Community pays tribute to Chinese railroad workers
Members of Calgary's Chinese community paid tribute to Chinese railroad workers Friday, in a Canada Day wreath-laying ceremony.
When British Columbia joined Canada in 1871, Canada agreed to extend the railroad all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
It took 17,000 Chinese men a little over four years to finish it.
During construction, over 4,000 died in landslides and premature blasting.
Organizers of Friday's event said it's important to remember the sacrifices those men made.
"In our culture, we always remember our predecessors and ancestors before us, and what they did for us," said Sydney Woo.
Sidney Woo said it's important to remember the sacrifices those men made.
Woo immigrated to Canada in 1966. He said his grandfather and other relatives experienced racism in both Canada and the U.S., so much so that his grandfather returned to China for his retirement.
But for Woo, and subsequent generations of Chinese-Canadians, things got better.
"We enjoy Canada today, which is a very peaceful country and a good life," he said. "The life here is really good. It's almost like heaven to me."
As for what Canada Day meant for him?
"Good fortune on my part," he said. "I'm lucky. I'm thankful."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.