July 1: Day of Humiliation

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The result of a Canadian Press/Harris Decima survey suggests: the country knows little about its own history. Apparently, while Canadians profess pride in their country - that pride doesn't necessarily translate into knowing much about it. Findings are lengthy and spiked with astounding samples of the public's percecption of what, who, when and how.

Thus the question whether many really care abot the current 1812-exhibit in Ottawa - other than that it's held at our very own - corporate - national museum glorifying war and costs over 1 million bucks - may generally generate lukewarm interest in the rest of the country.
Somewhat more interesting the rest may find that - according to the Ottawa Business Journal, June 18, 2012 - Part of the money for the exhibit will come from the federal government, which has budgeted $28 million across the country for war commemorations and related advertising.
Our very own war! How cute is that! To the tune of!

In connection with all that blood-letting, I found out that there actually was a Laura Secord and involved too - while I had hitherto known her only as the name of a really good chocolate shop at Yonge/College in Toronto - years ago. No - not as far back as 1812!
Whatever - all this 1812ing raises the point that Canada still hasn't got its identity straight: relationship-issues! On one hand: not ready to let go of mum's ever so long apron-strings - although she is far too busy for us elsewhere with hats and horses. And on the other: turned-on by Uncle Sam's sexy uniform and a pistol in his pocket - just over the backyard-fence.
Decisions! Or not!

So here comes Canada Day - a day of abundant consumption, what with tons of unhealthy food and floods of cold brewskie in the great outdoors. Good for business! But personal reflection? Not so much!

Did you know - for instance - that on Canada Day, July 1, 1923 - or Dominion Day, as it was called then - the Exclusion Act came into effect: putting a legal stop to Chinese immigration or even just entering the country - with the odd exception. This generally connected with money, no matter what the rules said. The ban even applied to Chinese with British citizenship, and technically all those from Hongkong - a British protectorate/colony - fit that category.
The date of this was cruelly telling: Chinese did not qualify for being Canadian - although there was no immigration/citizenship law in place at the time, and their head-tax certificate made those here already just as Canadian as everybody else.
This day of British-colonial preening and prancing became known to Chinese anywhere as Day of Humiliation, and for the next 24 years - until 1947 - they were reminded every July 1 that they were not worthy of being Canadian.

This Day of Humiliation presented the most devastating loss of face yet - on top of the many restrictions heaped upon Chinese in BC - including Nelson - and the rest of the country already. They could not vote in local and provincial elections, and because they were not on voters' lists there again until 1949, they could not vote nationally. This also meant: they could not become attorneys, pharmacists, accountants; they could not be jurors. They were excluded from crown-land leases until 1951; they could not be hired for government work of any kind nor receive government contracts.
All this after those who entered Canada after 1903 had to pay a head-tax of $500 - an extraordinary amount at the time. But that could have been worse, if those in charge had listened to Nelson's former mayor John "Truth" Houston - racist extraordinaire - who had been loudly pushing for raising the tax to $1000!

The Act had far-reaching ramifications fo those Chinese in Canada already. With family being of utmost importance to them, even their immediate families in China could not join them here, and those not married were looking at possibly never being able to marry, because intermarrying with whites simply wasn't acceptable to most of them - as it wasn't to white women.
By law - for a time - white women were not allowed to work in restaurants run by Chinese. Inscrutable sex in the kitchen and all that!

Those men here then had a choice of either returning to China for good - the preferred official scenario - or they could go back home for a time, get married, wait for the wife to become pregnant and then return to Canada alone to prepare a home for wife and child - for when (if!) the Exclusion Act was lifted.
They were allowed to leave Canada and reenter with their head-tax certificate as a kind of passport.
So many went home to make their families there comfortable for the stretch and get married. These men ended-up having to support 2 households - one here/one there - without any guarantee!
But this lay-away-plan family was still better than no family at all, as many worried about possibly being too old to start a family after the law - they could only hope! - was dropped eventually.

When this happened after 24 years - wives with unmarried children were allowed to join husbands/fathers, and many men met their offspring for the first time as young adults. Many wives did not want to come at all, feeling too old or too set in their ways in China to start a new life in a country where - they knew - they really were not welcome. Or the husband here or wife/child there had died in the meantime. Shattered dreams, futures.
An open immigration law for Chinese specifically did not come into effect until 1967.

A small, bitter-sweet consolation for those whose lives have been directly/indirectly shaped by the Exclusion Act: Canadian flags waved on Canada Day now were probably made in China. And the day's highlight all are oohing and aahing over - fireworks - are a Chinese invention!

Canada Day



Uh-oh, Canada!






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Nelson's Socio-Economics - COW, Mon. June 25

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A meeting of the Committee of the Whole (COW) is a monthly Council-meeting specifically for input from the public. The date of the next COW-meeting - in fact all Council/COW/Commission-meetings - can be found on the City of Nelson website in the Meeting Calendar.

Input: Anything civic - aside from, for instance, feeling wronged with a parking-ticket - can be given in two ways:
1.
A group organizes around a particular civic concern, connects with Frances Long, Office of the Mayor, and asks to be put on the agenda of the next COW. If accepted - the group will make a formal presentation to Council, and Council will respond directly.
2.
An informal presentation may be made by concerned individuals at the beginning of a COW-meeting. Time allowed is 5 minutes. The topic is not on the agenda, but Council may ask questions.

Council/COW/Commission-meetings are generally open to the public, and it is advisable for those with civic concerns to attend and voice them. As in civic responsibility and participatory democracy - as NOT in Fish-Heads and Flowers.

Following is a topic to be presented to the COW, Mon. June 25.
No pictures!



Nelson's Socio-Economics

The setting for the rock commemorating the Chinese community's contribution to putting Nelson on the map has now been completed. Appropriately so between the end of Asian Heritage Month and Day of Humiliation.
The site now comprises the entire slope from the corner of Vernon & Hall to Mountain FM on Hall and all contained therein. This thanks to Karen MacDonald of Parks & Works, whose unprompted enthusiasm throughout has been truly wonderful to be with!
The whole looks and feels permanent - permanent as a rock can be permanent - simply representing part of Nelson's cultural heritage: this connection of culture and heritage concepts neither part of the current Community Heritage Commission's (CHC) syllabus, nor the current Cultural Development Commission's (CDC) confused bylaw-explanation of the City's cultural sector.  What with this bylaw admitting to being confused about itself! Surely a first anywhere!

The former's idea of heritage being elitist and superficial - the latter's explanation thus far not having defined reasonably the terms heritage, arts, culture and their umbilical inter-connectedness.

This now undeniably fixed physical presence of a reminder of Nelson's generally ignored cultural heritage may serve as one example for the City's need to change its selective landscape to an all-inclusive mindscape. Elsewhere called multi-culturalism.
I am looking forward to Council focusing on a reasonable explanation of culture, as a prerequisite for creating a comprehensive and detailed bylaw to clearly guide the new, improved model of a CDC-With-A-Goal.

Culture is the heart-mind of a society as a whole - expressing itself pragmatically and creatively in word and action. Often subconsciously. Often manifesting physically. The development of a culture is an ongoing process: yesterday's experience becomes today's point of reference, in terms of past failures and successes.

Heritage is everything we consciously bring into today from yesterday in various manifestations - non-physical/physical - as in education, technology, arts, sciences.
But not so in Nelson - never really having left yesterday and attempting to exploit its own brand of heritage, without splicing it into today.

Most recent example:
Sandwich Board Policy 4520.00.00
Design Guidelines
Sign Typeface and Graphics
Building style, colours and nature of the establishment should be considered in the selection of appropriate sign typeface.
Surely the building style does not determine the nature of the establishment - the establishment is not advertising the building but its own nature! Appropriate typeface would be that which the owner deems best to do this. That's advertising and ONLY the owner's business!
It is not clear which colours are referred to here - obviously colours would be considered.
And - not to forget - the building's owner is lucky to have a tenant! Period!
This guideline is pointless in its entirety!
Discouraged
Ultra-modern graphics and/or lettering
If the nature of the business is ultra-modern, it probably would want to advertise itself as such. And who will determine what is ultra-modern - if not the owner? Possibly it's anything non-Nelson-heritage? Is the City replacing one group of fundamentalist heritage-thumpers with another? No business on Baker is selling heritage!
Home-made, amateurish signs
What does home-made mean? Like homemade marmalade? One could make a totally so-called professional-looking sandwich board at home! What does amateurish mean? Here also - who will decide what is amateurish?

Nelson bylaws, rules and policies - an example above - frequently are developed and/or expressed insufficiently. While limiting the number of sandwich boards is reasonable - predigesting their message is censorship!

Anywhere else the year is 2012 - but not in Nelson, although it attempts to sell itself as progressive, far out, for real, the most this and that! Actually - instead of being far out - it consistently places itself neither here nor there!

By refusing to  bring the heritage-concept into today, Nelson's socio-economic development has been limited and socio-cultural development has been largely based on empty boasts. Nelson trying to fill its here-now identity-void.

To culturally develop, we must nudge today's heart-mind consciously with foresight and various means. Local tree-and-lake art and Baker-heritage are just not doing it! Cultural awareness gained means awareness of possibilities - this leading to economic growth. But without conscious broad-based cultural development, vigorous economic growth is not possible.

What then follows is that without economic developmemt a society falters: its culture as a whole develops incrementally only. That's where we currently are in Nelson: flatlining - as in little development of economic consequence, because we endlessly play with niche-projects and vague plan-snippets for the future, the latter often generically suggested by high-priced consultants from outside - instead of devising clear based-on-need strategies for today from within!
Talking about sustainability principles is soothing - talking about economy would be unsettling! So we aren't!
We do love procedure though!

Of primary importance to the new CDC must be finding creative ways to chaperone the City - even if kicking and screaming - into its own here-now reality, to then have it reinvent itself. Out-of-the-box input sought locally and accepted as the new norm! Becoming a conduit, instead of wanting to be the decision-maker!

Thus culture as a whole may develop strongly and deposit money in the bank!

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Nelson - Cherbo It!

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Heritage values being sacrificed
Councillor Column - Robin Cherbo, Nelson Star/30 May

History > Heritage > Culture

Any kind of movement within a society - positive/negative - constantly shapes/reshapes and adapts its culture - the society's mind. If adaptation is refused - a culture will stagnate. What we bring from yesterday into today is heritage: thoughts, actions and their physical manifestations. Rooted in history.

Nelson focuses on their physical manifestations only - thus this focus has no foundation, as in what made them possible. In this case usually: brutally hard work/working-conditions, very poor pay and inhumane treatment of many - directly/indirectly - doled out by a few. And these few financed what became Nelson's heritage buildings.

Heritage can't be separated from history, but what with Nelson's history not taught in its schools - the City and its Community Heritage Commission (CHC) have indeed found it relatively easy to affect a separation.

Making their concept of heritage nothing less than hypocritical.

Therein lies one reason for the CHC having to go and then the local concept of heritage having to finally be made all-inclusive - historically correct and socio-culturally contemplated.

I feel uncomfortable with this column's headline alone, and I wonder whether it originates with Councillor Cherbo or the Nelson Star.

Column

The first and last sentence pretty much say it all - whatever in between just substantiates that Councillor Cherbo is by-and-large ill-informed, often non-factual and consistently over-the-top.

                                 LoJo, Victoria BC                                      

First Sentence

Nelson is known in BC, across Canada and internationally for the beautiful heritage buildings on Baker Street and in the downtown core.

Across Canada? Internationally? There's an abundance of truly imposing part-of-daily-life heritage buildings all over Europe and Asia; I don't think the rest of the world is giving Nelson's architectural gems much thought. Or Nelson - period - for that matter.

Mr. Cherbo's Brigadoon-view comes from the same fog as one of the ten most beautiful villages in the world, the prettiest small town in Canada and the best small art town in Canada.

Victoria BC - beginning to acknowledge its white-bread heritage long before Nelson - got over this don't-touch-me-there complex and is bringing heritage buildings into the present (and life!) by joyfully (and respectfully!) painting them! Started in San Francisco in the 60s - the Painted Ladies - and from there spreading all over the Western world.

But not to Nelson!

For an exploration - see the post below:

Nelson In Living Colour

1 December 2011

In Between

As one letter to the editor stated, other communities in BC are working to establish heritage commissions modeled after Nelson and unfortunately we have chosen the course over and done with.

Unfortunately, Councillor Cherbo chooses his over-and-done-with view based on one (a single!) letter to the editor - without examples yet!

This reminds me of the 2 or 3 tourists-bringing-dogs letters to the editor - presumably e-mailed by disgruntled out-of-town dog-owners, who will never ever return to Nelson - and Council promptly fell for this! Hello?! Anyone can e-mail anything to the editor from here (while claiming to be there!) - or have someone e-mail it from there - and who's to know!

Neither Councillor Cherbo's insubstantial/unsubstantiated factoid, nor Council's reaction is confidence-inspiring.

Changes to the facade on the old Nelson Daily News building and other changes to store-fronts on Baker Street raise concerns...

...as do Mr. Cherbo's vague assertions. I see no changes to the NDN facade, except for new windows on the groundfloor - wood, attractively simple. And green! Which heritage-correct clearly is not!

Mind you, I am looking foward to seeing the Nelson Daily News sign put back, but that's a personal preference, and with the transformation not complete yet - who knows!

                                                                 LoJo, Victoria BC 

...and penalties to those who change building structures from the original design.

Bring on the building-structure police! Building structures?

It is said that some people do not put a value on the heritage buildings which have drawn tourists from all over the world to Nelson.

Maybe it's a parallel-universe thing.

The Civic Theatre is another example that could be restored, similar to the Capitol Theatre.

To keep this straight: Council - with Mr. Cherbo as member - gave the Civic away to a bunch of financially dicey guys from Vancouver. No restoration-talk then. They bailed unceremoniously, and Council has been at very loose ends over what to do with the place for quite some time. Then - suddenly - it allowed a very short period of time for public proposals. So how/when exactly could/would Mr. Cherbo's restoration-proposal enter? Does he actually have one? 

As for the Capitol connection: its interior is fine - the exterior is one of the

most insipid in Nelson.

Last Sentence

With heritage being the theme and core of tourism in Nelson, hopefully (sic) citizens will demand protection of the heritage buildings in our community into the future for the benefit of all.

If heritage is the core and theme of tourism in Nelson - why isn't that what the marketing-people currently run to sell the place? And where's the mythical cultural tourist? Certainly not on Baker Street, oohing-and-aahing at the beautiful heritage buildings there. Has anyone ever actually witnessed him doing this?

Remember the Cultural Tourism Marketing Survey Results saying Our definition of a cultural tourist ... is someone who travels to experience the authentic culture of the Kootenay Lake region's people, places and activities. No heritageing specifically there!

Heritage buildings - on paper - are an attractive backdrop against which the tourist may shop - no more! - but in reality they have been protected to death - literally: they look shabby, their awnings are rotting, because generally they haven't been kept-up since the initial redo in the 80s!

That - at least in part - because of the CHC's imperious dictates. Queen City and all.

Does Mr. Cherbo really expect citizens to demand protection of these buildings ad infinitum to the tune of ever escalating taxation, seeing that his heritage core/theme is not providing the goods?

Mr. Cherbo's position - particularly as coming from a City representative - is problematic in its myopia.