Taiwanese Canadians

A Taiwanese Canadian is a Canadian of Taiwanese ancestry. Whether Taiwanese Canadians also count as Chinese Canadians is a controversial political issue.

Immigration

From the late 1980's, an influx of Taiwanese people immigrated to Canada, especially Vancouver, British Columbia and to the adjacent cities of Burnaby and Richmond. The Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area has the largest Taiwanese community in Canada. There is also an established Taiwanese community in Toronto, but smaller in comparison to the Taiwanese community in Vancouver.

Settlement

Many Taiwanese have recently immigrated to the city of Vancouver, forming a growing and stable Taiwanese Canadian community, although it is often overlooked due to a larger Hong Kong Chinese immigrant base. This immigration from Taiwan to Vancouver started in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Many of these immigrants from Taiwan, especially those without family or relatives in United States, found it easier to immigrate to Canada. The Greater Vancouver, BC metropolitan area offers comfortable living and the conveniences of shopping centers and grocery stores established by both prominent Taiwanese and Hong Kong Chinese immigrants. Many live in the cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, and Richmond. Instead of 99 Ranch Market, Taiwanese Canadians have the T & T Supermarket.

The Greater Vancouver, BC metropolitan area also attracts Taiwanese American visitors from the Greater Seattle Area in the United States (approximately two hours south of the Canadian border). Although the Greater Seattle Area overall, has a larger and longer established Taiwanese American population, it does not have as much to offer in terms of Chinese shopping centers, supermarkets and restaurants as do the Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area. Also, the Taiwanese residents in the Seattle Area are much more spread out, compared with those in the Vancouver Area. The Greater Seattle Area better caters to Asians such as Vietnamese, Japanese Americans, older-established Cantonese/Toisan people, and even Mainland Chinese more so than Taiwanese.

Prior to the establishment of Chinese shopping centers with 99 Ranch Market as the anchor tenant, most Taiwanese Americans from the Greater Seattle Area purchased Asian goods from the locally available Vietnamese/Viet Hoa supermarkets, small Cantonese family-owned grocers, and the Japanese Uwajimaya Market in Seattle's International District/Chinatown Area, and small Korean family-owned groceries in suburban areas. Even with the establishment of two 99 Ranch Markets in the Greater Seattle Area, the supermarkets are located far away from where the majority of Taiwanese Americans live and seem to cater more to Filipinos, Mainland Chinese, and Cantonese. The Greater Seattle Area is undergoing tremendous development and change. However, it is still worth the road trip up to Vancouver for good food and commercial products (i.e., music CDs, books, snack items, etc.) from Taiwan and Hong Kong.