This spring and summer, in-person and online engagement sessions focus on creating a museum in B.C. to celebrate Canadians of South Asian heritages.

The website is where people can upload written or video submissions and .

Surrey resident co-chairs a 13-member ministerial advisory committee tasked with gathering public input about the project.

91裸聊视频淭he B.C. government promised to build a museum, but the engagement is all about trying to figure out what the objectives should be, and should it be a museum/cultural centre,91裸聊视频� Gurm said.

91裸聊视频淲hat kind of space should it be, that91裸聊视频檚 another question, and then what do we want to call it, and where do you want it built? There are lots of questions on the (survey), that91裸聊视频檚 just a few of them.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频� RELATED: .

No construction timeline is given for the museum, plans for which date back to the provincial election campaign of October 2020, when .

The museum will be the first of its kind in Canada, according to B.C. Premier David Eby, and will 91裸聊视频減reserve the rich history of the diverse South Asian communities in this province for generations to come.91裸聊视频� Eby made the statement May 23, 2024, .

At Surrey City Hall on April 2, the day the B.C. government launched expanded public engagement focused on the project, that aimed to push for the quicker creation of the museum.

The museum concept has been criticized by some for using a broad term 91裸聊视频淪outh Asian,91裸聊视频� but Gurm is quick to defend what91裸聊视频檚 considered a 91裸聊视频渢emporary working name91裸聊视频� for the facility.

91裸聊视频淭he criticism is that 91裸聊视频楽outh Asian91裸聊视频� does not reflect a person,91裸聊视频� Gurm said. 91裸聊视频淪outh Asia is a place, a space made up of seven countries. So when we91裸聊视频檙e talking about the museum, not only are we talking about that, but we91裸聊视频檙e talking about people who might have gone from there to Africa and then to Canada or there to England and then to Kenya and then to Canada. So it91裸聊视频檚 hard to describe who it is, other than it91裸聊视频檚 people from an area. That91裸聊视频檚 why we call it South Asian, to reflect all those people in that area.91裸聊视频�

Gurm, born in the village of Mangata, Punjab, India, grew up in Vancouver. Today, she91裸聊视频檚 an award-winning who is involved in history and museum projects.

Feedback will be summarized into a report published later this year, possibly before the B.C. election on Oct. 19.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e hoping that by September we would have a report on the engagement so that we can inform government as to what we want,91裸聊视频� said Gurm, who co-chairs the advisory committee with Am Johal.

91裸聊视频淧olitically, with government cycles, you know that during election time they91裸聊视频檙e probably going to promise you more things than when they91裸聊视频檙e sitting in session.91裸聊视频�

The current round of engagement will be a good reflection of what the community thinks, Gurm hopes. The more people respond, 91裸聊视频渢he better the data and the better the decision,91裸聊视频� she added, 91裸聊视频渂ecause if nobody bothers to engage, then you91裸聊视频檝e just got people sitting around a table, you know, like myself and others that are on the committee deciding, and I didn91裸聊视频檛 want that.91裸聊视频�

So far, Gurm says people prefer either Vancouver or Surrey for the museum location.

91裸聊视频淚t would be great for Surrey,91裸聊视频� she underlined. 91裸聊视频淚 do teach at KPU, and KPU has multiple campuses where we have space. It could be a partnership between the province and KPU, you know. It91裸聊视频檚 an educational facility, and if there are lull times at the museum, then the university could use it (the space). But again, it91裸聊视频檚 a biased opinion and I will be the first to admit that.91裸聊视频�

The creation of such a museum is important, Gurm said, because when she was growing up, 91裸聊视频渢here was nothing reflected in our history books about contributions of South Asians. They were written from a very Western European perspective, and so that change is needed because if we look at self-identity, self-concept, it91裸聊视频檚 important to know who we are and where we come from. And when we don91裸聊视频檛 have that, it has an impact on health. And if you don91裸聊视频檛 have a healthy person, you91裸聊视频檙e really not gonna be a good citizen, so to me, it91裸聊视频檚 really important that we do try to do these types of things.91裸聊视频�