Tag Archives: Vancouver History

Confessions of an ignorant Racist

The following piece is potentially triggering, and contains references to racism, racial slurs, and violence.This opinion piece is based on my personal experience and exploration within my lifetime, of the continuing cycle of systemic racism and colonial violence.

Associate professor Rajnish Dhawan, from the University of the Fraser Valley, makes a distinction between hate-based and ignorance-based racism. 

He is quoted in a series of programs that Fraser Valley Community Radio recently broadcast about Abbotsford’s hushed racist history.

That prompted me to think about the community I was raised in, across the river in Maple Ridge.

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Riding Vancouver’s Old Interurban

By Roy L Hales

In 1910, Vancouver had one of North America’s most advanced electric train networks. The old interurban line ran for 114 miles,  to Chilliwack in the heart of the Fraser Valley. It also serviced the sleepy village of Steveston to the south. This technological wonder was abandoned when British Columbians turned to the automobile, in the 1950s. A 4.6 mile segment of the route through Surrey was recently brought back to life as part of living museum project. So I went riding Vancouver’s old interurban.

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