A Proposal Worth Supporting

By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published June 26, 2002

Something special is happening in the Heights this summer. And that something is helping to make the neighbourhood a lot more interesting and vibrant.
The city's oldest commercial district is rapidly developing a reputation as a home for the arts, thanks to the good works of a wide variety of local theatre companies.
The first real artistic production of the summer arrived last week when the newly formed Burnaby Theatre and Film Acting Society opened their summertime run of American Buffalo at the Heights Performance Theatre.
The brainchild of Gemini Award-winning actor James Purcell, the small theatre society is only the most recent artistic group to set its sights on the Heights.
In fact, there may be even bigger things on the way.
The Celtic Heritage Society of Canada has confirmed that it wants to turn the vacant 'urban renewal site' uphill from Boundary Road into a new cultural centre and theatre - similar to the National Nikkei Heritage Centre for Japanese-Canadians in south Burnaby.
"The project is visionary and ambitious, yet totally achievable, and much work remains to be done," says the latest edition of the Celtic Connection newspaper. "Let's make it happen for the large number of Celts in our midst ... the Irish, English, Welsh, Scots."
The society has opened an office at 3847 E. Hastings Street and is actively recruiting volunteers and others to support its bid for a new cultural centre.
While much work remains to be done to make this dream come true, the proposal sounds like a terrific idea. We look forward to helping.
Cor blimey!