As British Columbia celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1986 transformations, the province reflects on a golden era of vision, rapid modernization, and community spirit. In mid-1980s B.C., three monumental projects reshaped how people moved and how the province presented itself to the world:
- The SkyTrain (Opened Dec 11, 1985): Built to serve as the futuristic transit backbone for Expo ’86, the automated light rapid transit system began public previews in late 1985 before full commercial service opened in early 1986.
- Expo ’86 (May 2 – Oct 13, 1986): Under the theme “World in Motion – World in Touch,” Vancouver welcomed over 22 million visitors, cementing its place as a top-tier international destination.
- The Coquihalla Highway (Opened May 16, 1986): Completed in an astonishing 20-month sprint, Phase 1 connected the Lower Mainland to the interior, permanently altering economic growth across the province.
Grace McCarthy’s Vision: The “Adopt-a-Station” Program
At the center of this rapid evolution was the late Hon. Grace McCarthy, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Human Resources—affectionately remembered as “Amazing Grace.”
McCarthy recognized that while the new SkyTrain elevated guideways brought world-class efficiency, the surrounding grounds needed warmth, culture, and beauty. She reached out to over 20 local multicultural communities, asking them each to “adopt” a garden surrounding a SkyTrain station in partnership with the Vancouver Park Board.
The German-Canadian community eagerly answered the call. The German Canadian Congress formed a dedicated Parkway Committee to transform the grounds at 29th Avenue Station (29th Avenue & Atlin Street). On June 29, 1986, before a crowd of 2,000 guests, VIPs, and community members, Deutscher Platz (German-Canadian Heritage Plaza) was officially dedicated.
Three Decades of Care and the 2017/2018 Handover
While many of the original station adoption gardens gradually faded over the years, Deutscher Platz stood as one of only three original gardens to survive long-term.
When the site began to show age, dedicated volunteers formed the German-Canadian Heritage Plaza Committee. For 31 years, led by Chair Beatrice Schreiber alongside long-time volunteers like Ursula & Eugen Neubert, Ursula & Bernhard Ernsting, Inge Webb, Marlies Schulz, Wolfgang Schittenhelm, Hildegard & Richard Nast, Brunhilde & Erich Brodersen, Karl Schindler, and the Edelweiss Musikanten:
- They provided the daily sweat equity—planting, weeding, and watering the signature circular brick planter.
- They hosted an annual celebration surrounding German Unity Day, featuring speeches at the plaza followed by traditional Kaffee und Kuchen at the nearby Vancouver Alpen Club.
As the volunteers grew older, the committee made arrangements for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation to take over full responsibility for the plaza’s maintenance.
To mark the handover, a permanent Memorial Plaque (1986–2017) was created, honoring Grace McCarthy, landscape architect Guenter Edel, and the decades of volunteer labor. On October 11, 2018, members gathered in the Jägerstube at the Vancouver Alpen Club—where Park Board representative Jamie Creery, Chair Beatrice Schreiber, and Bernhard Ernsting raised a glass of champagne to toast the Park Board taking over stewardship of the historic space.
Looking Back at 40 Years: Resilience and Restoration
Reflecting on 40 years of innovation, transportation, community, and heritage reveals how deeply intertwined these projects remain:
The SkyTrain still moves hundreds of thousands of people daily, the Coquihalla remains B.C.’s interior lifeline, and the spirit of Expo ’86 lives on in Vancouver’s skyline. At Deutscher Platz, though time and recent vandalism have damaged the original brick planter’s donor plaques and wooden signage, the heritage established by Grace McCarthy and sustained by three decades of community devotion remains unbroken.
Deutscher Platz stands as a reminder that the true legacy of 1986 was built not just with concrete and steel, but through the hands and hearts of the community members who cared for it.
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This year marks the 40th anniversary of Expo 86, which opened on May 2, 1986, in Vancouver — one of the most successful world’s fairs ever staged.
#BC40Years