Heritage Lunch and Learn | Fall 2025

VHF’s Heritage Lunch and Learn series will continue in virtual format this Fall on select Thursdays from 12pm to 1pm. Learn about the state of heritage and conservation projects in Vancouver today with experts in architecture and design, conservation, city planning and other related fields.

In 2021 our Lunch and Learn program was re-launched as a virtual program held over Zoom. These informative sessions feature heritage professionals, architects, and engineers who offer a closer look at tangible and intangible heritage projects in Vancouver.

This event is completely virtual and you will need a steady internet connection and speakers/headphones to access the webinar. The webinar is best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer.

Our Heritage Lunch and Learns are being offered by donation this fall. Suggested donation amounts for each event are $15 for one attendee, $30 for a household of 2+ viewers and $9 for students. Please note that by donation events do not qualify for charitable tax receipts. If you would like to make a larger donation ($20 minimum for a tax receipt) or become a monthly donor, please contact the VHF office at 604-264-9642. Thank you for your support.

Thursday, September 11th | The Oberlander Archives: A New Collection at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

Join the archivists at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre to explore the newly processed collection of personal records from Peter and Cornelia (Hahn) Oberlander. Learn more about German and Austrian Jewish refugees like the Hahn and Oberlander families who were able to escape Nazi persecution in Europe.

About the Speakers: 

Ada Alster is the Archivist at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. She holds a dual master’s degree in Archival Studies and Library and Information Studies from UBC.

Ted Lee is the Processing Archivist at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. He is also a doctoral candidate in Archival Studies at the UBC School of Information studying the development of professional cultures among archivists.

Thursday, October 9th | Behind the Seams: Vancouver’s Garment Industry in the 1900s

Vancouver is not known today for its garment industry, but some prominent factories (staffed largely by women), put the city on the map in the early part of the 20th C. This presentation traces a century of clothing manufacturing, from its early days of industrialization to its modern underground form, focusing on the experiences of the workers and their ongoing struggle for fair and dignified work.

About the Speaker: Natasha Fairweather is the Project Manager at the BC Labour Heritage Centre, focusing on oral histories, walking tours, and school lesson plans. Originally from the Kamloops area, Natasha has lived in Malaysia, the Northwest Territories, and eventually Alberta, where she studied and later taught sociology. She lives in Port Moody with her wife and children.

Thursday, November 6th | Vancouver's Chinese Societies: Keys to Living Heritage

Many visitors have visited Vancouver Chinatown’s in search of Chinese cuisine and specialty shops. A visible and yet commonly overlooked fabric that lines the streets of Chinatown and their surrounding neighbourhoods are Chinese Societies. Vancouver is home to one of the largest concentrations of them. A century after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, Larry Chin methodically walked the streets to find out how many are still in existence and active. With his experience on the Board of two Chinese Societies, will guide you on a virtual journey and access their interior spaces to share his findings as well as their origins, purpose and relevance; with a look at the beautifully illustrated Chinese Societies Map, the 2022 VHF Publication Grant recipient

About the Speaker: Larry Chin is an award-winning filmmaker, professional photographer and active volunteer in Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood. He has co-directed a number of documentaries including, Keys to Living Heritage, which highlights Chinese Societies in Vancouver’s Chinatown and Strathcona neighbourhoods. He currently sits on the Board of Directors at Chin Wing Chun Society of Canada, Vancouver Tsung Tsin (Hakka) Association and Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC and an Honourary member of the Chinatown Society Heritage Buildings Association.

This event is presented virtually through Zoom. Please ensure you enter a valid email address when registering. Details on how to join the Zoom webinar will be sent to registered participants in the confirmation receipt and reminder emails. If you have not received the Zoom webinar link before the event day, please check your spam folder or contact us at mail@vancouverheritagefoundation.org.

Please review our cancellation policy here before registering.

All donations are tax deductible. Please note that by donation events do not qualify for charitable tax receipts. Our Registered Charity number is 891765968.