Walking Tours

IMG_2915 John Atkin T hunter photo (1)THERE WAS WATER HERE? TRACING THE OLD EAST END WATERFRONT with John Atkin 
Saturday October 26, 10am (approx. 2 hours) 
Meet at Thornton Park corner of National and Station Streets
Join John Atkin, author, historian, DTES/Strathcona resident and walking-history-encyclopedia, on this fascinating exploration of the former shoreline of False Creek. Look at the history of the many businesses that once lined the shore along Main and Pender Streets, and learn about the evolution of the area and the filling in of False Creek over time. $10 for non-residents, pay-what-you-can for local residents.


WOMEN IN FISH WALKING TOUR with Rosemary Georgeson 
Saturday October 26, 11:30am – 1:10pm Rosemary Georgeson w 103lb Halibut caught w handline at top end Milbanke Sound circa 1977, photo courtesy Rose Georgeson
Meet at the Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard, 50 E. Pender
See the Downtown Eastside through the eyes of its lands, waters and historic fi shing industry on this ninety minute tour led by Rosemary Georgeson, a Coast Salish Dene artist born and raised in the commercial fishing industry. The tour culminates with a reception at the Fishing Industry Community Art Installation at the G & F Financial Group at 803 E. Hastings. $10 for non-residents, pay-what-you-can for local residents.


MOMENTS OF COMMUNITY AND LABOUR HISTORY with Jean Swanson and Joey Hatman
Sunday October 27, 11am – 1pm 
Meet at Oppenheimer Park Field House, 488 Powell

Commemorative plaques install '13 - photo 1 murray bush - flux photo_sm

Jean Swanson photo ©Murray Bush, flux photo

Moments of Community and Labour History is a walking tour of twelve memorial plaques that commemorate perseverance, resistance and the struggle for inclusion in the Downtown Eastside. Join Jean Swanson (Carnegie Community Action Project) and Joey Hartman (President, Vancouver and District Labour Council) on a walk through the Downtown Eastside where moments in Vancouver’s labour and community history will be marked. People who participated in these community moments will also be on the walk. Learn about camping for CRAB Park, redressing the Head Tax, the death of Olaf Solheim, striking longshore workers being attacked at Ballantyne Pier, the soapbox victory for Free Speech and more! This is the first tour of the commemorative plaques since the project was completed and installed this past summer with funding from the City of Vancouver. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. The walk will end at Woodward’s Atrium, 111 W. Hastings. $10 for non-residents, free for local residents.


VANCOUVER’S DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE OUTDOOR MURALS  with Richard Tetrault
Saturday November 2, 11am – 12:30pm 
Meet at Raven’s Eye Studio, 456 E. Hastings
RichardTetraultThere are over eighty murals on the walls of buildings in Vancouver’s East End and muralist and local award-winning artist Richard Tetrault leads us on a walking tour of about a dozen of those murals located in the Downtown Eastside. The walk begins at Raven’s Eye Studio where you’ll see Western Canada’s largest mural, Through the Eye of the Raven, on the west wall of the Orwell Hotel. The walk ends at Richard’s most recent project in the DTES, the Radius Mural in the courtyard of the Firehall Arts Centre. With so many murals on neighbourhood walls, there are sure to be surprises around every corner!

For further details please visit the interactive mural map at www.muralsvancouver.ca, a website built with the support of the City of Vancouver Great Beginnings Program. $10 for non-residents, pay-what-you-can for local residents.


TOUT EST ICI: A WALKING TOUR OF THE EARLY FRANCOPHONES OF VANCOUVER
with Maurice Guibord 

Sunday November 3, 10am – 11:30am 
Meet at Victory Square, SW corner of Hastings and Cambie
Maurice Guibord - photo Peter MeyAmong the early settlers of Gastown and Vancouver were Francophone hoteliers, shopkeepers, teachers, entrepreneurs, engineers, and many others. They came from eastern Canada, France, Belgium and Switzerland, and they formed a linguistic community in the new town. This walking tour will take you through Gastown and the Downtown Eastside to see where some of them set up their businesses, and where some changed the landscape of Vancouver. Maurice has been involved in culture and heritage for almost thirty years and is active in the local and national Francophone media as a spokesperson and chronicler. $10 for non-residents, pay-what-you-can for local residents.