer setting. Participants are also invited to contribute to a collaborative sticky-note recommendation board, where community members can share favourite books, memorable reads, and literary discoveries with one another.

This initiative is funded by the Inspiring Community Grant.

Sunday, July 5, 2026, 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the

UEL Community Gardens (located on Western Parkway and Toronto Road, Vancouver, B.C)

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in the University Endowment Lands (UEL)

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Intriguing Connections – Pop Up Book Gathering

May 6, 2026

 

Please join us for an Intriguing Connections: Pop-Up Book Gathering at the Wesbrook Community Centre in Wesbrook Village.

You’re invited to slow down, browse, and connect through books at a welcoming community pop-up gathering in the outdoor space at Wesbrook Community Centre. Featuring a thoughtfully curated selection of English, multilingual, translated, and independent titles, the pop-up offers something for every kind of reader, from introspective nonfiction to contemporary fiction.

Come take a break, discover something unexpected, enjoy a quiet moment of reading, or share conversation with others through a love of storytelling and community connection. Participants are also invited to contribute to a collaborative sticky-note recommendation board, where community members can share favourite books, memorable reads, and literary discoveries with one another.

This initiative is funded by the Inspiring Community Grant.

Sunday, May 31, 2026, 2.00-4.00 pm at the

Wesbrook Community Centre Outdoor Space

(3335 Webber Lane)

in Wesbrook Village 

[Link]

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May is Asian Heritage Month

April 29, 2026

Each year in May, Canada celebrates Asian Heritage Month to recognize the ways Canadians of Asian descent have helped shape Canadian identity today. Many Asian Canadians have made contributions that mark historical and cultural milestones in the development of the country. To read more about noteworthy Canadians of Asian heritage, see here.

Though this yearly celebration cannot right past wrongs of discrimination, we can still celebrate their rich and diverse culture and recognize their many contributions.

History of Discrimination Against People of Asian Descent in Canada

Since the 1700s, people of Asian descent have been living in and shaping what we know as Canada today. However, they were not always welcomed and celebrated. The historical discrimination of people of Asian descent and the ongoing effects in their communities is one reason we take the month of May to celebrate Asian Heritage.

Racist historical policies such as the Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Exclusion Act were enacted to discriminate against Chinese immigrants to prevent them from coming to Canada as many white Canadians of the time were hostile and unwelcoming. These policies and attitudes have persisted through generations of Chinese Canadians, which is one reason we aim to amplify Asian Canadian voices each year in May.

During World War II, Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from Canada’s west coast and placed in internment camps, separating many families. Though there was no evidence that Japanese Canadians posed a threat, their incarceration was framed as a way to uphold security in Canada. Many Japanese Canadians were forced to move east while others were exiled to Japan.

Communities of South Asian descent have also faced racial hostility and discrimination in Canada as their communities expanded. Restrictive immigration laws such as the Continuous Journey Act created a significant barrier for South Asian immigrants coming to Canada seeking work and community.

To find more information about significant events in Asian communities in Canada, see here.

To read more about noteworthy Canadians of Asian heritage, see here.

Community Events and Resources

The Vancouver Public Library has events and resources celebrating the histories, experiences, and achievements of Asian Canadians.

For more VPL Asian Heritage Month events, see here.

The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society will be hosting the 30th annual ExplorASIAN Fesitval in various locations around Vancouver throughout May.

The LiterASIAN Writers Festival will be taking place in Vancouver on June 27th and June 28th. This festival celebrates Asian Canadian literature by bringing together emerging and established writers. This year’s theme is “Re-Generation”.

The Vancouver Art Gallery will be hosting a number of talks, tours, and workshops this May that highlight the influence of Asian art and cultural expression.

UBC Events and Resources

On Tuesday, May 5th from 10am-4:30pm, the Department of Asian Studies will be hosting a screening of the documentary film “Like the Dryer’s Hand” by Cheng Tsun-shing, a film chronicling the life of UBC’s Professor Yeh Chiaying, who taught pre-modern Chinese literature at UBC.

On Thursday, May 21st from 6:30-8:00pm, Shaahin Pishbin will present the lecture “Iranians before Iran: Identity and the Safavid Diaspora in Mughal India” at UBC Robson Square.

UBC’s Asian Library provides support for scholars, students, and community members who wish to learn about Asian heritage. They also host various events, talks, and displays throughout the year.

UBC Library also provides an Asian Canadian Studies Research Guide highlighting key resources for research and learning.

UBC Library Materials 

UBC Library has a wide selection of books by Asian Canadian authors such as:

Adams, J. D. (2022). Chinese Victoria: A long and difficult journey. Discover the Past. [Available at UBC Library]

Boudel Tan, E. (2025). The tiger and the cosmonaut. Viking, an imprint of Penguin Canada. [Available at UBC Library]

Lau, E. (2025). Parade of storms. Anvil Press. [Available at UBC Library]

Phan, R. (2025). Restaurant kid: A memoir of family and belonging (First Pegasus Books cloth ed.). Pegasus Books. [Available at UBC Library]

Wong, L. (2011). Dim sum stories: A Chinatown childhood. Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia & Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies, University of British Columbia. [Available at UBC Library]

Web Sources Consulted

Asian Library. (n.d.). History and development. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://asian.library.ubc.ca/history-and-development/

Government of Canada. (2021, April 29). Significant events in the history of Asian communities in Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month/important-events.html

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BC History Digitization Program – 2026 Projects

April 27, 2026

In September 2006, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia Library announced the B.C. History Digitization Program. The focus of the program is to promote increased access to British Columbia’s historical resources, including providing matching funds to undertake digitization projects that will result in free online access to our unique provincial historical material.

Below is a list of successful applicants for 2026.

Early Tourism in the Eastern Fraser Valley

Agassiz-Harrison Museum

$5500

The Early Tourism in the Eastern Fraser Valley project will digitize documents related to historic tourism initiatives and accommodations within the vicinity of Harrison Lake; that is, what is today the Village of Harrison Hot Springs and the District of Kent. These documents are from four archival collections: the Probert, Kennedy, and Altendorf Collections. Included are letters, photographs, booklets, posters, brochures, event programs, maps, a ledger, and an account book. The total number of items selected for digitization span from 1891 to 1971.
BC Motorsport History Digitization Project – part 2

Canadian Motorsport Historical Society

$1998

The BC Motorsport History Digitization project (part 1) has digitized approximately 2500 photos from negative film and slides, plus about 100 race programs, covering auto racing in B.C., spanning the years 1953 to 2022.

The BC Motorsport History Digitization project (part 2) will digitize approximately 3500 more photos from negative film covering auto racing in B.C., spanning the years 1960 to 1963,  and  1993 to 2004.
Democracy Before the Vote: Digitization and Preservation for the CNL’s Victoria branch election archives

Chinese Nationalist League of Canada Archives

$1742.66

This project aims to preserve, digitize, and provide long-term access to the archival holdings of the Chinese Nationalist League of Canada (CNLOC), beginning with records from the Victoria Branch and Western Division. The 2026–2027 phase serves as a pilot implementation stage focused on establishing digitization capacity, procedures, and infrastructure. Key tasks include acquiring essential equipment, developing standardized workflows, and conducting volunteer training to ensure long-term sustainability. A small, curated set of items selected from a larger 600-item Mandarin inventory will be used to test the full workflow, including experimental tasks such as transcription and interpretation. If timeline and capacity allow, additional items will be incorporated.
Creston Review Online

Creston & District Historical & Museum Society

$6134.56

This project will digitize approximately 2,160 issues of the Creston Review, a weekly newspaper published at Creston BC, from 1 January 1936 through 31 December 1980. The digitized newspapers will be made available publicly online through UBC Library’s Open Collections.
Cumberland Museum & Archives

Cumberland Map Digitization Project

$7,650

Cumberland Museum will complete a significant map digitization project to preserve and increase public access to 16 extra-large historic maps documenting the Dunsmuir and Canadian Collieries coal mines of the Comox Valley between 1910 and 1955, and the E&N Land Grant. These fragile maps document Cumberland’s social, economic, and labour history, and provide rare insight into the underground workings and industrial landscape that shaped the community. Once digitized, the maps will be added to the Cumberland Digital Museum (cumberlandhistory.ca).
Sid Chow Tan Video Archives Digitization Project – Phase Two

The Friends of the Vancouver City Archives Society

$15,000

In collaboration with the City of Vancouver Archives (CVA), this project will digitize and make available 188 videos created by longtime Vancouver community activist, documentarian and television producer Sid Chow Tan (1949-2022) between 1987 and 2012 (1990s predominant).

This is the second phase of a multi-year project that will see the entirety of Tan’s video archives (approximately 1300 individual video recordings) digitized and made available according to the wishes of his family and community.

The second phase focuses on Tan’s documentation of life and activism in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and environmental and anti-globalisation activism in the 1990s. Recordings on the analogue Umatic video format were prioritized due to their inherent vulnerability. Much of the material included in Phase Two is unedited footage, some of which was subsequently used in Tan’s local-access television programs. Many complete episodes of Tan’s programs were digitized as part of Phase One.
Speaking Women: Highlighting the work of Donna Hagerman, Haruko Okano, and Daina Warren

grunt gallery

$9,132

This one-year project will digitize and share select images and documents associated with three women who made substantial contributions to the visual art sector in British Columbia via their work at grunt gallery: curator/photographer Donna Hagerman, artist/curator Haruko Okano, and artist/curator Daina Warren. These women, though they are not often recognized in the macro narrative of BC contemporary art, shared community-rooted critical perspectives with BC audiences through accessible and inclusive creative, curatorial, and documentary practices. Over three decades they helped to build an ambitious but humble, artist-first ethos that made grunt a welcoming home for outsider, performance, BIPOC, Queer, and socially engaged art and in doing so, made a lasting impact on the BC art historical record.
Continuing Digital Access to IWA Newspapers

Kaatza Station Museum & Archives

$5,034

This is the final phase of a 4 year project, intended to tie up and complete our International Woodworkers of America (IWA) newspaper project. Phase 1 and 2 saw the digitization of most of the IWA’s newspapers, the BC/Western Canadian Lumber Worker, and Phase 3 saw the digitization of newspapers produced by individual local union offices—Locals 1-80, 1-217, 1-71, 1-357, 1-367, 1-424, and 1-425. This final phase of the project will include the digitization of oversized issues of the BC Lumber Worker, early issues of the BC Lumber Worker, and the digitization of the Job Steward, a newspaper produced by Port Alberni’s Local 1-85.
Kwakiutl Ethnohistory Digitization Initiative — Phase 1: Village Sites, Sacred Geography, Oral Histories & Treaty Archives

Kwakiutl Band Council (Lands & Resources Department)

$15,000

The Kwakiutl Ethnohistory Digitization Initiative – Phase 1 will digitize priority cultural heritage materials documenting Kwakiutl history, governance, and land relations. Phase 1 focuses on archival materials connected to 20–30 priority village sites selected from the 143 known ancestral Kwakiutl village sites, along with Sacred Geography maps, Kwak’wala place-names, oral histories, and early Treaty- and Title-related records. Materials include hand-drawn maps, photographs, field notes, transcripts, and audio recordings.

This is the first phase of a planned multi-year effort to preserve the full Kwakiutl ethnohistory archive. Phase 1 establishes digitization standards, metadata frameworks, and cultural protocol pathways, creating a foundation for future phases that will digitize remaining village-site records, additional oral histories, governance archives, and Traditional Use documentation. All digitized materials will be stored securely in Trailmark Cloud under Kwakiutl cultural access protocols.
We Wai Kai Legal Records – Digitization and Access Project

Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ Research Centre

$7,606

The Liǧʷiɫdax̌ʷ Research Centre seeks funding to digitize, preserve, and organize approximately 80 boxes of We Wai Kai Nation historical court case records. These records, spanning the 1900s to 2000s, will be scanned to archival standards, described with detailed metadata, and uploaded into Past Perfect software for secure long-term storage and searchable access. This project will improve governance, legal research, and historical reference capabilities for Nation members, while respecting privacy and Indigenous cultural protocols. This phase builds on prior digitization work and represents a continuation of the Centre’s commitment to safeguarding the Nation’s legal heritage.
Williams lake Tribune Digitization

Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin

$7,500

Following the success of our previous digitization initiative, the Museum of the Cariboo-Chilcotin is launching the next phase of its multi-year effort to preserve and share local journalism. This project focuses on digitizing a 20-year span of the Williams Lake Tribune (1960-1980). Currently stored in multiple bankers boxes, these broadsheet editions are at increasing risk of deterioration. Building on the methods and momentum established in the earlier phase, this project will create high-quality digital surrogates to these valuable regional records on our website. This phase fits into the broader vision of safeguarding the community’s documentary heritage through systemic digitization.
Musqueam Historical Map Digitization

Musqueam Indian Band

$2,624.14

Musqueam Archives and Research Department stewards a map collection depicting Musqueam territory and reserves, land use and occupancy, settlement patterns, traditional place names, and ethnobotanical knowledge. Gathered since the 1950s the collection has grown to 250 maps from archaeologists, Musqueam Elders, and Musqueam fishers. It also includes copies of annotated early colonial maps. These maps are currently only in analogue form. 43 maps have been selected as high priority from this collection with the remaining portion to be digitized as time permits. The proposed maps will be digitized through high-resolution photography to support access and knowledge transfer to Musqueam members and administration staff.
Nelson Daily News Digitization Project – Phase 9

Nelson Museum, Archives and Gallery

$4,427

The project is to digitize the pages of the final seven years of the Nelson Daily News newspaper from July 1, 2003 to July 16, 2010. All 44 copy microfilm reels will be provided from Nelson Museum’s own microfilm collection. The information on these reels will be digitally scanned by the UBC Library Digitization Centre. The digital collection will be hosted on the UBC Historical Newspapers Open Collections website.

This phase of the project is the last part of an overall project to digitise the whole of the Nelson Daily News from 1902 to 2010.
Turning the Pages: Digitization of Prince Rupert’s newspaper The Daily News

Prince Rupert Public Library

$15,000

Turning the Pages is an ongoing digital repository project. The goal of the project is the digitization of the entirety of Prince Rupert’s newspaper The Daily News, which was in circulation from 1911 to 2010. Prince Rupert Library holds microfilm copies of the newspaper on 35mm reels. Digitizing the reels and hosting them on the website will aid their preservation and make them far more accessible.

Since the genesis of the Turning the Pages project in 2010, Prince Rupert Library has successfully digitized the first sixty years of The Daily News; fifty-two of those years have been uploaded to our public website. Funds will be dedicated to digitizing and ingest further issues of The Daily News, including sixteen years of The Daily News, or 48,000 newspaper pages.
Si:yémiya Collection Digitization Project – Phase 2

Stó:lō Library and Archives

$15,000

The Si:yémiya Collection Digitization Project – Phase 2 seeks to digitize approximately 2m of textual records and 150 photographs compiled during Si:yémiya’s research into traditional Stó:lō place-names. Beginning in 1985, Si:yémiya (Naxaxalhts’i / Albert ‘Sonny’ McHalsie) worked with community members and elders to compile place-name resources. The content of the records contains invaluable cultural information dating to pre-contact. Si:yémiya will be retained to provide insight into the work captured in the records to provide further context.

This project is part of a previous BCHDP grant project (2023-24) which digitized Stó:lō placenames maps (project titled ‘The Naxaxalhts’I Collection Digitization Project’). This project phase will digitize associated textual records and photographs of identified placenames and is expected to be the final phase.
Digitization of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Evergreen News

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. (also known as UNITED CHINESE COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT SERVICES SOCIETY)

$2,745

The Digitization of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Evergreen News is a project to digitize Evergreen News – a monthly newspaper written in Traditional Chinese and published in print spanning 1995 – 2004.

This is phase 2 of the project which was funded last year where issues from 1985-1994 were digitized. Phase 2 of the project includes the digitization of 120 issues of Evergreen News. The digitized collection serves many families, researchers, scholars, social scientists, and students who are passionate about learning, knowing, and preserving the rich history of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia. The digitized collection also celebrates the adventures and challenges of Chinese Canadian seniors as well as records of Canada’s policies and laws on migration and inclusion through the eyes of Chinese Canadian writers, scholars, and ordinary residents.
Digital Preservation and Access of Saga Community Art Television

Surrey Art Gallery

$9,172.14

The Saga Community Arts Show Digitization project aims to preserve and spread cultural awareness of the rich contemporary arts history that emerged in Surrey and neighboring communities in the 1980s.

Colloquially referred to as The Saga Show, this community television production provided a pivotal space to amplify the voices of local artists, students, and arts professionals who exhibited art in local galleries and public spaces of Surrey, White Rock, and New Westminster, promoting a collective interest in arts, community, and connection.

This project will digitize 2 U-Matic tapes, 4 VHS tapes, and 18 DVDs which altogether contain approximately 23 hours of recorded interviews at events, exhibitions, and other arts related community programming spanning three years, 1984 to 1987. Originally filmed as 49 episodes, 46 episodes remain and to prevent further loss, they will be digitized, stored archivally, and shared publicly to celebrate and preserve this historic period.
Swedish Press Collection Digitization, Part 3

Swedish Heritage in British Columbia

$3,112.50

Swedish Heritage in British Columbia (SHBC) works to preserve, document, and record the history of Swedes, and people of Swedish heritage, who settled in BC and helped shape the province. SHBC proposes to complete the digitization of its Svenska Pressen (Swedish Press) collection, a Vancouver-based Swedish-language periodical published continuously since 1928.

The broadsheet editions of the paper (1932-1985) have been digitized through previous BCHDP grants awarded in 2024 and 2025. This would allow us to complete the project by digitizing the 324 editions (1986-2012) published in a magazine format, to which we hold copyright (approx. 9,720 pages).

Overall, the vision is to make this substantial resource, spanning eight decades, easily accessible to local and international researchers, genealogists, and others interested in the experience and contributions of the province’s Swedish community. We hope to preserve these papers now while they are still in good condition.
Digital Repatriation of the Ridington Dane-zaa Archive

Treaty 8 Tribal Association (T8TA)

$15,000

This proposed phase of the larger Digital Repatriation of the Ridington Dane-zaa Archive project will digitize 118 oral history recordings and one video spanning 1964 to 2009.

The Digital Repatriation of the Ridington Dane-zaa Archive (RDA) project is funded by a 2024 Digitizing Hidden Collections grant awarded by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to the Treaty 8 Tribal Association. The 3-year project (2025-2027) focuses on completing the digitization of original materials within the RDA, transferring the digital archive to a customized community portal on the T8TA Archival Database for stable and secure community access, community engagement sessions for source individuals, families, and First Nations to articulate protocols for the ethical use and dissemination of their heritage materials, and formal repatriation for Indigenous governance. The project will demonstrate a new model for Indigenous heritage reclamation and control.
Voices of Our Leaders: Stories and Visions of Leadership from the Beginnings of UBCIC

Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs

$13,300

This project aims to uncover and share the early strategies, stories, and leadership visions of the UBCIC during a formative period from the early-1970s to early-1980s. While landmark actions like the Constitution Express and Indian Child Caravan are well known, this project focuses on the lesser-documented initiatives, such as the Our Native Land Chiefs Conference, the fieldworker program, and UBCIC’s global advocacy through the World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). Drawing from a substantial collection of undigitized archival materials, this work will bring to light voices and moments that shaped Indigenous political strategy and global solidarity.

While items in other formats for digitization as part of this larger project (e.g., slides, publications, negatives, audio) have been identified, priority will be on the digitization of video reels due to deterioration risk, content, and popularity of UBCIC’s previously digitized recordings of our 1975 Annual General Assembly.
50 years of Western Front posters

Western Front

$4,928

Western Front proposes to photograph and make accessible 458 posters, ephemera, and textual records that span the history of the organization and its importance in the wider development of the Vancouver arts and cultural landscape of the 1970s onwards. The posters document, promote, and summarize over 2,000 events and presentations that showcase the work of nearly 6,000 artists at a local and international scale.

The posters themselves also represent a history of Vancouver public events, progression of graphic design through the decades, DIY aesthetics, and small press production, in addition to the promotion of multiple forms of artistic practice including new music, literary, choreography, performance, and media arts.

 

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Applications Open for the 2026 UBC Library Writer-in-Residence

April 8, 2026

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April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day

April 1, 2026

In 2007, the United Nations designated April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day to not only raise awareness, but to promote acceptance, appreciation, and inclusion of autistic individuals as well as recognizing the positive contributions they have made to the world.

Recently, there has been an increased movement to understand and advocate for neurodivergent communities. When neurodiversity is embraced, the possibility for more creative, resilient, diverse, and innovative communities expands. When we can understand differences in others better, we can help reduce the stigmatization and discrimination that so often comes along with diverging from the societal “norm.” Raising awareness can also help neurodivergent individuals who have not yet been diagnosed understand their symptoms and needs. When neurodivergent individuals struggle with social skills and communication, it can be difficult to conform to expectations held by organizations that hold neurotypical standards. This can impact access to medical care, social supports, education, employment, and housing. Increasing our awareness and understanding can help autistic individuals get the accommodations they require and deserve.

What Exactly is Autism?

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a broad range of conditions that looks different on everyone and occur regardless of race, sex, or ethnicity. It can include challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Each individual requires different kinds of support and accommodations which can change and develop over time.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a guide developed by the American Psychiatric Association that classifies and diagnoses conditions related to mental health. In 2013, they published their most recent edition that redefined autism as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and encompasses previously separate conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Autistic Disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder.

To learn more about the copious amounts of peer-reviewed scientific research that has proven vaccines do not cause Autism, click here.

Resources in Canada

The Autism Alliance of Canada is an organization that was formed in response to the growing need for guidance in the development and implementation of a national strategy to create systemic change for Autistic people in Canada and their loved ones. Their work focuses on developing policy changes to improve lives and address barriers.

Autism Canada is an organization that delivers programs and provides educational resources for those in the Autism community.

Autism Information Services British Columbia is an organization of autism support specialists that help support and inform families with children who have recently been diagnosed with autism.

The BC Autism Support Network helps families and individuals with autism connect with resources as well as with each other.

UBC Resources

UBC’s Centre for Accessibility provides students with academic accommodations to help remove barriers and improve access to education.

UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility similarly provides resources and accommodations for UBC staff and faculty that have access needs that will make their work more manageable.

Community Events

The Autism Alliance of Canada will be hosting the annual Canadian Autism Leadership Summit from April 14-16, 2026 in Ottawa and virtually via livestream. This event brings together people in the Autism community to foster collaboration, inform policy, and strengthen their collective voice.

The United Nations will be hosting a virtual event on April 2nd from 9am-3:40pm EDT with the theme “Autism and Humanity — Every Life Has Value.” Speakers will include autism advocates and experts.

UBC Library

To read more, consider these materials available from the UBC Library:

Donvan, J., & Zucker, C. (2016). In a different key: The story of autism. Crown Publishers.

Grandin, T. (1996). Thinking in pictures: And other reports from my life with autism (1st Vintage Books ed.). Vintage Books.

Higashida, N., Yoshida, K., & Mitchell, D. (2013). The reason I jump: The inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with autism (First ed.). Random House.

Web Sources Consulted

Autism Canada. (n.d.). What is Autism? Autism Canada. Retrieved March 26, 2026, from https://www.autismcanada.org/history-of-autism
Autism Speaks. (n.d.). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autism Speaks. Retrieved March 26, 2026, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
Autism Speaks. (2026). World Autism Awareness Day. Autism Speaks. https://www.autismspeaks.org/world-autism-awareness-day
United Nations. (2026). World Autism Awareness Day. United Nations. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day

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A Conversation with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie

March 26, 2026

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EDI Scholars-in-Residence Event — “Tea and Learn: Meaningful Reconciliation” with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie

March 10, 2026

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