Remembering the past: Surrey renames street to Komagata Maru Way

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Gary Barndt CTV News Vancouver

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On a beautiful Wednesday morning, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallam and members of the South Asian community gathered in the Strawberry Hills neighbourhood to unveil a sign renaming a portion of 75A Avenue to Komagata Maru Way.

On July 8, Surrey city councillors voted in favour of adding the commemorative name to a portion of 75A, located between 120 and 121 streets.

On hand for the unveillng was Raj Toor, whose months of lobbying helped make the name change happen.

Toor's grandfather was one of the 376 passengers on board the vessel the street is named for when it sailed to Vancouver in 1914.

"Places like this Komagata Maru Way will educate the entire community and make us all richer. An awareness of how special a place Canada has, with so many ethnic communities living together," he said.

Mayor McCallum hopes this will be a strong reminder to the public.

"Komagata Maru Way is proof that the citizens of Surrey will not forget the injustices of the past," McCallum said.

Often described as a dark chapter in Canadian history, both federal and provincial governments have officially apologized for the Komagata Maru incident.

RELATED IMAGES 1 / 3 A new sign proclaiming part of a Surrey, B.C. street 'Komagata Maru Way' is shown in the city on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. (Gary Barndt / CTV News Vancouver) A sign for Komagata Maru Way is unveiled in Surrey on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. (Gary Barndt / CTV News Vancouver)