BC chooses Surrey for new provincial museum honouring Canadians of South Asian heritage

The Story

The BC NDP-led provincial government has chosen the City of Surrey as the location for a planned provincial museum dedicated to Canadians of South Asian heritage, following an agreement with the municipality reached Sept. 18, 2026.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the province and the City of Surrey sets out next steps for planning, including examining potential precise locations, conducting consultation, and developing a strategy to move the project forward.

The provincial government had previously considered placing the museum in Vancouver, but the MOU reflects Surrey as the selected city.

The announcement came just days before Premier David Eby called a snap provincial general election on Sept. 22, with British Columbians voting for their MLA in their riding on Saturday, Oct. 24, one week after municipal elections across the province on Saturday, Oct. 17.

A provincial public consultation report released in 2025 said Surrey was the “most suggested” location for the museum, citing in part the large South Asian community living, working and shopping in the city, including residents with heritage rooted in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives.

The report also pointed to technical considerations, including lower land acquisition costs for identifying a suitable site, while noting Vancouver’s potential advantages such as the possibility of a downtown location.

The proposed museum would explore how Canadians of South Asian heritage have helped shape B.C. while preserving and sharing the histories of the different communities.

Anne Kang, the province’s minister of tourism, arts, culture and sport and the BC NDP MLA candidate for Burnaby-Deer Lake, said in a statement that South Asian Canadians “have made extraordinary contributions” to British Columbia’s development and that the agreement is “an important step” toward creating a place where people can learn, celebrate and connect with these stories.

Surrey mayoral candidate Brenda Locke of the Surrey Connect party welcomed the decision, saying there is “no better place than Surrey” for a museum dedicated to Canadians of South Asian heritages and adding that the museum’s success would be shaped by the community’s input.

While the MOU does not identify a specific site, budget or timeline, it outlines cooperation between the province and the City of Surrey as planning proceeds.

The provincial government’s decision to select Surrey follows the opening of the provincial Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown district, which opened in summer 2023 and received more than $50 million in funding from all three levels of government.