Tag Archives: Chinese Canadians

Cumberland Gold for Frank Mottl

Frank Mottl’s latest novel, Cumberland Gold, takes us to the quaint village of Cumberland BC. This is the same setting as his first novel,  The Cumberland Tales, in which Mottl described the community he knew in the 1960s. Only now he is writing about the late 19th century, when Lord Dunsmuir (1825-89) was attempting to recruit Chinese immigrants to work in his coal mine.   

Mottle explained, “ I did some research at the Cumberland Museum, and there was an unsolved homicide in the 19th century in the old Cumberland Chinatown. Nobody knew much about it, other than it was unsolved. That really appealed to me, so I just ran with it. Of course I spent a year teaching in China, so it did have a lot of that Chinese influence inside of it.” 

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June 6-8, 1911: A point in time look at Cortes Island

Unlike most local histories, which often celebrate the accomplishments of prominent settlers, Canadian census records give us a quick peek into communities as a whole. 

The 1911 census is especially interesting for Cortes Island because, for the first time, all of the island’s 135 ‘settler’ entries are grouped together. Similarly, there is a segment for the 60 Klahoose First Nation residents in Squirrel Cove. There was also a second First Nation with a reserve on Cortes, but any relevant Tla’amin entries appear to be included with those from their main village to the south in what is now qathet Regional District. 

Continue reading June 6-8, 1911: A point in time look at Cortes Island

EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong asylum applicants suddenly shun Canada. What’s happening?

Editor’s note: There are very few Chinese ‘immigrants’ in North Vancouver Island. Most new Canadians appear to be attracted to more urban areas of British Columbia, and our area is primarily populated by descendants of earlier ‘settlers.’ Most of the foreign born residents in our area reached Canada sometime prior to 1980. The 2021 census reports some Chinese immigrants in Comox (100), Courtenay (80), Powell River (55) and Campbell River (50). There were no Chinese immigrants reported on Cortes Island or in Area C

The vast majority of people who ‘look Chinese’ in our area, are actually Canadians. The numbers of people who stated their ethnic origin is Chinese are: in the Comox Valley (795), Courtenay (460), Campbell River (310), Powell River (200) and Area C (20). While no of Chinese ancestry was reported on Cortes Island, there could be 1 or 2 as Statistics Canada rounds numbers off to the closest multiple of 5.

One of the hindrances to immigration for Hong Kong mentioned below, is that it is a Cantonese speaking area and when Canadians speak a Chinese language it is usually Mandarin. This is not true of our area. Only 5 of the 20 people of Chinese origin in Area C speak a Chinese language: Cantonese. There are more Cantonese speakers than Mandarin in Comox (180 vs 110) and Campbell River (80 vs 65). There are almost equal numbers of people speaking these languages in Courtenay (110 vs 115). Powell River is the only place where Mandarin was used by the vast majority of people still speaking a Chinese language (60 vs 30).

Two other hindrances to immigration: difficulty finding high-quality work and lack of affordable housing.

By William Koblensky Varela, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Hongkongers have largely stopped applying for Canadian work and study permits under a policy for those fleeing the Beijing-imposed national security law, previously unpublished data from Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows.

Thousands of people from Hong Kong fled to Canada after China cracked down on dissent and free speech in the former British colony by imposing the national security law in 2020. Since then, many pro-democracy activists have been silenced, civil society groups have been shut down and outspoken media outlets have been closed.

However, a tough job market for new immigrants, housing challenges, competition from the UK and Taiwan, as well as a downturn in the Hong Kong economy could all be behind the sudden slowdown in asylum applications to Canada, according to expert opinion.

Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Hong Kong asylum applicants suddenly shun Canada. What’s happening?

Ethnic diversity increasing in Greater Victoria, but still lags behind the rest of BC (incl. Cortes, Quadra and Campbell River stats)

Editor’s Note: The ethnic minorities in our area are far less numerous than the than provincial average cited below (34.4%). According to the 2021 census, only 2,120 of the 37,505 tabulated Campbell River residents (5.65%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: South Asian -535, Filipino -410, Southeast Asian -260, Black -205, Korean -130, Japanese -110, Latin American -125, and Arab -15. On Cortes Island only 35 of the 1,055 tabulated residents (3.32%) are members of a visible minority. The most numerous being Filipino -10 and Southeast Asian -10. In Area C, 65 out of 2,675 tabulated residents (2.4%) were members of a visible minority. The most numerous being: Chinese -20, Japanese -20, Filipino -10 and South Asian -10. (All census numbers appear to be rounded off at the nearest multiple of 5.)

By  Diary Marif, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Greater Victoria is experiencing a demographic shift as more visible minorities choose to settle on Vancouver Island, according to the latest federal statistics.

Continue reading Ethnic diversity increasing in Greater Victoria, but still lags behind the rest of BC (incl. Cortes, Quadra and Campbell River stats)

Triple-glass effect and language barriers erode Canadian charm, say experts

By Minu Mathew and Shlok Talati, New Canadian Media, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

While Canada leads the G7 in attracting immigrants, with newcomers now accounting for 90 per cent of population growth, citizenship rates are falling among permanent residents.

In 2022, Canada welcomed a historic 431,645 permanent residents to the country. In contrast, 221,919 immigrants became Canadian citizens – the lowest percent ever, according to Statistics Canada data obtained by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC).

Continue reading Triple-glass effect and language barriers erode Canadian charm, say experts