In 1899, Edward Galbraith pre-empted 55 acres at what became Galbraith Bay. His daughter Bessie later recalled that her father “hired some Japanese” who built a bunkhouse and cook shack. The workers remained for a year or two, cutting cedar into shingle bolts that were hauled to shore and loaded onto scows for Vancouver. Learn…

As Canadians of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from the B.C. coast, their homes, businesses, farms and other property were placed under the control of the federal Custodian of Enemy Property. Families were told their property would be protected. Instead, much of it was subsequently sold without their consent, making it extraordinarily difficult for people…

The 1901 Census records thirteen Japanese men living in two logging camps on Bowen Island, providing the earliest surviving names we have identified for Japanese residents on the island. Most were recorded as loggers. Their names appear to have been recorded phonetically by the census enumerator, so the historical spellings require careful interpretation. Source: Census…

In 1943, the federal government authorized the Custodian of Enemy Property to sell property belonging to Canadians of Japanese descent who had been forcibly removed from the coast. Homes, farms, businesses, vehicles and personal possessions were liquidated without their owners’ consent. The sales destroyed much of the economic foundation people had built before the war…

During the 1901 Fraser River fishing strike, nine Japanese fishermen working near Point Grey were seized and taken by boat to Bowen Island. According to later court testimony, they were left at Seymour Bay during the night without oars, sail or equipment. Bowen resident Alexander Seymour assisted the men, who returned to Vancouver and reported…

On September 7, 1907, an anti-Asian demonstration in Vancouver developed into violence as a crowd moved through Chinatown and then into the Japanese neighbourhood around Powell Street, damaging businesses and homes. Japanese residents defended their community. The riot reflected the intense anti-Asian racism and exclusion that Japanese immigrants encountered in British Columbia. Learn more

Following Canada’s declaration of war on Japan in December 1941, the federal government began imposing new restrictions on Canadians of Japanese descent. Japanese Canadian fishing boats were impounded along the B.C. coast, cutting fishermen off from their livelihoods. These measures marked the beginning of increasingly severe restrictions that would culminate in the mass forced removal…

In 1942, the federal government ordered the removal of all people of Japanese descent from the restricted area along the B.C. coast. Citizenship made no difference. More than 22,000 people were uprooted from their homes and communities. Families were sent to Hastings Park and then dispersed to incarceration sites, road camps, sugar-beet farms and other…

In 1942, the Yamada family was forced from the home they had built at King Edward Bay. Kanichi and Masano Yamada and their children were sent first to Hastings Park in Vancouver and then to New Denver in the B.C. Interior. After nearly two decades on Bowen Island, the family would never again return to…

Bowen Island was not only a place of work for Canadians of Japanese descent. It was also a popular destination for outings, picnics and social gatherings. Photographs from the 1930s capture young people enjoying time together on the island, including this couple dancing outdoors—a glimpse of the friendships, recreation and everyday life that connected Japanese…

On September 22, 1988, the Government of Canada formally acknowledged the injustices committed against Canadians of Japanese descent during and after the Second World War. The Redress Agreement included individual compensation for survivors, a community fund, restoration of citizenship for those who had lost it, and measures intended to preserve the history and strengthen Japanese…

In 1977, Japanese Canadians marked one hundred years since Manzo Nagano’s arrival in British Columbia. Centennial events were held across Canada, bringing communities together to celebrate Japanese Canadian history, culture and contributions. The centennial also encouraged a new generation to examine the wartime uprooting and dispossession and helped create momentum for the redress movement that…

After being forcibly removed from the coast, thousands of Canadians of Japanese descent were sent to government-controlled sites in the B.C. Interior. Families lived in hastily converted buildings and newly constructed shacks under restrictive conditions. Communities including New Denver, Slocan, Tashme, Kaslo and Greenwood became places where displaced families attempted to rebuild daily life. New…

In 2026, the Nex̱wlélex̱wm Kyosei (共生) Peace Park opened at Sandy Beach Municipal Park on Bowen Island. Created as a Japanese Canadian Legacies community project, the park remembers Canadians of Japanese descent who lived and worked on Bowen and throughout Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound, acknowledges their forced removal, and carries their stories forward for future…

Manzo Nagano arrived in BC in 1877 and is recognized as the first Japanese person known to settle permanently in Canada, beginning Japanese settlement in British Columbia. Over the following decades, immigrants from Japan established lives and communities throughout the province, including in fishing, logging, mining and other industries. Photo: Manzo Nagano family; City of…