Just how long you need to have lived in Steveston before you’re regarded as a local, is something Mimi Horita is still working out. Horita, marketing and visitor services manager at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site, has been a Steveston resident since 2003. When visitors to the cannery find out she’s Japanese-Canadian, the question she gets asked the most is whether she is a “Steveston girl” from a “Steveston family?” The answer is “no,” having grown up and lived in Surrey and Vancouver before moving here. But now, at 13 years and counting, Steveston definitely feels like home to Horita.With a professional background in tourism, she joined the cannery in 2013 for a change of pace and with the hopes of learning more about the Steveston community and its rich history.
Best public landmark:
Other than the Cannery? The net needle at Fisherman’s Memorial in Garry Point Park.
Best place to take an out-of-town guest:
Fisherman’s Wharf is a hit with our guests.
Best neighbourhood:
Living and working here makes me very biased: Steveston!
Best way to spend a Saturday afternoon:
Exploring the shops in Steveston Village.
Best way to spend a Saturday night:
Watch the sun set at Garry Point Park, then have dinner with family or friends in Steveston.
Best place to get fresh produce:
Richmond Country Farms on Steveston Highway or the Steveston Farmers’ Market (I do wish we had more organic produce choices in Steveston, though).
Best place to have a picnic:
Haven’t had a picnic in years, but I do love fish ‘n’ chips at Garry Point Park.
Best walking/running/biking route:
West Dyke Trail from Garry Point to Terra Nova — love looking for Steves Farm’s oreo cows!
Best restaurant:
So hard to choose...I alternate between Steveston Village Vietnamese, Hogshack, Kisamos and Steveston Pizza.
Best coffee shop:
If I wasn’t such a Starbucks addict, I would spend more time at Steveston Coffee Co.
