Maple Ridge honours champions of local heritage and history

The city presented the 2026 Heritage Awards on Feb. 19 at the Albion Community Centre to recognize people, groups and sites that preserve Maple Ridge’s history. Winners included Brookfield Farm, the Whonnock Post Office, volunteers such as the 1st Haney Cub Scouts, and recipients of new heritage grants.

Maple Ridge presented its 2026 Heritage Awards on Feb. 19 at the Albion Community Centre. The ceremony honoured individuals, organizations and sites that preserve and share the city's history. The awards recognise efforts in heritage conservation, awareness and education. Recipients were chosen through a public nomination process followed by evaluation and voting by a city committee. Key details: - The event took place on Thursday evening, Feb. 19, at the Albion Community Centre. - Heritage Site Award: Matt and Deanna Laity for Brookfield Farm, established in 1879 and operated by the family for seven generations on 110 acres with an 80-cow milking herd. - Bernice Gehring History Hero Award: Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek for public programs such as historic walks and storytelling events. - Sheila Nickols Award: Raymond Nakamura for work with the CEED Centre on writing and displays about the historic Japanese Canadian community. - Stewardship Award: Whonnock Post Office, originally built in 1928 and rebuilt in 1932, noted as a longstanding community gathering place. - Youth Heritage Award: 1st Haney Cub Scouts, who fundraised, gathered supplies, toured the cemetery and spent several hours cleaning over 80 headstones, mainly in the Japanese Canadian section. - The city also announced Heritage Grant Program recipients: James Rowley received a built heritage grant for conservation work at the Whitehouse Residence (built 1923) and the Maple Ridge Historical Society received a cultural heritage grant for a translation project into multiple spoken languages and American Sign Language. Summary: The awards highlighted a mix of longstanding sites, active volunteers and community groups that keep local history visible and accessible. The city also awarded pilot heritage grants to support conservation work at a historic residence and a translation project by the historical society, which are planned to proceed.