 I was born and raised in Victoria and coming to the oldest Chinatown in North America was always exciting. The commerce, the cultural life, the people coming together to celebrate and to make themselves, their families and their communities stronger. Those are the things I think about when I think of Chinatown here in Victoria and indeed the Chinese community right across British Columbia. As we begin the year of the rats, I want to say to all those celebrating across BC, gong hei phat choy, gong sii phat shai.