Dream Vancouver:  What could I, you, we… dream for Vancouver

Think City has
invited me to submit a dream statement outlining my hopes for Vancouver’s
future.

Somehow… I was recommended as a “Vancouver Dreamer.”  I am sure it was meant as a compliment.  So I started to think of how my dreams may have contributed to Vancouver:

To dream that Joy Kogawa's childhood home could be saved from demolition and be turned into a literary landmark and reminder of the internment of Canadians of Japanese descent….

To dream that Terry Fox Day could become an annual event at Simon Fraser University to help inspire students, staff and visitors alike…

To dream that beautiful flag-grabbing Taiwanese style dragon boats could be a welcome addition to the Taiwanese Cultural Festival, and the West Coast dragon boat race circuit…

To dream that my family history, of my great-great grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan, could become a CBC Newsworld television documentary titled Generations: The Chan Legacy…

To dream that the federal government could apologize for the racist Chinese head tax and Exclusion Act and offer ex-gratia payments to surviving head tax payers and spouses…

To dream that a little Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner of 40 could grow from a public dinner of 40 to 600.

To dream that the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner could inspire a CBC Vancouver television performance special that features other intercultural performing artists…

To dream that I could survive a life-threatening cancer tumor 18 years ago, when the doctors gave me a 60% chance of survival with treatment, and perhaps two weeks to live without treatment…

To dream that writers and authors would come speak to library workers at Library Square during a civic strike including the first strike in CUPE 391's 77 year history…

These were my dreams…. and they all came true.  And I played a role in each of these above events.  The next challenge is what to dream for Vancouver's future?

Check out the www.thinkcity.ca websiste:

Co-sponsored by
Think
City and
Simon
Fraser
University’s
Public Policy
Program , Dream Vancouver is about launching a new
public policy agenda for our city.
The one-day
conference is expected to attract more than 250 civic activists from a broad
spectrum of backgrounds with a diverse range of community
experience.

We will
be posting these statements on the Dream Vancouver web site daily from mid-Sept.
until the Oct. 21 conference day. 

At Dream Vancouver,
Think
City and SFU's Public Policy Program
will bring together 250-plus community leaders, activists and groups to network
and share ideas on the most pressing challenges facing the City of
Vancouver .

Our keynote speaker for the
conference will be former City of Vancouver Director of Current Planning Larry
Beasley. During his time with the City of
Vancouver , Larry Beasley developed
new land use and transportation plans that dramatically reshaped the city’s
inner neighbourhoods. Now known worldwide as “the Vancouver Model,” this type of
city design not only includes walkable neighbourhoods with open space, good
architecture and a balance of jobs and housing, but also safe streets, green
buildings and historic preservation. He currently provides planning advice to
cities in Canada
and around the globe, including Auckland ,
Washington ,
Chicago ,
Seattle , San
Diego and
Shanghai .

The Dream Vancouver conference will
follow an “open space,” Appreciative Inquiry format facilitated by Imagine
Chicago President Bliss Browne. Bliss Browne’s 16-year-old,
ground-breaking non-profit organization works in partnership with individuals
and local organizations – schools, museums, churches, businesses, and community
groups. Together, these diverse partners design and implement innovative civic
projects that build meaningful connections across generations and cultures and
have lasting institutional and community impact. Imagine
Chicago is used as a model for other
cities in the United
States ,
Australia ,
England ,
Scotland ,
Denmark ,
Yugoslavia and
now
Canada .