Vancouver's Many Faces: Passport to the Cultures of a City

Ann Turner is the financial and budget manager of the University of
British Columbia Library.

Much of the richness of the Vancouver experience derives from the
cultural diversity of its population. The 1991 Census of the Vancouver
Metropolitan Area lists 83 separate ethnic heritage groups that are
represented in the area. Building on his experience as a reporter on
multicultural affairs for the Vancouver Sun, Kevin Griffin researched
nearly 50 ethnocultural groups for this book. He documents the social
history of 22 major groups in detail, including in his review the
effects of the discrimination that many have suffered over the years at
the hands of government and their fellow citizens.

Many groups are organized to the extent that they have their own
community areas, public buildings, monuments, events, organizations, and
media. Griffin provides “neighbourhood guide” information for all
the groups, including contact addresses and telephone numbers where
applicable. Both the historical research and the current guide
information are valuable additions to the body of published material
about Vancouver, especially now that the city’s multicultural heritage
is becoming more widely appreciated.