Canada has made significant strides in advancing gender equality over the years, and one of the key milestones we commemorate is Persons Day, celebrated on Oct. 18. It recognizes the 1929 decision from Canada’s highest court of appeal to include women in the legal definition of “persons,” laying the foundation for women’s greater political participation.…

Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Department of World Languages and Literatures, in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada – West, is hosting Italian Culture and Books: The World Between the Lines on Oct. 18 at SFU Venture Labs. Celebrating the 2024 Week of Italian Language in the World and Italian Design Weeks, this…

For Indigenous artist, facilitator, speaker and curator Christine Mackenzie, art workshops have the opportunity to connect communities through teaching about Indigenous culture and artwork and healing intergenerational trauma. To that end, the Kwakiutl Nation, Eagle Clan artist will be hosting Finding Your Voice: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a free workshop at the Place…

Millions across Canada and beyond will lace up this month to partake in the 44th annual run to commemorate Canadian legend Terry Fox. Yet, few are aware of Fox’s Métis heritage, or the Fox family’s embrace of their Métis identity in their advocacy for Cancer research. According to Lorelei Lyons, founder of the organization 2…

The International Day for People of African Descent serves as an opportunity to highlight the experiences of the African diaspora around the world. Celebrated annually on Aug. 1, the UN-recognized date offers a chance to showcase and reflect on those experiences, including those with Vancouver and British Columbia as a whole. Like most things in…

As war rages on in Ukraine, an annual day to celebrate the country’s independence approaches. Ukrainian Independence Day has been celebrated annually on August 24 since 1991, the first anniversary of the Ukrainian parliament’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. Since that time, both residents of Ukraine and its diaspora have marked the day…

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Foundation supports immigrants by helping them receive opportunities to start their life in Canada. As a recent report from Statistics Canada shows, temporary foreign workers in Canada are more consistently transitioning into permanent residency, compared to previous cohorts in years prior. As such, organizations like S.U.C.C.E.S.S. look to play a key role in enabling…

As the month of June ends and the beginning of July approaches, there’s at least one cultural celebration on the horizon that most Canadians are familiar with, bringing along with it a host of parades, events, concerts and celebrations to mark the day. But what Canada Day celebrators might not realize is that there are…

“Being a trans refugee and working with other trans refugees is something not to be taken for granted,” says Norma Lize, the communications manager of Rainbow Refugee, a local organization providing support to those fleeing from persecution because of their LGBTQI+ identity. Since 2000, Rainbow Refugee has been helping LGBTQI+ refugee claimants with their applications…

Systemic racism continues to affect Canadian society in many challenging ways, resulting in policies and outcomes which reaffirm social, economic, political and cultural inequality. So as Canadian people and institutions look to combat bigotry and encourage interconnectedness, decade-over-decade, it can be worth looking into and remembering the past in order to understand how Canada’s political…