The British Columbia Historical Federation has provided a collective voice for its member societies since 1922.

This issue of the Buzz is archived at https://tinyurl.com/y653yh6y

 

MEMBER NEWS

Conference Information: Registration Opens February 5th!

Visit our conference website to view details for the conference, and keep an eye on your emails for a full update next week! Registration opens on February 5th.

Nominations for the BCHF Recognition Awards

The BCHF Recognition Awards honour individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the BC historical and heritage sector. Recipients will be recognized at the annual conference, held in Williams Lake May 1-4. Please consider making a nomination today. 

Deadline: March 1st, 2025

Read the Guidelines & Apply Here

Centennial Legacy Fund open for applications

The Centennial Legacy Fund (CLF) is a small funding program that supports individuals and organizations working on projects to promote and preserve BC history. Past funding has supported initial research, exhibitions, acquisition of conservation supplies, documentation of oral histories, and the digitization of important collections. Apply by the deadline to be considered for a grant of up to $5,000. 

Deadline: March 1st, 2025

Read the Guidelines & Apply Here

'Bypass the Expected' at Sooke Region Museum's latest exhibit

There are many ways to get from A to B, and some options make the journey more fun than the destination. Visitors can head off the beaten path and explore the unexpected ways people move throughout the region at Sooke Region Museum’s latest exhibit, Detours: Bypass the Expected, running through December 2025.

Showcasing the history of transportation methods, whether by water, wheels, foot, or air, the exhibit features some intriguing artifacts from the museum’s collection, diving deep into three areas of transportation: industry, commuting, and recreation.  

In Detours, visitors can learn about a uniquely “Sooke” item, the Flowline Tricycle. This tricycle was specifically made to ride the Flowline so it could be inspected efficiently. This employed ‘hand-cycling,’ which is better for keeping balance than pedalling. On this trike, the arms work while the feet steer and keep the rider stable.

Read the Full Article Here

Bridging the Gap Initiative Moves Forward

On January 13th 2025, historical societies from across Canada met again.

The following societies participated: Société historique du Canada / Canadian Historical Association (SHC/ CHA); Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française (IHAF); Fédération Histoire Québec (FHQ); British Columbia Historical Federation (BCHF); Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society (NFLHS); Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society (RNSHS); Ontario Historical Society (OHS); Saskatchewan History & Folklore Society (SHKS); Historical Society of Alberta (HSA); Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA); New Brunswick Historical Society (NBHS); and Réseau du patrimoine et de l’histoire francophones et acadiens du Canada (RPHFAC). Histoire Canada / Canada History sent its regrets

The group discussed their plans for the upcoming year, including potential meetings and the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion within their organizations as well as in historical narratives. They shared their efforts to increase diversity, such as publishing special editions of publications or collaborating with other organizations. The conversation ended with a proposal of two main actions to continue their contribution to the national conversation on diversity, a panel discussion and a shared report presenting their different initiatives.

Are you a member society with news to share in The Buzz? Send it to laura@bchistory.ca

HISTORICAL NOTES

Fire destroys buildings, parts of historic boardwalk in Vancouver Island's Telegraph Cove

Parts of the historic boardwalk and a number of buildings in Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island were destroyed by a large fire, Port McNeill Fire Rescue said on December 31st.

The fire department issued a public safety announcement asking people who were going to the area to watch the fire to stay away as it was hindering the efforts of crews to extinguish it.

"This is a devastating loss to the North Island," the department wrote on social media.

Read the Full Article Here

Museum of Northern BC commemorates 100 years with a reflective exhibit

It was 1924 when a cultural treasure in Prince Rupert was born, finding its first home upstairs of the Canadian Bank of Commerce on 2nd Ave at 5th Street.

Fast forward to 2024, following a plethora of social, economic and technological changes, and it proudly celebrates its enduring mission to keep the art and history of the North Coast alive.

This year the Museum of Northern B.C. is celebrating its 100 years with a new reflective exhibit.

“Unlike the Museum of Northern BC, very few arts and culture institutions in B.C. have a century of unbroken service to its community,” said Susan Marsden, director of the museum.

“It seemed an ideal time to celebrate the museum with an exhibit looking back on the 100 years of the museum’s history in the context of events in the city and the province,” she added.

Read the Full Article Here

Museum of Anthropology unveils first exhibit dedicated to the Nuxalk Nation

The Museum of Anthropology is gearing up to present the first exhibition dedicated to the vibrant culture, history, and ongoing revitalization efforts of the Nuxalk people from Bella Coola. Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun, opening on February 21, is co-curated by Nuxalk Nation cultural director Dr. Snxakila Clyde Tallio and Museum of Anthropology curator of the Pacific Northwest Dr. Jennifer Kramer.

The exhibition offers a deep exploration of the Nuxalk community’s journey to reclaim sovereignty, rebuild cultural practices, and safeguard their treasures for future generations. Visitors can witness the strength and resilience of a nation reconnecting with its ancestral belongings through a collection of over 70 items, including masks, regalia, raven rattles, and mountain goat wool robes. Many of these items are on loan from institutions such as the Royal BC Museum, Burke Museum, Glenbow Museum, and private collections. A significant highlight is the return of cultural treasures originally gifted to ethnographer TF McIlwraith in the 1920s, which will be repatriated to the Nuxalk Nation at the exhibition’s close in 2026.

Read the Full Article Here

LGBTQ Purge exhibit on display at Nanaimo library

An exhibit is travelling through Vancouver Island libraries that details the unfair dismissal of LGBTQ members from Canada's civil service, RCMP and armed forces between the 1950s and the 1990s.

On loan from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the pop-up exhibit titled 'Love in a Dangerous Time' includes several boards detailing the stories of Canadians impacted by what has become known as the 'LGBTQ Purge,' during which tens of thousands of people were investigated as part of a policy of demoting and firing LGBTQ workers.

Read the Full Article Here

Vancouver Art Gallery’s month-long celebration explores Black creativity

The Vancouver Art Gallery is marking Black History Month with Celebrating Black Futures, a month-long programme dedicated to exploring art, music, literature, and film through the lens of Black culture and creativity. Organized in collaboration with partners such as ArtspeakNooroongji BooksSpace Lab, the Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver Black Library, and We the Roses, the programme celebrates Black contributions while fostering dialogue and inclusion.

Read the Full Article Here

Master Haida artist to debut at Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver

After a career that has traversed 50 years, Haida artist Kihl’ Yahda Christian White is presenting his first major solo exhibition this February.

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver is hosting the show’s opening on Feb.1 with White in attendance. The displays will be available to view until next year.

The featured artwork spans his entire career and includes collaborative pieces made with apprentices.

Read the Full Article Here

New Exhibit "Reframed: Understanding New West Through Photos" at New Westminster Museum & Archives

New Westminster Museum and Archives holds 230,000 photographs documenting scenes of the city’s history and its people. Community members donated the majority of these photographs creating a preferred narrative of our past, influencing the stories told through exhibition, programming, and the media, and omitting the contributions of those not captured in this historic record.

Reframed: Understanding New West Through Photos critically examines photographs acquired by New Westminster Museum and Archives since 1950. The exhibition articulates the role these images have played in shaping community narrative, and reframes them to present a more genuine picture of the city’s past. By looking at who is, and is not, present in these photographs, we explore how a limited number of photographers shaped the early historic record of the city. This exhibition compares the original vision of the photographer with the impact of their work. Evidence of forgotten stories appear at the fringes of their images and beyond the cropped areas of photos used for publication. Reframed considers the role developing technology played in empowering New Westminster’s communities to document their own lives. With thousands of unnamed faces in the collection, this exhibition highlights the power that names hold to discover hidden histories from marginalized populations.

The exhibition critically examines the ways in which we can reframe our knowledge about the city by highlighting its marginalized stories.

The exhibit's opening reception will take place on February 6th from 6pm to 8pm. The exhibit runs from February 6th, 2025 until June 29th, 2025.

Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum gets a new Executive Director

The Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum (CBCRFM) is welcoming Baptiste Marcere as their new Executive Director. Marcere will be succeeding Katherine Carlson after she became the Executive Officer for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) of Northern B.C.

Marcere is from France and has earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences. Marcere will be bringing his experience from past appointments as the Executive Director for the LaMaison Gabrielle-Roy in Winnipeg and the North Peace Cultural Centre in Fort St. John. According to the CBCRFM, he has also worked closely with First Nation communities in Manitoba.

The CBCRFM adds that they are excited to have “Baptiste’s passion for community engagement and history to support the development of tourism and education in the region. Being bilingual, Baptiste will also be able to serve visitors and stakeholders of the Museum in French.”

Retiring archivist shared, shaped Sechelt’s history

The sagacious steward of the Sechelt Community Archives is stepping down after almost three decades overseeing the community’s collection of historical records.  

Ann Watson, withdrawing from her duties at the age of 91, plans to travel extensively with her husband Ivor. Liberated from her customary Thursday office hours at the archival stacks on Teredo Street, Watson also intends to step up her pickleball coaching and competitive gameplay at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre. 

Watson began organizing Sechelt’s collections in 1997. She had just completed a relocation of archival materials from the Anglican Church’s Christ Church Cathedral to the Vancouver School of Theology. During the subsequent decade, she traveled to and from Vancouver each week, setting the cathedral records in order while instituting archival systems in Sechelt. 

“What I found out,” she said, “is that you find a job you like and you’ll never work a day in your life.” 

Read the Full Article Here

VIDEOS

"The Paper Trail to the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act" final curator's tour

On this tour from the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, curator Catherine Clement will walk you through her feature exhibition commemorating the 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act. Learn more about the unique stories about various exhibition displays and the behind-the-scene work done by her team for this project.

Watch the Video Here

"Women's Labour History in Vancouver": A Virtual Walking Tour with Natasha Fairweather

Join Natasha Fairweather, the Project Manager at the BC Labour Heritage Centre, for this virtual walking tour of sites in Vancouver with a significant women's worker history, highlighting some of the job actions leading to progress on women's equality in the workforce.

Watch the Video Here

EVENTS

2025 Heritage Week: Pastimes in Past Times (February 17-23)

This year, Heritage Week celebrates the many ways people have spent their leisure time throughout history, highlighting how these activities have shaped the cultural fabric of today.

From February 17 to 23, 2025, culture and heritage organizations across the province are invited to host an event in their community to celebrate Heritage Week. Attend an event, spread awareness about Heritage Week on social media using promotional tools & resources, and encourage municipalities to advocate for heritage by issuing a proclamation formalizing the week.

Learn More

Virtual Panel Talk: Chinese Canadian Convos with BC History Magazine

On Thursday, February 20, the Chinese Canadian Museum is hosting a virtual panel talk entitled "Chinese Canadian Convos with BC History Magazine."

The special virtual program highlights stories from our winter 2024 issue of BC History, which featured a theme of Chinatowns. 

Panelists include Imogene Lim, Catherine Clement, Elwin Xie, Sarah Ling, and Andrew R. Sandfort-Marchese in conversation with magazine editor Aimee Greenaway. 

The online event is free to attend, registration is required.

Register Here

salishan Place by the River Grand Opening

On Saturday, February 8, Mayor Eric Woodward, together with members of Council, and the Fraser Valley Regional Library, will be celebrating the grand opening of salishan Place by the River, the Township of Langley’s new arts, culture, and heritage centre in Fort Langley.

Attend the public open house at salishan Place by the River and also celebrate the opening of the new Fort Langley Library.  Learn about the plans for salishan including programs, services, and the phased opening of the museum and its exhibits in the coming months.

Saturday, February 8 from 12:30 to 4:00pm
23430 Mavis Avenue

Free admission.

Learn More Here

Online Program through Vancouver Public Library

On February 18th, The Vancouver Public Library is offering the online program "Family History and Genealogy"  with Library and Archives Canada.

The program is free, and is offered virtually so that anyone can attend! Click the link to register today.

Signs of the Times: Nɬʔkepmx resistance through rock art

Learn More & Register Here

CLIPPINGS

ADVERTISING

 
 
 
 

The BCHF offers a number of advertising opportunities in our e-newsletter, which is distributed to our entire membership monthly. Advertisements are jpeg images sized to 600 px wide for electronic distribution. To submit an ad, contact Laura Van Zant: laura@bchistory.ca

Members enjoy discounted advertising rates. Choose 12 months for the best deal:

1-3 months = $100 each ($100-$300 annually)
4 months = $90 each ($360 annually)
6 months = $80 each ($480 annually)
8 months = $70 each ($560 annually)
12 months = $50 each ($600 annually)

Rates for non-members are as follows:

1-3 months = $150 each ($150-$450 annually)
4 months = $140 each ($560 annually)
6 months = $130 each ($780 annually)
8 months = $120 each ($960 annually)
12 months = $100 each ($1,200 annually)

British Columbia Historical Federation

Box 448, Fort Langley, BC, V1M 247 • info@bchistory.ca

The BCHF Secretariat is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish speaking Peoples. The BCHF is on Facebook. Join the conversation.