Richmond Heritage Awards

[City of Richmond Archives Item No. 2008 36 2 16]
About Richmond Heritage Awards
The Richmond Heritage Awards annually recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and organizations for the conservation of historic places and for promoting an awareness of Richmond’s diverse heritage. Historic buildings, cultural and natural heritage landscapes, artifacts, and oral and written histories – all are rich resources that contribute to our shared community identity. Some of the ways an individual or organization may earn special recognition are:
- Preservation, restoration, rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of a historic place, such as a building or structure, or conservation of a cultural heritage landscape.
- Promotion or awareness of local heritage through education, outreach or advocacy.
- Contribution to local knowledge of heritage in public history or interpretation projects.
2023 Heritage Awards - Call for Nominations
The City of Richmond Heritage Commission invites the public to submit nominations for the 2023 Richmond Heritage Awards. The nominations may be for an individual or an organization. Anyone may submit a nomination.
A one-page nomination form is available at the following link and must be sent to Minhee Park by email at communityplanning@richmond.ca or by mail to:
2023 Richmond Heritage Award Nomination Form
Richmond Heritage Commission
c/o Policy Planning Department
Richmond City Hall
6911 No. 3 Road
Richmond, BC V6Y 2C1
The submission deadline is 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
All nominations will be reviewed by an Awards Jury which includes members of the Richmond Heritage Commission. All decisions of the jury are final.
Contact Information
For further information, please contact:
Policy Planning
Planning and Development Department
Phone: 604-276-4207
Fax: 604-276-4052
Email: CommunityPlanning@richmond.ca
Past Award Winners
2022 Heritage Awards Recipients
Ken Chow, Interface Architecture
For his work on the mixed use building at 3755 Chatham Street, which highlights the traditional narrow lots typical to Steveston Village. The exterior draws inspiration from four of the local historic buildings to create four facades in a single building.
![]() Ken Chow, Interface Architecture |
Christine McGilvrary, President, Friends of the Richmond Archives
For her contribution as a host of the "Journey Through Time" online and telephone history sessions designed particularly for seniors who are not able to leave their homes or take part in outdoor programming during the pandemic.
![]() Christine McGilvray, President, Friends of the Richmond Archives |
Tonari Gumi, (Japanese Community Volunteer Association) and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
For the publication of "From the Sea and Shore", a record for honouring the foodways of an immigrant community and the resilient people who sustained them. Collected from the senior members of the Steveston Japanese Canadian Community, the recipes reflect their frugality and ingenuity in preserving Japanese tastes and culture using ingredients local to the west coast.
![]() Members of the "From the Sea and Shore" Project Team |
Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA)
For the CCA's school Heritage Fair Program. The CCA teachers and their librarians spend countless hours training their students on how to use archival material and conduct on-site research, and CCA has developed a positive culture of learning which will hopefully lead to a lifelong interest and awareness of history and heritage.
![]() Cornerstone Christian Academy Teachers |
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society and the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese-Canadian Studies
For its Fish Tales project, a community based story-telling project. In 2021, the Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society partnered with the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese-Canadian Studies at UBC. The Fish Tales project documents and shares personal Chinese-Canadian in an effort to create community ties and a sense of belonging, through the topic of "seafood".
2021 Heritage Awards
– Canceled due to COVID-19
2020 Heritage Awards Recipients
Richmond Museum Society
For their contribution to public history and heritage education through their recently launched Self-Guided Historical Walking Tours at Terra Nova and Brighouse, undertaken as a part of a new COVID-19 outreach initiative.Richmond Hospital Healthcare Auxiliary
For their contribution to the conservation of historic places through their volunteer-led efforts to begin restoration of the protected heritage building known as the "Steveston Methodist Church" which is now home to the Auxiliary's Thrift Shop at 3711 and 3731 Chatham Street.
Richmond Museum Society Greg Walker (right) with Golmehr Kazari (left) of the Richmond Museum Services Department |
Richmond Hospital/Healthcare Auxiliary Thrift Shop Ursula Van Duin |
2019 Heritage Awards Recipients
Sea Island Heritage Society
For raising public awareness on the history of the Sea IsIand.The Sea Island Heritage Society is a small registered charity dedicated to collecting, cataloguing, recording and disseminating the history of Sea Island in Richmond. The Society was organized in 2001 and meets monthly at the Sea Island Community Centre. It also hosts a few open houses and other events throughout the year.
Richmond Garden Club
For stewarding the Paulik Neighbourhood Park.The Paulik Neighbourhood Park is a six-acre park in the City Centre area which features a 1.5-acre garden. It was a family garden owned by the Paulik family beginning of the 1930s. A skilled group of volunteer gardeners from the Richmond Garden Club has been stewarding the Paulik Neighbourhood Park for 11 years and continues to maintain Mrs. Paulik’s 28 perennial garden beds.

The Sea Island Heritage Society members received a 2019 Heritage Awards at the Richmond Regional Heritage Fair Closing Ceremony |
Richmond Garden Club received a 2019 Heritage Awards for their stewardship of Paulik Neighbourhood Park |
2018 Heritage Awards Recipients
Mr. Reiner Siperko and Mr. Bob Hodder
For the retention and reuse of the original concrete mural on the new-mixed development called the “Kimura Building”.
The Murals on the Kimura Building |
Steveston Historical Society with Hugh McRoberts Secondary School Students
For its walking tour vignettes program, a five-part theatrical production about living and working in Steveston in the year 1917.Mr. John Campbell, a Volunteer with the Friends of the Richmond Archives
For his on-going efforts and dedication to develop two social media programs, “Friends of the Richmond Archives” Facebook page and “Outside the Box” blog.
Steveston Historical Society’s Walking Tour Vignettes Program Participants |
Mr. John Campbell (middle), a Volunteer with the Friends of the Richmond Archives, with members of the Richmond Heritage Commission |