– MLA George Chow says new provincial anti-racism funding for the Collingwood Neighbourhood House will improve Vancouver’s ability to address and respond to racism.

Collingwood Neighbourhood House is one of 34 organizations to receive $7,500 in anti-racism grant funding from Resilience BC, a new network established by the New Democrat government to address systemic and institutionalized racism across the province. The funding comes amid renewed calls for communities and governments across Canada to work together to address racism.

“Although Vancouver is one of the most diverse cities in British Columbia, we know that many in our community continue to face racism as part of their daily lives,” said George Chow, MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview. “Everyone has a responsibility to stand up against oppression and I’m proud to be part of a government that is taking action to combat systemic racism and discrimination in our province.”

Collingwood Neighbourhood House will use the new funding to convene a Community of Practice, consisting of service providers, volunteers and artists, to develop projects across the city that will have a collective impact and provide accessible, inventive, and combative solutions to racism.

In November of 2019, the New Democrat government launched Resilience BC, a province-wide, anti-racism network, in direct response to feedback received during the community meetings.

Other initiatives to address racism include the re-instatement of the BC Human Rights Commission, the review of B.C.’s Police Act, and working with partners to explore the gathering of race-based data in B.C. Recently, the government also invested $10 million to establish the Chinese Canadian Museum – the first in Canada which will also help promote social discourse and foster a more inclusive society for all.

The program will receive $540,000 annually, which will be distributed to communities and organizations across B.C. to support work to address racism.

For more information on Resilience BC, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/anti-racism/resiliencebc