Expo 86 showcased Vancouver to the world

It’s almost hard to believe that Expo 86 was 30 years ago. It was the event that jolted people out of lethargy of beautiful British Columbia, showing the world that there is an extraordinary world beyond admiration, appreciation and exploration. It sparked the transformation that made Vancouver what it is today.

 Expo 86 was visited by Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales. It was when Diana fainted in the California Pavilion that many people were suddenly aware for the first time about Vancouver (“where is Vancouver?”) and its world fair.

 By closing night, Expo 86 hosted more than 22 million visitors and potential immigrants. It proved to be the catalyst that brought visibility and cash to Vancouver. It made the city more diverse, multi-cultural, more vibrant and more livable.

2 of 3 Vancouverites originate overseas

 Hats off to Vancouver columnist Douglas Todd for his comprehensive and detailed article on what’s happening to Vancouver today, after Expo 86. He revealed the truth why Metro Vancouver has a low proportion of homegrown residents. Two out of three inhabitants of the city of Vancouver were either born in some other part of Canada or, even more likely, in a foreign country. Of major Canadian cities, Vancouver has the fewest residents born in the same province.

 According to Statistics Canada, 42 percent of Metro Vancouver residents were born in B.C. , 16 percent were born in other regions and 42 percent were born in foreign countries. Today, about 85 percent of the 30,000 people who arrive in Vancouver each year are from other countries, particularly Mainland China, India, the Philippines and to a lesser extent Iran, Pakistan and the US.

1st novel focussed on Filipinoimmigrants in Canada

 Filipino-Canadian Eleanor Guerrero Campbell, a well-respected community leader and former urban planner has written a novel “Stumbling Through Paradise –A Feast of Mercy for Manuel del Mundo.”

 The book aims to make people care about what newcomers struggle through. It also circles to how in time, they survive and thrive. The book about the Filipino immigrant experience of the fictional Filipino del Mundo family in Canada in the 80s to the present will be launched this coming May 21 at the Creekside Coummunity Centre, Olympic Village in Vancouver.

 When Guerrero-Campbell worked with skilled new immigrants as founding executive director of an immigrant serving organization, she met many highly accomplished professionals from the Philippines, devastated by the loss of status, income, confidence. She saw the positive impact of programs like mentoring and educating newcomers about credential recognition and the job process in Canada.

She wove the situations into the novel’s narrative, the problems, issues and solutions of the underemployment of skilled immigrants through the lives of three generations of del Mundos. The ambitious three-part novel built around the three generations of the del Mundos ends with a second generation of the family aspiring for political office, challenging the multicultural mosaic of Canada as being inadequate and proposing a new way.

Here are some comments about the novel.

“ A timely reminder of what it is like to be a newcomer, when our city continues to welcome more and more immigrants and refugees” – Baldwin Wong, multicultural social planner of the City of Vancouver.

“The first novel focused on Filipino immigrants in a positive and balanced manner” – Aprodicio and Eleanor Laquian (authors of – Seeking Better Life Abroad- A Study of Filipinos in Canada.)

“The narrative blends into an engaging read on the diverse lives of Filipinos, depicts virtue and vice, hope and despair, triumph and failure in a contemporary setting that’s also a social commentary about the complex challenges immigrants face in a new country. From the idyllic town of Pililia east of Manila to the global city of Vancouver, Elearnor Guerrero Campbell has drawn deep to produce a sparkling gem.” – Carlito Pablo, staff writer of Georgia Straight.

 The event is sponsored and organized by ACAT (Anyone Can Act), a Filipino theatrical company. The book launch will benefit Daloy Puso, a newcomer youth mentoring program where University of British Columbia students mentor youth in Vancouver schools.