FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Mable Elmore, the MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, visited Fort St. John last week to speak with the Filipino community about a Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.
Elmore is also the parliamentary secretary for anti-racism initiatives and part of Resilience BC, which she explained as a network of community organizations that do anti-racism work across the province. One of those organizations is S.U.C.C.E.S.S in Fort St. John.
While in town, she spoke with S.U.C.C.E.S.S and the North Peace Filipino Canadian Association (North Peace Fil-Can) about their work and what type of issues they encounter as well as shared with them the initiatives she’s leading, such as a Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.
“Really just to touch base and hear about experiences in Fort St. John and to get an idea of what’s happening in the area to help inform the work that we’re doing across the province,” Elmore said.
On Friday morning, she was in Dawson Creek to talk with the Dawson Creek Literary Society at the Learning Centre. The following day, the MLA met with North Peace Fil-Can at the Pomeroy Sport Centre in Fort St. John. to talk about the Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.
Ovvian Castrillo-Hill, cultural advisor and past president for North Peace Fil-Can, said she had spoken with Elmore before about the centre and arranged for her to visit Fort St. John to explain the concept to the group.
“She discussed what it was about, what it was for, why we need it, why she’s come all the way to Fort St. John,” Castrillo-Hill said.
“Ultimately, it’s a provincial Filipino centre they’re envisioning, it’s very important for them to cover and be able to speak to the contributions and input of the Filipino community, not just in the lower mainland, but elsewhere.”
Castrillo-Hill was selected as the North Peace coordinator for the Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.
“The fact alone that she came up here made us feel that we are valued and that we are seen and that our needs need to be met as well,” Castrillo-Hill said.
The MLA also congratulated North Peace Fil-Can on their 16th anniversary.
“She was saying how she felt like North Peace Fil-Can here in Fort St. John has been leading the way,” Castrillo-Hill said.
“The kind of programming that we’re doing, how we’re sharing our culture, it’s something that is vital for them to know what works where we are so they can incorporate it when they’re designing the Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre.”
Castrill-Hill said she understands it’s a pretty long process from start to finish, but the Filipino-Canadian community feels like it’s a long time coming.
“The general consensus is we are underrepresented as far as infrastructure, like a physical space,” Castrillo-Hill said.
The Filipino community in the province in the 1880s on Bowen Island, and she said the first Filipino came to Fort St. John in 1967.
“There’s so many, I think everybody knows you drive up and down B.C., you’ll meet Filipino Canadians, we’re just kind of everywhere, I guess,” Castrillo-Hill said.
“However, it’s funny, if you tell people we don’t have a centre, they’re like, ‘really?’ I think the assumption is, there’s so many of you, it’s just one of those assumptions. But the reality is we don’t.”
The MLA also visited Vanderhoof, the West Kootenays and Prince George to hear about the experiences of people across the province.
“One thing that’s really struck me is the depths of the conversations,” Elmore said.
“Sharing personal stories, and smaller towns compared to coming out of Vancouver, where there’s a very strong community more and more people know each other, work together have initiatives and how those heartfuls conversations and connect with each other.”
As part of the efforts to get a Provincial Filipino Cultural Centre, a thorough survey has been released to all British Columbians to provide their input using the QR Code below:
Stay connected with local news
Make us your
home page
