By Pall Beesla,
Special to The Post

Our city can protect and preserve the cultural hubs in Vancouver by collaborating with our Park Board. It is no secret that historic sites like Punjabi Market and Chinatown are losing their businesses to other cities in the Lower Mainland.

Both of these cultural neighbourhoods are home to two wonderful parks with community centers in their midst that are attractions to all citizens in our city: Sunset Community Centre and Dr. Sun-Yat Sen Chinese Garden.

Simply put, we need to capitalize on daily foot traffic in these parks and community centers in order to nurture what makes our city tick.

Both the Chinatown and Punjabi markets need to forge stronger partnerships with their respective parks and leverage their community to ensure the survival of the businesses that remain.

There are young, motivated, talented artists and merchants who are ready to work together to create park and community events that would attract residents of Vancouver to experience something unique.

Recently, the Indo-Canadian community came together, fittingly over chai and samosas, in an interactive forum on creative ways to revitalize Punjabi Market. Ideas like Indian cooking classes, bhangra lessons, and Bollywood Under the Stars at Sunset Community Centre were proposed. The ideas were full of life – exactly what Punjabi Market is in need of right now.

This workshop brought out many of the candidates seeking public office to see the plight of our neighbourhood. Some came for the photo-op, others stayed and listened respectfully, and a few stayed to participate in the discussion.

One thing was apparent – if there was one venue to gather people from different political ideologies in one room, it was one that featured a cultural theme as opposed to a religious one in which people may have opted out instead of ‘photo-opping’ in.

This passion, and optimism from the artists and merchants seeking to renew their neighbourhoods reminds me of my childhood growing up in Punjabi Market. We had a true sense of community and the marketplace was always bustling.

To maintain that sense of community – and unique culture – it will be important to cooperate with facilities that help build that idea of togetherness. In this increasingly disconnected city, we need more cultural spots that weave into the greater Canadian mosaic and help bind us together as true Vancouverites. The only institutions that can assist in building this connectivity in our city are our parks and community centres.

Sunset Community Centre already is part of the Annual Vancouver Vaisakhi Parade – an event I have helped coordinate in the past and which has routed through the Punjabi Market every April over the past 50 years.

During the Chinese New Year Parade, the Dr. Sun-Yat Sen Chinese Garden is a focal point for parade-goers in Chinatown and also hosts the annual Indian Summer Festival. With even more events, we can ensure the sustainability and viability of both park grounds for generations to come.

Developing cultural hubs in our city are important to the development of our youth. Future Vancouverites will be able to maintain a sense of ancestral identity to feel unique but also feel connected to fellow citizens through history that is celebrated together.

Community centers and parks offer a common ground for all city residents to share and connect over their experiences.

Without these venues, future generations will lose a part of their identity and our city will become bland, uninspired, and homogenous which may stunt beautiful creativity in both local art and architecture.

It is time for our Park Board to collaborate with our cultural hubs and surrounding community members to maintain a diverse, vibrant and inclusive city that we call home.

Please support me and my commitment to our city to ensure Vancouver maintains its true integrity through cultural and community preservation to ensure there is always a place to bring community together.

Pall Beesla (NPA) is running for the Vancouver Park Board. Polling takes place on October 20th.