Feel-good Friday: Global BC’s highlights of the week

Each week at Global BC, we highlight our stories to bring a bright spot to your Friday and into the weekend.

Here are the five stories we want to share:

Bowen Island man revealed to be Canada’s first Filipino immigrant

An early Filipino settler is finally getting a gravestone after new research revealed he was the first documented immigrant to Canada from his home country.

Benson Flores came to British Columbia in 1861, even before the province became part of Canada.

He eventually claimed land on Bowen Island in 1892, when the island was just starting to develop its economy and population.

Freelance journalist Joseph Lopez discovered Flores’ story while researching to find the first Filipino immigrant in Canada. The discovery of the records confirming Flores immigrated to Canada in 1861 changed the previously believed Filipino immigration timeline.

Flores was honoured with a ceremony on Bowen Island on Thursday and will see a monument placed at his previously unmarked grave in Vancouver on Saturday.

2:14 First Filipino immigrant to Canada remembered

Terry Fox collection will be housed at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria

Residents and visitors from British Columbia and around the world will soon have a place to go to learn about and honour Terry Fox.

On Wednesday, the Royal BC Museum and Terry Fox Centre announced that the museum will become stewards of the Fox family’s collection of objects from throughout his life and the 1980 Marathon of Hope.

“For 44 years, Terry Fox has been an inspiration to Canadians and we are thrilled to be entrusted with the stewardship of this important collection,” Tracey Drake, CEO of the Royal BC Museum said in a statement.

“The Royal BC Museum is proud to work alongside the Terry Fox Centre and Fox family to safeguard and preserve Terry’s legacy, and dream, for future generations.”

The collection will include items owned and worn by Fox, including the shoes and prosthetic leg he wore on his daily runs, the van he and his best friend/driver Doug and younger brother Darrell slept in throughout the journey, and a large collection of letters written to Fox from school children across the country.

2:23 Royal BC Museum to host Terry Fox collection

B.C. transplant recipient shucking up big time to support organ donation

A Vancouver restaurateur who survived liver disease because of an organ donation is now raising money and awareness for the cause.

Matt Thompson, who owns Smitty’s Oyster House, developed Stage-4 liver disease after years of alcoholism and underwent a transplant two years ago.

Now he’s marking organ the month of April by donating 25 cents from every oyster sold in the evening to raise money for organ donations.

“I kind of feel like I want to pay it back for my surgery,” he said.

“As long as I live and I’m in business and I can help, I’m going to raise money.”

2:13 This is BC: Restaurant owner’s transplant fuels fundraiser

Downtown Eastside artist featured at Emily Carr University exhibit

A one-of-a-kind art exhibition opened in Vancouver on Saturday.

The art exhibition is the culmination of a course on the impact of graffiti culture launched by a B.C. university professor.

One of the guest lecturers is well-known street artist Smokey D (James Hardy), who honed his skills in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

“(Graffiti) is idolized in certain ways but then it’s villainized in other ways too,” said Emily Carr professor Garnet Hertz.

From building community relationships in Chinatown by creating graffiti murals for local merchants to raising awareness about the overdose crisis, Smokey D has been a community advocate for years.

How to Appreciate Graffiti: The Exhibition runs through April 12 at the Fingerprint Gallery in Vancouver.

2:23 Downtown Eastside artist featured at Emily Carr University exhibit

B.C. world champion inducted into Canadian Arm Wrestling Hall of Fame

One of Canada’s arm wrestling legends is being ushered into the Canadian Armwrestling Federation’s Hall of Fame.

Mike Kadar, of Vancouver Island, is a three-time World Armwrestling Federation world champion and part of the 2023 Hall of Fame inductee list.

In the late 80s and early 90s, he was regarded as one of the most feared heavyweights on the international arm wrestling circuit.

“I put my heart and soul into it, and trained hard, trained hard and trained hard,” he told Global News.

Kadar has travelled the world, beating other top-tier opponents at every stop.

1:53 This is BC: World champion inducted into Canadian Arm Wrestling Hall of Fame