Chinese in Niagara Falls ON

        May is Asian Heritage Month . Although this time “offers all Canadians an opportunity to learn more about the history of Asian Canadians” and has been around since 2002, I’ve only been aware of it for a couple of years. Now with the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing, even fewer recognitions this month are likely so this post is a nod to Asian heritage – Chinese heritage – in particular that of my parents and their legacy to me. My father landed in Victoria, BC on December 23, 1918. The “General Register of Chinese Immigration” (January 22, 1919) lists him as Lee Tow Kin, age 14: travelling from his home village of Har Hung, District of Hoiping, China. Victoria, BC was his port of entry. He had travelled across the Pacific Ocean on the Suwa Maru. Toronto, ON was listed as his final destination. The Register notes that my father – like other Chinese immigrants to Canada between the period 1885 to 1923 – paid an additional fee for bein...