Chinatown Memory Book
As part of this project, we asked the public to tell us their memories of Chinatown. Click below to read what people shared.
Renaming the park and parkade
The park and parkade were renamed 和園 Harmony Park and Parkade in November 2022. See below for additional context on the project.
The City is renaming this site on the boundary of Chinatown to acknowledge racial discrimination against Chinese Calgarians. It is a step towards becoming a more inclusive city.
From its founding in 1885, Chinatown has been in three different locations in Calgary. Displacement and racial discrimination against Chinese Calgarians forced the community to move as they struggled to set down roots. Anti-Chinese views that were widely held in Calgary, along with the federal government’s Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, made life very difficult for Chinese community members.
One of the many people whose words and actions harmed the Chinese community is James Short – a leader in Calgary who petitioned against the construction of the first Chinese-owned commercial building in 1910. When the park and parkade were named after him in 1991, his racist words and actions were not considered.
Click here to review the engagement summary for a list of themes from the name suggestions submitted and ideas to activate the park.
Your privacy is important to us. Personal information is being collected by The City of Calgary under the authority of Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Subsection 33 (c). It will be used to create a memory book and support engagement activities related to the James Short Park and Parkade renaming project. If you have questions about how your information will be used, please email dylan.jones@calgary.ca.
Resources and support
Support is available for anyone who is negatively impacted by these memories and we encourage you to reach out for help.
資源及支援
任何受記憶不利影響的人士都可以獲得支援，我們鼓勵受影響者積極尋求協助。以下資源均可匿名獲取。
资源及支持
任何受记忆不利影响的人都可以获得支持，我们鼓励受影响者积极寻求帮助。以下资源均可匿名获取。
