Residents in Chatham-Kent will soon have a better idea of the municipality's Japanese-Canadian history.
A report is going to council Monday night regarding a heritage marker project.
As stated in the report, in 1942 about 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were forced into incarceration camps across the country. Due to a farm labour shortage in that same year, 154 men were put to work in parts of southwestern Ontario.
"The communities’ eventual acceptance of the Japanese-Canadian workers was aided by the support of church groups and farmers," as stated in the report.
About 75 years later, in 2017, a group approached municipal officials with the intent of saving the Eatonville property near Kent Bridge Rd., which housed the labourers. However, the structure's poor condition and the amount of money it would take to renovate it stopped those plans from moving forward. Instead, they proceeded with a different option, which included setting up heritage markers around the municipality.
A team made up of members from the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) and municipal staff have outlined details of the project, including location and costs. The markers will go up in Chatham, Dover Township, Dresden, Eatonville, and Valetta.
"Heritage markers depicting a timeline of events significant to Japanese-Canadians and their experiences relative to Chatham-Kent during the Ontario Farm Labour Force Project will be installed at each site along with Japanese cherry trees," as stated in the report.
Much of the project is being funded through donations by several groups and individuals. They include Toronto NAJC, the national NAJC Community Renewal Fund, the Hastings Park Foundation, Rotary Club of Bay Bloor, the Japanese Consul General, and the Hamilton Chapter NAJC. In total, about $23,000 has been raised for the project. However, $1,000 will be needed annually in order to maintain the markers. The lifecycle costs will fall under the Parks Lifecycle budget.
The project is expected to be done by the end of August. An official unveiling ceremony will follow on September 7 at Mitchell's Bay Park.
In addition to the markers, the report also states the possibility of creating a permanent exhibit at the Chatham-Kent Museum in the future. Details of that have not been released as part of the report.
