Americans haven’t lost political identity in Canada

Mary Murphy, 64, is an American-born blogger who writes about the experiences of Americans in Canada. She has lived in British Columbia for 41 years, but has yet to obtain her Canadian citizenship. Despite her lengthy residency in Canada, she does not fully distinguish herself as either Canadian or American. However, for Murphy, like a lot of Americans living north of the 49th parallel, American issues and politics remain an important part of their lives.

Aboriginals infuse traditional healing into western health

Old Hands, a traditional aboriginal medicine practitioner, is a descendant of the Shoshone Tribe in California. He has been working for years to integrate aboriginal medicine with western medicine in Vancouver. He joins an evolving trend towards integrating these practices through programs, movements and facilities.

Filipina-Canadian says volunteering helps get jobs

Lorie Corcuera is a Canadian-born Filipino, who first began volunteering her time with the Filipino Student Association at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in her undergraduate years. Since then she feels that she gained significant skills from various volunteer jobs that have transferred towards her career as a human resources specialist.

Community rooftop garden at a building in Olympic Village. Photo by Anne-Laurence Godefroy

Tenants learn to operate eco-friendly energy systems

A year ago, Aileen Ellis, 82, moved into one of two cutting-edge, city-owned buildings reserved for low-income earners in Vancouver’s Olympic Village (The Village). Since then, using her complicated, high-tech condo energy system has been a challenge, and she’s not alone.

Daughter of Che Guevara speaks in Vancouver

Dr. Aleida Guevara was only seven years old when her father, famous Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara, was executed. She laments that she was unable to spend much time with him, and has few stories about her childhood with him.

Chinatown’s past making way for the future

Jordan Eng, Vice President of the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association (VCBIA), is part of a group involved with the city council that is planning to bring new life to one of Vancouver’s oldest districts.

A garden revolution in Vancouver

It is hard to imagine Vancouver without community gardens, but Joanne Hochu, a founding member of Strathcona Gardens, remembers when the idea was met with confusion and resistance. In 1985, Hochu and a group of community members established Vancouver’s first community garden.

Kitsilano Neighbourhood Welcomes The World

For Michele Fayadas, adjusting to life and a foreign language in Vancouver are still struggles. Originally from France, she left Paris in 2004 to immigrate to Canada with her husband because of safety issues and economic concerns.