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Now or Never·EPISODE

The fight to save Chinatown

As Chinatowns across Canada are at risk of disappearing, meet the people who are actively fighting for their future - and reimagining what these places can be.

As many Chinatowns struggle to survive, meet the people fighting for their future

CBC Radio ·
A collage of five images.
From Vancouver, B.C. to St. John's, N.L., meet the people who are fighting for the future of their Chinatown. (Ariel Fournier CBC/Jessica Singer CBC/Ariel Fournier CBC/Trâm Anh Nguyễn/Submitted by Allan Chiem)
Now or Never52:36The fight to save Chinatown

Chinatowns across the country are fighting to stay alive. 

These dynamic cultural enclaves have existed in Canada for well over a century, and many are still filled with colourful shops, bustling markets and long-standing family restaurants. But gentrification, rising real estate costs and changing demographics mean many of these historic neighbourhoods are shrinking, struggling and in danger of disappearing. 

On this episode of Now or Never, we travel coast to coast, from Vancouver, B.C. to St. John's, N.L. to see how people are fighting for the future of their Chinatowns.  

A group of people stand on a staircase.
Sum Wong, middle, is the creative force behind Queens of Dim Sum - Toronto Chinatown's first and only public queer event. (Trâm Anh Nguyễn)

Ify takes a walk through Toronto's Chinatown with Sum Wong, the creative force behind Queens of Dim Sum - the neighbourhood's first and only public queer event. He tells us why it was so important to create this space in Chinatown, and how it's opening up new conversations within the city's East Asian community - including ones with his own mom. 

A man crouches down on a mat.
Allan Chiem is teaching Kung Fu in the Chinese Free Masons building in Lethbridge. (Allan Chiem/Facebook)

In Lethbridge, Alberta, Allan Chiem and his kung fu school are the last ones standing in the city's historic Chinatown. How he's breathing new life into the last remaining building, and what he dreams of for the future.

A woman stands on the rooftop of an apartment overlooking a cityscape with mountains in the background.
Carol Lee at Bob and Michael’s place outside of Vancouver's Chinatown. (Ariel Fournier/CBC)

Meet Carol Lee, who through sheer force of will is revitalizing Vancouver's Chinatown. She takes us on a tour of the affordable housing complex she spent years trying to get built, and tells us what keeps her going - even when her own father told her she should give up.

A man stands beside an old woman sitting at a table with a fruit basket on it.
Francis Tam, standing, and 104-year-old Mrs. Kwan Hum. (Jessica Singer/CBC)

Francis Tam is on a mission: to find every person of Chinese descent currently living in Newfoundland and Labrador. It's his way of connecting a community that has never had a physical Chinatown to gather in. He takes us along for a ride as he meets up with the oldest Chinese-Canadian person in Newfoundland, 104-year-old Mrs. Kwan Hum

A woman and a man stand beside each other in a Chinese restaurant.
Winnie Chen, left, with her brother William. (Ariel Fournier/CBC)

William Chen and his sister Winnie grew up in Edmonton's Chinatown, and have fond memories of a vibrant street culture and around-the-block lineups for dim sum. But ever since the pandemic, the area has struggled, with many long-time businesses shuttering their doors for good. Determined to save the place they call home, William and Winnie are going all in to bring people back, using the one thing they know best...food.