Asian Heritage Month Opening Ceremony
Schedule
Sat May 09 2026 at 01:00 am to 03:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Metro Hall | Toronto, ON
About this Event
Asian Heritage Month Opening Ceremony
Date: Saturday May 9, 2026 | 1pm – 3pm
Please arrive at 12:30pm to tour the Asian Heritage Month Photo and Art Exhibition.
Venue: Metro Hall Rotunda, Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Toronto. Access to Metro Hall Rotunda on that day is ONLY through the East Entrance of David Pecaut Square.
FREE ADMISSION. Please register here.
Event details
Program of Opening Ceremony
MC: Bo San Karantjas
Land Acknowledgement
O Canada
Music: Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Soprano: Dr. Vania Chan
With photography on Magnificent Canada by Tam Kam Chiu and Stephen Siu
Opening remarks
Her Worship Olivia Chow, Mayor, City of Toronto (tbc)
The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy, former Senator who tabled the Motion in the Senate of Canada, and Founding Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Mr. Justin Poy, Honourary Patron of Asian Heritage Month-CFACI, and Chinese Canadian Legend Award holder
1.Plenary Address
The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy, former Senator who tabled the Motion in the Senate of Canada, and Founding Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Former Senator Vivienne Poy is Chancellor Emerita of the University of Toronto. A historian, an author, a public speaker, a fashion designer, an entrepreneur and a community activist.
In 1998, she was the first Canadian of Asian heritage to be appointed to the Senate of Canada where she focused on gender issues, multiculturalism, immigration and human rights. She started the process in 2000 to amend our National Anthem to make it inclusive of all Canadians, with the words “in all of us command” by tabling 2 successive Bills in the Senate. In 2001, Vivienne’s Senate Motion was adopted, declaring May as Asian Heritage Month across Canada by the Federal Government.
After her retirement from the Senate of Canada in September 2012, she continues to speak and write and remains actively involved with communities and NGOs across Canada and overseas, such as ORBIS (Can), Plan International (Can), ACCT Foundation, The Chinese Canadian Museum (Vancouver), Covenant House, Scott Mission and the Famous5 Foundation. She is also assisting UHN in promoting organ donations from living donors.
Vivienne has received numerous honorary degrees and professorship from universities in USA, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and across Canada.
2.Asian Heritage Month Lecture
Mr. Justin Poy, Honourary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI, Chinese Canadian Legend Award Winner
“The Difference in the Appreciation of Fine Arts: Understanding Consumer Behaviour in Asia and how it impacts us in Canada.”
In this keynote speech, Justin Poy discusses consumer behaviour in various Asian countries and how they have evolved. How do these behaviours impact us in Canada? What do these countries learn from us and our North American trends? Justin Poy will be delving into the arts. For example, he will talk about how fine art paintings are appraised and evaluated in China versus how they are evaluated in the Western world. Fine art paintings in China are priced by the square decimeter, which means the larger the canvas, the more expensive it is. Thankfully they don’t do that in Europe because otherwise the Mona Lisa would be almost worthless! And the story behind it is quite fascinating. Valuations of Chinese paintings actually originated from calligraphy and in the calligraphy world the larger the piece the more grace, talent, and control of the brush one demonstrates. When it came down to fine art and more Chinese artists got into acrylic and watercolour, they started evaluating them the same way they would evaluate calligraphy. Justin Poy will tell lots of interesting stories like this in his talk.
About Justin Poy: Justin Poy is an award-winning Canadian advertising executive, film producer, and global strategist. He is Founder, President, and Creative Director of The Justin Poy Agency Inc., a leading multicultural advertising firm established in 1993, known for nationally recognized campaigns such as “Everyone Loves Marineland” and major initiatives for Canada’s automotive and retail sectors.
Poy is Executive Producer at Ballinran Entertainment, where he produced Exclusion: Beyond the Silence, a documentary exploring Canada’s 1923 Chinese Exclusion Act.
A recognized leader in digital governance and multicultural strategy, he advises global institutions including Cambridge University and is recognized as an Alumnus of Distinction by both Toronto Metropolitan University and the Toronto French School.
He is the recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024), Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), as well as the Chinese Canadian Legend Award.
Poy is widely respected for advancing multiculturalism, cross-cultural marketing, and Asian Canadian representation in media and business.
3.Music by Award Winning Asian Canadian Artists
Artistic Directors: Professor Chan Ka Nin, Ms. Alice Ping Yee Ho, Dr. Vania Chan
Unity in Diversity: Fostering Human Connection | Text by Arlene Chan
“Imagine” words and music by John Lennon and Yoko Ono | Translation to Chinese by Ramon Tam
Vania Chan, soprano. CHAN Ka Nin, guitar
In the official declaration of Asian Heritage Month, it states: “The people of these diverse, vibrant and growing communities have contributed to every aspect of life in Canada — from the arts and science to sport, business and government. Asian Heritage Month offers everyone in Canada an opportunity to learn more about the history of people of Asian origin in Canada and to celebrate their contributions to the growth and prosperity of our society.” The Artistic Directors of Asian Heritage showcase this spirit of Asian Heritage Month. They won top awards in Canada: Juno and Dora Awards, and Alice Ping Yee Ho is the latest winner of the Canada Council for the Arts Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. Awake and Dreaming, the remarkable solo piano recording featuring the music of composer Alice Ping Yee Ho and pianist Katherine Dowling, has received a JUNO Award nomination for 2026.
4.Case Study of Prominent Asian Canadians
Evelyn Sue Wong
“Reach for the Sky: How Two Brothers Built an Airplane in Chinatown”
As the Great Depression brought families and cities to their knees, Robert Shun Wong and his younger brother Tommy dreamed of flying. Money was tight, racial discrimination was high, and times were tough. But in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the two brothers built a single-seat plane – a Pietenpol Sky Scout. Pushing the boundaries of their world, Robert and Tommy were soon flying beyond their wildest dreams! Robert’s daughter Evelyn Wong will tell of the pioneering years in aviation and the incredible contributions made by the Chinese Canadian community. It is a story about how young Asian Canadians tested their limits and set their eyes beyond the horizon.
5.Presentation by the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
“Together, We Thrive: Celebrating Asian Heritage, Building Shared Humanity: Introduction to Asian Heritage Month Exhibitions”
Peter Lau & Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
The photographers will introduce the Asian Heritage Month Exhibitions, going through their motivations when taking the pictures, and the symbolism and cultural significance behind the amazing images expressing their wish to celebrate Asian Canadian heritage and building shared humanity in Canada.
Asian Heritage Month Photo and Art Exhibition
Photo Exhibition by the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
Art Exhibition by Stephen Yau, Rosita Law, Joe Cho, Jimmy Rice.
Event Details
Guided Tour of Asian Heritage Month Photography Exhibition and Chats with the Asian Canadian Photographers, Visual Artists, Composers and Performing Artists
Please tour the Asian Heritage Month Photography Exhibition! The awards-winning Asian Canadian Photographers, Composers and Performing Artists will be there.
Asian Heritage Month Photography and Art Exhibitions by Award-Winning Asian Canadian Photographers and Visual Artists
City Hall Rotunda
Date: Tuesday April 27 to Saturday May 2, 2026
Venue: City Hall Rotunda, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto
FREE ADMISSION
Metro Hall Rotunda
Date: Thursday May 7 to Tuesday May 12, 2026
Venue: Metro Hall Rotunda, Toronto, 55 John Street, Toronto
FREE ADMISSION
Photo Exhibition | By Award-Winning Photographer Tam Kam Chiu
Date: May 1 to May 31, 2026
Venue: City Hall Branch, Toronto Public Library, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto.
FREE ADMISSION
Event co-organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund
Where is it happening?
Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Toronto, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
