Surrey home for B.C. museum honouring Canadians of South Asian heritages

Surrey home for B.C. museum honouring Canadians of South Asian heritages

Published 6:00 pm Friday, September 18, 2026

Surrey has apparently won a fight with Vancouver to be home to a museum honouring Canadians of South Asian heritages.

The B.C. government said Friday (Sept. 18) that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with the City of Surrey to advance work and planning for such a museum, plans for which date back to the B.C. election campaign of October 2020 when the BC NDP promised to build a museum in Surrey devoted to B.C.’s South Asian history.

As late as 2025, Surrey and Vancouver both lobbied to be home to the museum.

The MOU sets out how the Province and the city will work together on the next phase of planning including “exploring options for the museum, identifying potential sites, spaces and support mechanisms, further engaging with communities and developing implementation plans,” a B.C. government news release says.

The museum project “builds on public engagement, planning work and ongoing conversations with communities and stakeholders. Community voices will continue to play an important role in shaping the museum and ensuring it reflects the diverse histories, cultures, languages and experiences of Canadians of South Asian heritage throughout British Columbia.”

There is no better place than Surrey for a museum dedicated to Canadians of South Asian heritages, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke says, thanking the provincial government for choosing Surrey and advancing this “important project.”

Canadians of South Asian heritages have origins in nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, with a diaspora as far-reaching as Fiji.

Canadians of South Asian heritages make up approximately 9.6 per cent of the population and are the second largest racialized group in B.C.

Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade applauds Friday’s announcement.

“We are thrilled to see the Province recognize what the Surrey & White Rock Board of Trade has known for years: Surrey is the right home for this museum,” said Joslyn Young, board CEO. “The museum will provide an important place to preserve and share the stories of South Asian Canadians, while also creating an opportunity to strengthen Surrey’s economy and tourism sector.”