22,000 NAMES

A new memorial in Victoria listing 22,000 names has been erected to remember the Japanese Canadians interned during the war.

Additionally, the Hastings Park Japanese Memorial is a new public tribute in Vancouver honouring the more than 8,000 Japanese Canadians detained at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) grounds in Hastings Park during the Second World War.

The names include my mother (Sumiko), her older sister (Kikuye), and my grandparents (Suye & Yosojiro Ono).

After the war, they were exiled to Japan on August 2, 1946 because they were banned from returning to the west coast until after April 1, 1949.

This ban was to ensure the property that was seized by the Canadian government during this internment would not be returned to its rightful owners.

Our schools do not teach this piece of Canadian history; I discovered it in my 30s.

Despite the hardships endured, I am grateful for my grandparents who granted me this beautiful life in Canada.