This photo, taken in 1908, shows a group of South Asian men, probably workers for the Seymour Lumber Company, on the west side of Lonsdale Avenue at Esplanade.
The same year this photo was taken, the first Sikh gurdwara in North America was built in Vancouver, however, it is also the same year that the Canadian Government amended its Immigration Act to prohibit the immigration of persons that did not travel on a continuous journey to Canada, and imposed a $200 tax on all Asian immigrants.
These discriminatory provisions effectively halted South Asian immigration and, despite legal appeals, existed until 1947.
Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.
Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver, at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley, is open by appointment only. Contact: [email protected]
Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.
