B.C. is establishing a Filipino cultural centre for the third-largest visible minority group in the province, after consultation with community members, an advocate in the Peace said, “it’s about time.”
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport discussed their ambition after conducting a survey for Filipino Canadians in B.C., and despite the respondents of their survey only reporting their location as the lower mainland, Ovvian Castrillo, the board director of the North Peace Filipino Canadian Community Bayanihan Association, said it is still representative of the communities in the northeast.
“On behalf of NPFILCAN, we are happy that we have been heard and that there is an effort to address the needs of the Filipino Canadian community in British Columbia,” she said.
Castrillo said the ideal cultural centre would host remote events to include the northeastern population – as opposed to limiting them to a centralized physical space.
“The intent is to have a Filipino Canadian cultural centre in B.C., so it’s not just for the lower mainland, we’re hoping we can be included in most things cultural,” she said. “(We’re hoping) we continue to be heard because their needs might be different from our needs.”
The three recommendations in the report are to create a supportive space to build community, to make space to recognize the cultural contributions of Filipinos in B.C., and for inexperienced and non-members of the community to learn about their heritage.
City events and other local organizations have supported some of these goals already coming to fruition in Fort St John.
“What we’re seeing is partnerships with either other nonprofits or with the City of Fort St John, we have partnered, and they’ve given us the opportunity to teach (the) Philippines’ language in the facilities,” said Castrillo, explaining how they offer residents an opportunity to learn about her heritage in their own backyard.
She also highlighted the organization’s contributions to the Canada Day parade over the years – though she acknowledged, even within the city, there is potential for more.
“We’ve never been able to participate in the Santa Parade,” she began. “We don’t have a hangar to decorate a float in the wintertime … There’s certain things that we’d like to participate, but maybe we need some supports in order for us to be able to do that.”
According to the report, this Filipino cultural centre recognizes the contributions of Filipino British Columbians, whose populations is expected to increase by more than double by 2041.
“For a lot of us, Fort St John is our only Canada – it’s the only Canada we know. We’re making it our home,” Castillo said.
Moving forward, the ministry said they will continue to engage with various Filipino Canadian organizations across B.C. as they guide, “the next steps in the realization of a provincial Filipino cultural centre.”
