Mayor George Harvie was irate during council’s discussion Monday on his recommendation to install a pair of signs at the North Delta Social Heart Plaza to commemorate the Komagata Maru.
Council, the previous week, discussed a staff recommendation to have the storyboards placed at Delview Park, but it was decided that the city should look at other locations that have greater exposure.
Coun. Lois Jackson wondered why the new proposal was only brought forward by the mayor and that her Heritage Advisory Committee didn’t have an opportunity to discuss the change, as well as the placement of heritage signs in general.
Saying she was hoping to have some dialogue, she noted it became a confusing issue since her messages to parks staff weren’t returned.
“I’d like a little bit of direction here. Are we doing these signs in the heritage commission or aren’t we doing these signs in the heritage commission?” she asked.
Harvie responded that the recommendation to staff last week was for the proposal to not stay up in the air any longer
“And frankly, I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed for this council because this request came to council in December of 2019…it came to council and it then went to the Heritage Advisory Commission in July, and then it went back to the commission, and here we are one year, one year after having a request," said Harvie. “At the same time, it’s been recognized by the federal government. It’s been recognized, rightfully so, by the provincial government. It’s been recognized by the City of Vancouver and recently recognized by the City of Surrey. I, as mayor, think it’s very sad that we take over a year to do something that is so important, to do something to recognize the tragedy that happened and recognize the importance of it to our North Delta South Asian community.”
Harvie also noted he personally didn’t feel a park was fitting for such a commemoration to recognize the tragedy.
He asked why the city isn’t putting things in North Delta’s social heart, adding it’s ultimately up to council and not a commission to make such decisions.
“If the excuse is we have to go back and get more policy, I wonder what the real agenda is,” said Harvie
Saying she only first dealt with the proposal this summer, Jackson said she is concerned the proposal has been mainly dealt with through the parks department, and she hasn’t been involved in any of those discussions.
Harvie, on Twitter the following day, posted council’s decision to install the signs, a post which included a photo showing a printout of the council vote with everyone but Jackson voting in favour.
Coun. Dan Copeland, during council’s discussion, suggested Delta come up with a clear policy on the future locations where storyboards are best placed.
The Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission as well as the Heritage Advisory Committee had originally endorsed the placement of two signs, one in English and one in Punjabi, at Delview Park to recognize the historical significance of the Komagata Maru, a ship chartered in 1914 by a Punjabi man to take 376 people from Calcutta to Vancouver in hopes of a better life.
Upon arrival, apart from only 24, the passengers were prevented from disembarking while immigration laws were being challenged in the courts.
The ship was escorted out of Canadian waters and returned to India where 20 passengers were killed by British authorities.
A Delta staff report notes the signs tell the story of that time and the events that followed, including an apology in May 2008 by the Province of B.C., and followed by an apology by then Prime Minister Steven Harper.
Raj Singh Toor, representing the non-profit Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society, noted that he made a request last December to Delta council to recognize the Komagata Maru passengers, making a presentation to the heritage commission this July.
In a letter following council’s decision this week, he thanked Harvie and council for making the storyboard a reality.
“Soon, the city will install a Komagata Maru Story Board Sign in the North Delta Social Heart Plaza so that residents may be better informed of the hardships and struggle that the passengers of the Komagata Maru endured. It’s a great tribute to those passengers who suffered a lot during the tragedy. We are very happy and also South Asian Community and the Canadian are very happy. It’s a very good learning tool to connect the Delta residents and Canadians their history. I am glad to be a part of making this happen,” he said.
