Latest News

Observers watch a live Indigenous dance performance at a previous “Welcoming the Sun” event.

Photo by Jason Wei

Steveston Village hosts ‘Welcoming the Sun’ event

By Matthew Cheung

Published 2:23 PDT, Mon July 18, 2022

—

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery is hosting the “Welcoming the Sun” event on July 23.

The annual event aims to bring the local community together to celebrate and learn from local Indigenous communities, as well as learn about the local fishing history. It was also organized to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day and the summer solstice.

The pandemic resulted in two years of cancellations for this event, but cannery staff are looking forward to welcoming people back.

“We are thrilled to host our in-person events once again. Being able to watch our visitors interact with the cannery and explore the exhibits in-person once again is a wonderful sight to see,” said Diana Smith, marketing and communications coordinator at the cannery.

Sponsored by the Port of Vancouver, families will be able to enjoy live performances and food trucks, visit local Indigenous vendors who will be showcasing their art and products, and explore the national historic cannery site for free. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m.

This event will give visitors the opportunity to learn about Indigenous cultures and ways of life as well as the impact Indigenous people have had on Canada’s fishing industry. Some features of the event include a dancing performance, storytelling, a traditional wool weaving workshop, and two movies about the Indigenous impact on fishing.

The cannery, built in 1894, is one of the largest in British Columbia. It began as a salmon cannery but shifted to herring due a shortage of salmon. The site then began sending canned herring overseas to Allied troops in the Second World War before turning into a herring reduction plant where waste was reduced into profitable fish oil and fish meal.

The cannery stayed operational until it shut down in 1979 due to aging machinery. Reopened in the 1980s as a tourist attraction, the cannery aims to preserve the history of the fishing industry and the role that canneries played.

“At the site, we honour the history of Canada’s west coast fishing industry by sharing stories of the fishing industry and fishing communities through exhibitions, collections, programs, and events,” explains Smith.

Indigenous people have been fishing and trading salmon since before settlers arrived.

“By the 1830s the Stó:lo and other local Indigenous groups began trading salmon with the fur traders at Fort Langley. Indigenous folks have worked in the fishing and canning industry, including at the cannery site. To this day, Indigenous people play a key role in the fishing industry across Canada,” says Smith.

The cannery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Visitors can visit the historic site and browse the immersive exhibits on their own or partake in the summer experience tour, which is available until Labour Day weekend in September.

For more information about the event, visit: gulfofgeorgiacannery.org/events/welcoming-the-sun-22/