Lunar New Year Gala Typo Correction

show yeah thanks vice chair so I just want to put forward that amendment to correct the table if you want me to the amendment queue we can move into the amendment queue then yes very good one moment I'll just add you here okay go ahead counselor yeah we're straightforward just replace 2006 with 2026 all right may have a seconder

Council Frye. Okay. All right. Thanks very much.

Councillor, is there any... I guess we'll just call the vote now. I've got Councillor Kirby on here.

Yeah, thanks, Chair. I just want to echo Councillor Zhou's eloquent comments earlier in introducing the motion. I'm very pleased to co-submit this with him and honored to support the community for the Lunar New Year. It is a really special time of the year. And just it's sort of called joyful chaos. There's people everywhere. You've got your lion dancers. Everybody's excited to be there and celebrate and share the moment together and to not have it go ahead. And I know how important it is to have it in Chinatown for everybody and to not have it go ahead, I think, would be a real miss. So sometimes there are exigent circumstances where the city can step up and help. to get it through a hurdle. I think that we'll be in a much better situation next year when we have a new operator, I hope. And I'm very optimistic about that in operating the space. But meantime, I don't think we want to miss 2026 and the ability to celebrate Year of the Horse together. And so it's going to be a good time and it's coming up very soon. So looking forward to doing it. And I just want to extend my appreciation to all of the organizing organizations. We had a lot of them that are involved in the parade and the dinner. We had folks here this morning for the proclamation for Lunar New Year. But I know a lot of the six organizations and their boards and volunteers put a lot of their own time and heart and effort into making sure that we all get to participate and enjoy this celebration. And as I often say, it's a very full day, but when you go down and you see the parade, it's not just for... Chinese Canadians that it's not just for some Vancouverites it's for all Vancouverites and you can see how excited people are when you walk along the parade route to be down there and to be part of it and I know there's a lot of seniors that will spend the day and there's a real energy in Chinatown so I'm looking forward to celebrating and grateful to the community for finding a way forward that we could make this happen for this year. Thank you.

Thanks Councillor. Mayor Sim.

First of all, I do want to thank Councillor Zhou and Councillor Perpignan for moving this motion.

This is deeply personal, and it's something that I'm glad that it sounds like this has support. Look, the parade obviously is a pretty big deal. We have hundreds of thousands of people that show up to it to celebrate. You know, they're... not just their Chinese heritage, it draws in people from all different communities, people that are very proud of their Canadian heritage, and they celebrate the Chinese culture. The reason there's a deeply personal aspect to it is it represents tradition. It represents families, friends, communities, the intergenerational sort of... blending of you know different generations and friendship and I know quite a few of my uncles they still go and you know we're talking about individuals that were my dad's friends my dad's no longer with us but you know Uncle David and Uncle Peter, they're in their late 90s and they still go. And so while we may, like most people may think that this is just, you know, maybe it may not happen this year because of unforeseen circumstances, there are a lot of individuals where, let's just face it, there may not be too many of these left for them. And it's a really big deal. And, you know, Chinatown was on the brink. just not too long ago. And there's been a lot of work put into Chinatown to the point now where just recently a Wall Street Journal article, and I quote, said, Chinatown is a place alive again. And so let's keep that momentum going. Let's celebrate the community and let's make this happen. So obviously I'll be supporting it.

Is this the amendment queue? I guess we're speaking sort of... We're generally just speaking in support. Yeah, no, I'm happy to support this event. I know it means so much to the community, and I've never been to the gala, but I look forward to attending this year, and I've heard it's quite a lot of fun, and I can't wait to come and show my respect. Thank you.

Thanks, Councillor. Councillor Shou.

Yes, I just want to close out this motion. Honoured to be able to submit with Councillor Kerbion together, also on behalf of the Chinatown Advisory Committee. And also, I just want to thank all the speakers today. Thanks for supporting the motion. I know some of you have been waiting for a long time just to speak. I think I'm pretty touched today. These people, they don't speak perfect English, as you do, but they all live in this city. They all work really hard, and they all contribute, pay tax. to this city. They are contributing different perspective, economy, culture, education, all the perspective. Traditionally, I think the Chinese voice has been ignored by all three levels of government. But today, let me tell you, if you speak out, the government will listen. So I think that will be a first step that participate in politics, participate in policymaking, so we have a representation of your voice. I also want to reiterate this motion is about continuity, community, and responsibility. The Lunar New York Gala is not simply just an annual event on the calendar. It's a living tradition that connects generations, supports small businesses, brings visitors into Chinatown, and reinforces Vancouver's identity as a truly multicultural city. For decades, the Lunar New Gala, led by the Chinese Benevolent Association, has become one of our city's most signature cultural gatherings. What we are responding to today is unique and unexpected disruption. The closure of floated restaurants. The single change has created cascadia effects. from venue operations to catering logistics to equipment rentals, staffing, security, cleaning, and permitting. They are not cost for the organizers normally carry. They are not the result of poor planning, but they are extraordinary circumstances. This is why this motion is deliberately framed as a target and a one-time support. We are not setting a precedent for ongoing event funding. We are helping a long-standing community partner to bridge a difficult transition year. We often speak about revitalizing Chinatown, supporting cultural heritage, and strengthening diversity. This motion is a concrete opportunity to do exactly that in a practical, time-limited, and fiscally responsible way. As we enter the year of horse, approving this motion sends a clear message. Council stands with the community, values cultural community, and understand the real impact the sudden change will make to this community. And we'll try our best to make all the possible way to support this event. So with that, I hope to get your support for those motion. And I hope to see everyone at the Chinatown Parade, the Lunar New Year Parade, and the Lunar New Year Gala. Thanks.

Thanks very much counselor Joe, okay, so we will now call the vote or can you take us to the voting screen and Community members, please register your vote on the voting panel This is on the amendment and then we'll go to the main queue for the amended motion I'm sorry, I have to do it

Okay, so that passes unanimously with Councillor Bligh absent. Okay.

One more vote to go. Okay, we will now go back to the main queue.