My Pancouver lifeline
The Society of We Are Canadians Too stepped forward when I lost my job in 2022; now, you can step up for this registered charity on Giving Tuesday
In September of 2022 after 27 years and 11 months at the Georgia Straight, I was fired along with every other employee. It came as a result of the paper being sold to a new owner. None of us received severance pay or vacation pay. Some ex-colleagues have filed complaints with Employment Standards but their case is tied up in an appeal.
I was incredibly fortunate. A registered charity called the Society of We Are Canadians Too approached me about creating a new online media outlet. Within days of my firing, the society hired me. We went to work on an extremely low budget with the goal of amplifying the voices and achievements of diverse and underrepresented artists.
The society already had a talented designer, Jessica Sung, and an exceptional website builder, Michelle Wu. On November 8, 2022, we launched Pancouver.
In just over two years, we’ve published more than 1,000 articles in English. We also have sections in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, and French.
It was so much fun creating a new media outlet from scratch. I am eternally grateful to the Society of We Are Canadians Too for giving me this opportunity. Through Pancouver, we are countering systemic discrimination in arts and culture and the historic marginalization of underrepresented artists.
We did it because arts and culture open up pathways to empathy. Artists help us see the world in different ways. They have been a bulwark against bigotry and us-and-them thinking for generations. They teach us about colonialism not only in Canada but from around the world.
For the good of the planet, we need to transition the economy from mass consumption of goods to the enjoyment of experiences.
Last month, Pancouver co-presented two panel discussions at the Vancouver Central Library as part of our Beyond Chinese project. On the first day, we brought together panelists born in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong to speak about how identity informs their artistry in Vancouver.
The following day, representatives of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Chinese Canadian Museum, and Museum of Vancouver talked about how their institutions reflect the diversity of diasporic populations.
Today, many of us are receiving requests from registered charities and nonprofit societies because it’s Giving Tuesday. This movement was hatched in New York City in 2012. To date, I have not accepted offers of money from readers of my Substack account, though I appreciate their generosity. I’m keeping this platform free.
However, if you want to support Pancouver, I encourage you to donate to the Society of We Are Canadians Too. This registered charity was kind enough to provide me with a lifeline after I was fired without cause after nearly 28 years at the Georgia Straight. The general manager, Charlie Wu, wanted to ensure that I would continue writing about diverse artists. He provided the capacity for me to do this.
Best of all, you will receive a tax credit through a donation to the Society of We Are Canadians Too. Here is the link.
Follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bluesky.social.