Renter Services Grants 2026 (initial vote)

Statement Watch

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Sim. Thank you, councillors. It's been quite a ride. We passed the motion in 2019 and Councillor Fry was there in that very last item of business at that night. And throughout the years, we got through COVID and Councillor Fry and Councillor Meiszner were always there, even though the council was not in session. So we were a little conflicted to have the celebration this year because of all the things that were going on. But we ultimately decided to go through with it because this is actually a spirit of noise. Over thousands of years, we never canceled it. There were times that it was banned, but we still never canceled it. And even like we talked about Iran, but in Afghanistan. It is banned by Taliban, but it's still celebrated. Because Nowruz is a symbol of resilience. No matter how much injustice and tyranny is going on, spring still arrives and hope is still there. Nowruz builds bridges at a time of war, at a time of injustice, at a time of division. And it brings people together from various cultures and backgrounds. goes starting from the Fargana Valley all the way to Albania, from Zanzibar all the way to Bukhara, from the ruins of Persepolis all the way to Balch and Bamiyan. We celebrate it, even though our hearts are heavy, we still stand by. And in Noruz is a time to remember those who are not with us at the half-seen table. And unfortunately, there are many, many, many to remember. So if that's... I would like to conclude, I would like to thank you, thank the staff at the City of Vancouver, particularly Mariam and Ellen, who put this celebration together and the beautiful half-scene table. Thank you all. And I would like to invite my dear friend, Mr. Abdurrahim Parwani, to come and say a few words, if possible. Hello, everybody. Despite the very hard time that people of Afghanistan and Iran are going through at this moment, we celebrate Nowruz. Because Nowruz is a celebration of a new day, a rebirth of nature. It brings happiness, it brings inspiration, it brings hope. And we do celebrate it, regardless of what we are going through. Afghan people have been doing it, celebrating it, for the last 50 years under the fire of war and everything. And now people of Iran is going through that. So we celebrate it because it's Nowruz inspiring us to struggle for peace, for stability, for democracy. And we will do that because Nowruz is an inspiration. I would like to thank you very much, Mr. Mayor and City Hall of Vancouver, for celebrating Nowruz for many, many years. And I've been attending this, and it's really appreciated by our community. And I wish people of Iran and Afghanistan both to have what they desire, peace, stability, development, and democracy. Thank you very much again. Thank you very much, and I appreciate it.