City of Delta F.10 COUNCIL REPORT Regular Meeting

To: Mayor and Council File No.: 14035-20/Del P

From: Parks, Recreation & Culture Department Date: December 01, 2020

Delview Park - Komagata Maru Signs & Park Updates

The following report has been reviewed and endorsed by the City Manager.

■ RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the placement of two Komagata Maru signs in Delview Park as described in this report, be approved.

■ PURPOSE:

To approve the placement of two Komagata Maru signs, one in English and one in Punjabi, in Delview Park (Attachment A), .

■ BACKGROUND:

Delview Park (Park) has been undergoing a number of improvements over the past two years, including a new shelter, cricket pitch, relocated and enlarged off-leash area as well as a new playground.

Much of the Park improvements were driven through a public consultation process with an overall plan approved by Council in September of 2019.

Further improvements are still planned, including the addition of a batting cage to serve cricket and baseball, as well as a new washroom facility that Council recently approved to begin construction.

At its October 14, 2020 Committee Meeting, the Heritage Advisory Committee received and supported a proposal to place the signs recognizing the historical significance of the Komagata Maru.

The proposal was referred to the Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission (Commission) for comment at its October 29, 2020 Regular Meeting. Commission requested that a park signage policy should be developed to assist in determining the types and placement of signage in park spaces. Page 2 of 3 Delview Park - Komagata Maru Signs & Park Updates 14035-20/DelP December 01, 2020

■ DISCUSSION:

The Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship chartered by a Punjabi man to take 376 people from Calcutta to Vancouver in hopes of a better life. Upon arrival, apart from a few, passengers were prevented from disembarking while immigration laws were being challenged in the courts. In the end, the ship was escorted out of Canadian waters and returned to India where 20 passengers were killed by British authorities.

The signs will tell the story of this time and the events that followed, including an apology provided in May 2008 by the Province of BC, and followed by an apology by then Prime Minister Steven Harper for the hardship that came upon the passengers of the ship.

The Park has become a place of gathering for the culturally diverse community in the neighbourhood in which Delview Park is located and recognizing this history would be appropriate. The location of the signs will be adjacent to the picnic tables as illustrated (Attachment A).

Commission's request for the development of a signage policy can be pursued but will take some time to be completed. The Komagata Maru proposal has been in development for some time and is well advanced; therefore it is recommended that the installation should proceed in advance of the policy.

Implications:

COVID-19 Implications - Staff will follow the Provincial Health Officer orders when preparing the installation of the signs at the Park.

Foundation for the Future Implications - As part of the Recreation & Community Pillar, Delta will enhance the public realm, and foster a sense of community pride. This project also includes work aligned with the Social Pursuit pillar, as the project will promote awareness, diversity and inclusion in our community.

Financial Implications - Funding necessary for the installation of the signs identified in this report is available in the 2020 Heritage Advisory Committee Interpretive Sign program.

■ CONCLUSION:

Delview Park is a vibrant park space with a robust cricket field and spaces for passive gathering by a mix of diverse cultures. Completion of the onsite amenities, along with the placement of the Komagata Maru signs will further improve the esthetics of Delview Park and help recognize the struggles endured by the immigrants in establishing life in this country. Page 3 of 3 Delview Park - Komagata Maru Signs & Park Updates 14035-20/DelP December 01, 2020

Ken Kuntz Director of Parks, Recreation & Culture

Department submission prepared by: Diana L. Cousins, Senior Policy Analyst dlc/dc/kk/bc

This report has been prepared in consultation with the following listed department.

artment Department Name Signature

Finance Melanie Kerr

■ ATTACHMENT:

A. Sign Locations

F:\ADMIN\Council Reports\2020\DC0?0 docx - Wednesday, December 02. 2020. 2 30.33 PM Attachment A Page 1 of 2

British Columbia is well known as being a place of diversity, where In May 2008, an apology for the event was given by the Province people from around the world looking to call this land home are of British Columbia. That same year in July, Prime Minister welcomed into our communities. Over a hundred years ago, this was Stephen Harper apologized for the federal government's role to a not the case. On May 23, 1914, a boat carrying hundreds of crowd gathered in Surrey. In May 2016, Prime Minister Justin immigrants from India to Vancouver became a focal point in the wider Trudeau gave a formal apology in the House of Commons. struggle against Canada's exclusionary immigration laws.

~'119 ~tt-t,uflU9ra,ficti 1.a-w~ One of these laws was the continuous journey regulation which sought to restrict further immigration from India. In January 1914, a Punjabi man named Gurdit Singh Sirhali chartered the Japanese vessel Komagata Maru to take 376 people from Calcutta to Vancouver. The majority of the passengers were Sikh and all subjects of the British Empire. Gurdit Singh knew that such an act would provoke a response and hoped that Indian immigration to Canada could be opened up by forcing the issue. Passengers were prevented from getting off the ship for months. Food and water were limited and conditions were worsening. A shore committee was established amongst supporters of the passengers to raise money to assist them and to mount a legal case that went before the British Columbia court of appeal. The court ruled in favour of the government's right to restrict entry to the passengers. Apart from a small number of exceptions, the majority of the passengers who had arrived on May On June 10, 2020 Vancouver City Council apologized for its role in the 23 were to be deported. Komagata Maru incident at the request of the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society.

In 2020 the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society and the City of Delta agreed that acknowledging the Komagata Maru incident would By July 23 1914, the provide a meaningful opportunity for Komagata Maru was the community to reflect on systemic escorted out of Canadian racism in Canada. In response, the City waters by the naval vessel installed this interpretive sign so that HMCS Rainbow after having residents may be better informed of 1Jnw~ ~rrival fought to secure provisions. the hardships and struggles that many Upon arrival in Vancouver Harbour on May 23, 1914, immigration Upon its _return to India, 20 passenge~s of went through in working towards officials led by Malcolm Rei°d prevented the Komagata Maru from being the Komagata Maru were killed by British creating a more tolerant multi-cultural allowed to dock or its passengers from disembarking the vessel. Henry authorities. Many more were arrested. community. Herbert Stevens, a Vancouver politician, whipped up anti-immigrant sentiment and public opinion in Vancouver against the passengers .

Images provided by the National Archives of Canada, the City of Vancouver Archives and the Del/a Vancouver Public Library City of Delta Attachment A Page 2 of 2

Delview Park - Placement of Two Komagata Signs