Outcome, next steps, and reflections
On July 21, the Vancouver Parks Board voted to accept a redevelopment plan for Oppenheimer Park which would require the removal of three sakura trees. This result came despite the 1,800 petition signatures protesting the removal of the trees, several meetings with the City and other stakeholders, a number of proposals to find an alternative park layout, and strong public words of support from significant institutions in the Powell area and individuals from the Nikkei community across the country. The Coalition to Save the Legacy Sakura …

The ‘Obon Tour’ this year was not an ‘Obon Tour’ as such, but rather a weekend of Cemetery Visitations on Vancouver Island. The ‘tour’ unfortunately had to be cancelled this year due to lack of participants. This year’s group consisted of Socho (Bishop) Fujikawa, of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada who conducted the services, and Mrs. Fujikawa and Roy and Betty Inouye.
Our first stop on the Island was Cumberland. On arrival at the Cumberland Cemetery, we were met by around ten people, and the first words they spoke …