Dorothy Kostrzewa

Dorothy Kostrzewa (born c. 1929) is a long-time elected member of Chilliwack City Council in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.

Kostrzewa was born in Canada as Dorothy Chung, the youngest of eight children fathered by Chinese immigrant Dr. Chung Bing Kee. Dr. Kee had settled in Chilliwack in 1886, ran a general store and acted as a doctor (but unofficially due to that era’s Canadian sentiment against Chinese-Canadians).

Her family home was flooded during the 1948 flooding of the Fraser Valley, the second-largest on record for the Fraser River. She managed a raft while her brothers dove for fruits and vegetables in a submerged garden.

She took her husband’s surname, Kostrzewa, upon marriage. She was the accountant at Chilliwack General Hospital prior to entering municipal politics.

She first won election to Chilliwack council in 1969, becoming the first Chinese-Canadian woman elected to political office in Canada. Aside for a five-year break, she has served continuously since.

In 2002, Kostrzewa received a long-service award from the Union of BC Municipalities. At 32 years of service, she is the longest-serving active city councillor in British Columbia.

Kostrzewa helped form a committee that erected a statue in 2003 to commemorate Victoria Cross-winner James Cleland Richardson.

In 2006, she was named by the Vancouver Sun as one of the 100 Chinese-Canadians making a difference in British Columbia.

External links

• Councillor’s page, City of Chilliwack website, Retrieved June 7, 2007

References

• A flood to remember, By Pete McMartin, Vancouver Sun, B1, Published June 7, 2007
• Blossoming of influence: 100 Chinese-Canadians who are making a difference in British Columbia, By Wency Leung, Michael Scott and Yvonne Zacharias, Vancouver Sun, Published: Saturday, October 21, 2006
• UBCM Long Service Award Recipients, Union of BC Municipalities website, Retrieved June 7, 2007
• The Piper Richardson Status Project, City of Chilliwack website, Retrieved June 7, 2007

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Name	Kostrzewa, Dorothy
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