Preserving History, One Careful Lift at a Time

At Phoenix Truck & Crane, we lift it all, steel, glass, roofing materials, hot tubs, boulders, trees, signs, and so much more. Every now and then, we get the privilege of lifting a piece that reflects a part of our local history.

This week, our team was asked to relocate the Komagata Maru Memorial from its location on the Vancouver Seawall, to the Vancouver Parks Board yard, where it will undergo much-needed refurbishment and preservation work. Supporting this effort meant a great deal to us. This memorial represents an incident from Vancouver’s past that needs to be acknowledge and remembered.

Being entrusted with moving the Komagata Maru Memorial so it can be restored is not just another job for us. It is an honour. We understand that this monument represents pain, perseverance, and pride. It represents the courage of those who sought opportunity and dignity. It represents a turning point in Canadian history. And for many in our own fleet, it represents heritage.

Like many public pieces, displacing this memorial was delicate work. Our crane set-up on the seawall overlooking the harbour, where cyclists, business people, tourists and curious passersby’s, stopped to watch the work.

As always, our crew approached this project with the same professionalism and safety standards we bring to every lift, but also with a deeper awareness of what this structure represents. As a company rooted in the Lower Mainland, we believe in supporting the communities we serve, through construction and infrastructure projects, but also through meaningful cultural preservation.

We look forward to seeing the Komagata Maru Memorial returned to its place, refreshed and restored, so it can honour the past, and educate future generations of this chapter of Vancouver’s history.