President’s Message

Hi everyone!
On October 18th, the GVJCCA is encouraging community members to come forth and voice their thoughts on the Hastings Park Redevelopment Project. The Hastings Park Redevelopment Project Management team would like input from the Japanese Canadian community on providing some historical, commemorative and cultural content in the Park. The Project Management team recognizes the historical connection for many Japanese Canadians who were placed at Hastings Park temporarily before being relocated elsewhere in BC and Canada during WWII. Suggestions have already been made on possible changes to the entranceway of Momiji Gardens and the Livestock Barn, along the lines of an interpretive centre. This meeting will be held at 6:30 PM at Tonari Gumi, at 511 E Broadway.

This month on October 16-17, the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) will be holding its annual AGM in Ottawa. This will be an important AGM as the membership will be electing its new Board of Directors for the next couple of years. Discussions regarding finances and Constitutional changes are key items on the impending agenda. We hope you all will be supporting your local memberships in making sounds decisions.

Last month, I wrote that the National Association of Japanese Canadians and the GVJCCA, co-hosted the Honouring Our People: Stories of the Internment conference on September 25-27, 2009, at Nikkei Place. Since this particular Conference proved to be such a success, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Foundation and the Nelson Arthur Hyland Foundation will be hosting the Japanese Canadian Experience Conference: Sharing Your Stories of the War Years in Toronto on November 19-21, 2010. This allows an opportunity for niseis who were in internment camps, sugar beet farms, self-supporting camps and other locations across Canada to share their war-years memories and experiences with family, friends, and their community.
For additional information, please contact Lisa Uyeda at 416.441.2345 ext 303, email lisa.uyeda@jccc.on.ca or visit jccc.on.ca .

On November 19th at Nikkei Place from 6:30-8 pm, the GVJCCA will be holding its Volunteer Appreciation Night to thank it many volunteers, donors, and advertisers. Since the GVJCCA is so reliant on volunteers for our activities such as during Keiro-kai, Shennen-kai, Powell Street Festival Salmon BBQ, Golf Tournament, and our many workshops, we present this special night for them. We hope that you can attend and enjoy seeing your many friends from past events throughout the year. Hope to see you there!

Thanks, Ron Nishimura
President, GVJCCA