Many have asked to see images of the updates. Here you will see the before, during and after images.
The Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS) is supporting the Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba
with a grant of $250,000 for the project titled Upgrades to JCAM.
The project is a major renovation of the centre.
Community Fund “Infrastructure” Stream – Rationale & Approved Statement
The Community Fund addresses the enduring intergenerational impact that BC government actions
had on the Japanese Canadian community. The Community suffered a loss of identity as a result of
the uprooting, dispossession, and displacement. The Community Fund invests in the future of the
Japanese Canadian community by allocating funds to six project streams: community projects, arts,
sports, scholarships, infrastructure, and intergenerational wellness.
If the Community Project needs to provide historical context to their project for any purpose, please use
the provided text below:
Before, during and after World War II, 22,000 Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia
were forcibly uprooted, permanently stripped of their homes, businesses, and belongings, and
relocated to internment camps outside the coastal BC area. Most were born in Canada.
Overnight, lives were shattered and entire communities eradicated. Japanese Canadians
trusted they would one day return to their homes. Instead, their properties and possessions
were sold without their consent.
After the war ended in 1945, the majority of Japanese Canadians were prevented from returning
to the coast. They were ordered to either move east of the Rockies or to war-torn Japan. When
the community was allowed to return to the coast in 1949, it had nothing to return to.
The history of what happened to Japanese Canadian communities in BC is still relatively
unknown.
In recognition of this loss of identity, the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society has created the
Community Fund. The purpose of the program is to invest in the future of the community by
allocating funds across six program streams.
The Infrastructure Stream seeks to assist Japanese Canadian Organizations with
renovations, repairs, accessibility upgrades and/or large capital purchases for Japanese
Canadian community centres and organizations. Grants for Capital Purchases could increase
the capacity of the organization through the purchase of equipment or assets that are vital to the
organization’s operations.
