The provincial government today announced that the deadline for submitting nominations for the Historic Places Project is extended to March 2, 2015. This will give people more time to complete the requirements for the nominations.

In order to qualify, the nominations should be historic sites with significance to B.C.’s Chinese community that reflect the development and history of the province.

Approximately 10 of the nominated historic sites will be officially recognized by the B.C. government and placed on the BC Register of Historic Places and the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

The Historic Places Project marks the beginning of implementation of eight legacy recommendations made in the Chinese Historical Wrongs Consultation Final Report issued in May 2014. It was also the first announcement made about the projects since the formation of the Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council in October 2014.

Heritage BC, a not-for-profit, charitable organization, is contracted to administer the nomination process. Its mandate is to support heritage conservation through advocacy, training and skills development, capacity-building in heritage planning and funding through the Heritage Legacy Fund.

The BC Register of Historic Places lists more than 3,400 historic places that have been formally recognized or protected by the Province or a local government. The Canadian Register of Historic Places currently includes 97 records for historic places in British Columbia with Chinese-Canadian heritage values.

The Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council is working with Chinese-Canadian communities and other key partners to advise government on project implementation and to ensure that the projects are known and communicated throughout the province.

Anyone can submit a nomination through the Heritage BC website at: www.heritagebc.ca

The deadline for nominations is now March 2, 2015.

Learn More:

To nominate a historic place as part of this project: www.heritagebc.ca

Canadian Register of Historic Places: www.historicplaces.ca

Check out B.C. Heritage Stops: www.heritagebcstops.com/

For a complete list of Legacy Initiatives Advisory Council members and to view draft work plans for the legacy initiatives: www.embracebc.ca/embracebc/community/apology_for_historical_wrongs.page?WT.svl=Centre

View the Chinese Historical Wrongs Consultation Final Report and Recommendations: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/downloads/Chinese_Consultation.pdf

EmbraceBC - Province of B.C. multiculturalism site: www.embracebc.ca

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade and Minister Responsible for Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism
250 356-7293