George Pearson Centre renamed Oak Care Centre
VCH has renamed the former George Pearson Centre long-term care home to Oak Care Centre, to better reflect the diversity of the community.
To promote an inclusive process of renaming, VCH partnered with the Musqueam Indian Band and engaged with residents of the care home as well as community organizations. Through this process, partners identified Oak Care Centre as the preferred new name and a reflection of the oak tree as an Indigenous plant to the region.
In 2021, the Board of the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association (GVJCCA) wrote to VCH, objecting to the ongoing use of the name George Pearson Centre. As a B.C. politician in the 1940s, George S. Pearson successfully lobbied for the forced removal of Japanese Canadians from B.C., most of whom were born in Canada. By 1942, as an advisor to the BC Security Commission, Pearson also oversaw the Japanese Canadian uprooting, incarceration, dispossession and dispersal. Pearson supported the province's denial of human rights and enfranchisement of many racialized people, including Japanese Canadians. These beliefs and actions do not align with VCH’s values or pillars of Indigenous cultural safety, anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion.
The naming process for the Oak Care Centre is now complete and was celebrated by staff, residents, leadership and the community, including representatives from GVJCCA and the Musqueam Indian Band.
“The caring process of renaming this facility Oak Care Centre has been deeply meaningful and aligns with our commitment to creating a welcoming and safe environment for all patients, clients and residents. We are so grateful to the community members who partnered with us to make this long-term care home more inclusive for residents, their families and our community at large.” - Vivian Eliopoulos, VCH President and CEO