Irene Christine Chu 趙瑜
Born in Shanghai China, grew up in Hong Kong, Irene came to Canada in 1963 and stayed.
Irene has an Honours B.A. Degree in English Literature from university of Hong Kong.
She completed one and a half years of M.A. programme in English Literature at McGill University.
She holds a Diploma in Pipe Organ Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto.
She completed a Media Development Programme at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, Toronto, Now Toronto Metropolitan University.
Irene is fluent in English and Chinese: Mandarin (Putonghua), Cantonese and Shanghai Dialect, with elementary reading capability in French.
“RARE BREED: a Chinese Jewish Quest” is Irene’s first novel. Her other published works includes a translation from Chinese to English of “The Biography of Dr. Lee Shau-kee” 李兆基傳by Dr. Anita Leung 梁鳳儀, published by Oxford University Press Hong Kong, 1999.
From 1985 to 1995, Irene was appointed first a Canadian Citizenship Court Judge and then a Member of the Appeals Division, Canada Immigration & Refugee Board.
In 2007, Irene was the executive producer / producer of a 20-episode television drama series “Once Upon A Time in Toronto” 蝴蝶 – a first of its kind of a Canadian production in association with a Chinese corporation: Western Movie Group of Xi’An 西安電影集團. The Series was aired nationwide by Roger’s OMNI Television in 2009.
In the volunteer sector, Irene was the Co-Founder of Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in 1987. The Foundation merged with Canadian Cancer Society in 2017. She was the Founding President of Hong Kong University Alumni Association (Ontario) and is, at present, an Advisor to the Association. She was also the Co-Founder of Ai Cheng Mandarin School in 1973 teaching Mandarin to students of Chinese background. The School merged with North York Education Department Heritage Language Program in the early 2000s.
Irene had sat on the following Boards:
- Toronto International Film Festival Board of Directors
- Rogers OMNI Television Advisory Board where she was chair for three years
- Toronto General Hospital Board of Trustees
- Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation Board
- Women’s College Hospital Board of Directors
- BMO Bank of Montreal Asian Advisory Panel
- Canadian Ethnic Media Association where she was Treasurer for more than ten years
- Sweda Canada Inc. (Point of Sale System) Board of Directors from 2000 to 2023.
Currently, Irene is a Member of the Senate of UHN (University Health Network) Foundation.
She remains an Advisor to Hong Kong University Alumni Association (Ontario).
Irene’s Chinese Calligraphy adorns the covers of a number of published books, namely:
- “A Blossom Like No Other” 此花不與群花比 – 李清照 Ginger Post Inc. – by Dr. Wei Djao 趙瑋
- “Being Chinese: Voices from the Diaspora” 華裔 University of Arizona Press – by Dr. Wei Djao 趙瑋
- “Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong” 黃柳霜 – by Dr. Anthony B. Chan
- “Hong Kong: Portraits of Power” 香港 Little Brown – by Evelyn Huang / Lawrence Jeffrey
- “Chinese Canadian: Voices from a Community” 華裔 McLellan & Stewart – by Huang / Jeffrey
Irene is listed in Canadian Who’s Who – Grey House Publishing Canada.
Irene C. Chu
Publisher & Distributor
Telephone: 1 416 270-9889
Email: irenechu222@gmail.com