Gabriel Yiu

Yiu was born and educated in Hong Kong. He worked in his father's trading business before becoming the administrator of an arts institution. He went on to become administrator of an independent organization specializing in the study and critique of Hong Kong's arts and cultural policies. Yiu was a fellow of the Asian Cultural Council and a respected figure in the arts community.

Immigrating to Canada in 1991,{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=da6b812c-8dbd-4839-a0f3-3989df57d75c |title=Simple head-tax apology isn't that simple |publisher=Vancouver Sun |date=May 4, 2006 |access-date=2010-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108232748/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=da6b812c-8dbd-4839-a0f3-3989df57d75c |archive-date=2012-11-08 }} Yiu and wife Angela started what is now a successful floral business in Vancouver.

Time featured Gabriel as one of the six "People to Watch" in Vancouver.{{cite journal |last= Feldstein |first= Margaret |author2=Nadene Rohnby |date= November 17, 1997 |title= Gabriel Yiu Commentator |journal= Time Canada |volume= 150 |issue= 20 |pages= 35}} He received the Cultural Harmony Award from the City of Vancouver.{{citation|url=http://vancouver.ca/multiculturalism/culturalharmony/pastrecipients.htm#97 |title=Cultural Harmony Awards - Past Recipients |publisher=City of Vancouver |year=2006 |access-date=2011-09-18 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Yiu has served on numerous boards: International Centre for Asian Contemporary Arts, The Dance Centre, JumpStart Performing Society, BC Newspaper Foundation, La Salle Old Boys’ Association, Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society. He is an advisor to the UBC Museum of Anthropology.{{citation|url=http://www.moa.ubc.ca/pdf/annualreports/MOA-Annual-Report-2009-10.pdf |title=Museum of Anthropology - Annual Report 2009-2010 |publisher=UBC Museum of Anthropology |date=October 2009 |access-date=2011-09-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321105954/http://www.moa.ubc.ca/pdf/annualreports/MOA-Annual-Report-2009-10.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-21 }}

An award-winning journalist in the Chinese media, Yiu was assignment editor of Ming Pao Daily's weekend magazine, and later columnist for the Vancouver Sun, also serving on the newspaper's community editorial board. He has written columns for many newspapers and magazines, including Vancouver Sun, Business in Vancouver, Ming Pao, World Journal and Global Chinese Press, and hosted popular television and radio shows for local Chinese stations.

A community activist, Yiu fought for Chinese Head Tax redress{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/archives/chinese-want-more-action-on-head-tax/article807363/ |title=Chinese want more action on head tax|publisher=The Globe and Mail|date= January 9, 2006 |author=Matas, Robert|access-date=2010-07-18 }} and against the closure of Mount St. Joseph Hospital's emergency room. He successfully campaigned against the federal government's Bill C-51, which would regulate natural health product and traditional Chinese medicine as pharmaceutical drugs. Together with MLA Jenny Kwan, he campaigned to have China's Kaiping Watchtower recognized as a world heritage site.

Yiu was a prominent organizer in the anti-HST campaign, that successfully fought for the repeal of the Harmonized Sales Tax in British Columbia.{{cite news| url=http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/local/2011/06/14/18284496.html|title=War of words increases in HST battle |publisher= 24 Hours Vancouver|author= Jehnifer Benoit|date= June 14, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-17 }}

In 2005, Yiu was the BC NDP candidate in Burnaby-Willingdon, where he was narrowly defeated by John Nuraney.

In 2009, Yiu was the BC NDP candidate in Vancouver-Fraserview, where he was defeated by BC Liberal candidate and former Police Chief Kash Heed. Kash Heed was later fined $8,000 for an Elections Act violation for over-spending the campaign limit{{cite news| url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kash-heed-fined-for-election-violations-1.1014514|title=Kash Heed fined for election violations |publisher= CBC News|date= August 31, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-17 }}{{cite news |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/Kash+Heed+election+overspending+case+wrap/5461253/story.html |title=Kash Heed election overspending case to wrap up |publisher=The Vancouver Sun |author=Gordon Hoekstra |date=September 27, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231201705/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Kash+Heed+election+overspending+case+wrap/5461253/story.html |archive-date=2011-12-31 }} and two other individuals in the Liberal campaign were found guilty of violations of the Elections Act.{{cite news |url=https://theprovince.com/business/Heed+aides+fined+probation/5629515/story.html |title=Heed aides fined, get probation |publisher=The Province |author=John Colebourn |date=October 30, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104092936/http://www.theprovince.com/business/Heed+aides+fined+probation/5629515/story.html |archive-date=2011-11-04 }}

In 2011, Yiu won the BC NDP nomination to represent Vancouver-Fraserview again in the 2013 provincial election,{{cite news|url=https://www.straight.com/article-524836/vancouver/gabriel-yiu-defeats-george-chow-win-ndp-nomination-vancouverfraserview |title=Gabriel Yiu defeats George Chow to win NDP nomination in Vancouver-Fraserview |publisher= Georgia Straight|author= Charlie Smith|date= November 6, 2011 |access-date=2011-11-15 }} in which he was defeated by BC Liberal Suzanne Anton by 470 votes.{{citation |url=http://electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net/electionsbcenr/ed/GE-2013-05-14_Vancouver-Fraserview.html |title=2013 General Election Final Voting Results |publisher=Elections BC |access-date=2013-08-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212231756/http://electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net/electionsbcenr/ed/GE-2013-05-14_Vancouver-Fraserview.html |archive-date=2013-12-12 }}

• Chinese Canadians in British Columbia

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130511212031/http://gabrielyiu.bcndp.ca/ Campaign website for Gabriel Yiu]
• [https://www.straight.com/search/site/gabriel%2520yiu Recent articles by Gabriel Yiu at the Georgia Straight online]
• [http://www.voiceonline.com/?s=gabriel+yiu Recent articles by Gabriel Yiu at the Indo-Canadian Voice online]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yiu, Gabriel}}

Category:Businesspeople from Vancouver

Category:Canadian activists

Category:Canadian newspaper journalists

Category:Hong Kong emigrants to Canada

Category:Living people

Category:Naturalized citizens of Canada

Category:British Columbia New Democratic Party candidates in British Columbia provincial elections

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)