New City of Vancouver satellite office to open in Chinatown

Chinatown Parkade at 180 Keefer Steet, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

A new satellite City of Vancouver satellite office is set to open within the historic Chinatown district in July 2023, as part of an effort to better understand the unique demands and issues of the area.

It will be located within a small space in the City-owned Chinatown Plaza building, where the area-serving parkade is also located.

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The office will support outreach efforts in Chinatown, and serve as a connection point to make City services more accessible to those in the community, including as a location to coordinate the municipal government’s recently implemented efforts to help revitalize the area.

The opening of a new City Hall office in the area was a campaign promise made by Mayor Ken Sim, and one of the components of the City’s Uplifting Chinatown Action Plan approved early this year, which includes measures to improve street cleanliness and remove unwanted graffiti.

Earlier this month, the City also lowered overall curbside street parking rates in Chinatown, in response to calls from businesses and organizations to add such a measure to help attract more visitors.

This office will be staffed full-time by City staff with proficiency in either Mandarin or Cantonese.

It was also announced last week by the mayor that the office would be named after Won Alexander Cumyow, who is the first known person of Chinese descent to have been born in the boundaries of present-day Canada.

Born in 1861, Cumyow became a leader in Vancouver’s Chinese community in various organizations and served as an interpreter in the Vancouver police court for decades. He passed away in 1955.

Currently, he is amongst the eight finalists to be featured in Canada’s new $5 bills.

“Naming this new office after Won Alexander Cumyow is as a testament to his dedication to this community and those who call it home,” said Sim in a statement. “His life of determined advocacy helped pave the way for countless Canadians of Chinese descent – including people like myself.”

City Council is expected to approve a motion by the mayor and ABC Councillor Lenny Zhou on the naming this week.

“It is so encouraging for the future of Vancouver’s Chinatown to see the City of Vancouver open its new office in this historic neighbourhood. This is a positive step, and we thank Mayor Ken Sim and City Council for their continued support in the revitalization of Chinatown,” said Carol Lee, chair of Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.

“With the voices of residents and business owners now having a direct line to City Hall, we hope to see real change in this community.”

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