BC Heritage Sites May Openings
The BC Heritage Sites program makes the “invisible visible.” By funding interpretive projects, signage, and restorations at historic sites across British Columbia, including sites of internment, the JCLS ensures that ancestral places of the pre-war and wartime community are no longer under-recognized.
At the heart of this work is a recognition of the debt owed to our elders for the sacrifices they endured. For survivors and descendants, it provides a tangible connection to a heritage that was nearly lost to the “second uprooting” – the postwar exile that pushed the community east of the Rockies or to Japan.
The BC Heritage Sites program honours the resilience of those who came before. It ensures that the stories of the issei, nisei, and sansei – who established roots in this province despite systemic racism – are kept alive.
Please join us at three openings in May:
1. Tashme/Sunshine Valley, the largest of the internment sites that sits just outside the 100-mile exclusion zone;
2. Gabriola Island, site of a small but important pre-war community;
3. Salt Spring Island, site of a thriving pre-war community.
1. Tashme / Sunshine Valley | May 3
Sunday, May 3, 2026 | 1pm – 5pm
Grand opening: Tashme Research & Archive Centre
and Tashme Kindergarten Schoolhouse
PROGRAM
Reception: 1pm | Holiday Trails Resort
14850 Alpine Blvd | Sunshine Valley, BC
Museum tours: 2pm – 5pm Tashme Museum
14781 Alpine Blvd | Sunshine Valley, BC
RSVP: TashmeRSVP@gmail.com
The Tashme Museum proudly announces the opening of its new Tashme Research & Archive Centre, alongside the completed rehabilitation of the historic Tashme Kindergarten Schoolhouse. This exciting museum expansion honours the resilience and enduring spirit of the Japanese Canadian and Tashme community, ensuring that its stories, artifacts, and memories are preserved, honoured, and shared for generations to come.
2. Gabriola Island | May 23
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | Time: TBC
Community Opening Ceremony and Celebration
Omoide – Memories, Recollections, Reminiscences
Location: Pages Resort & Marina 3350 Coast Road, Gabriola Island, BC
RSVP: info@gabriolamuseum.org
For up-to-date ferry information: https://bit.ly/47mFAJZ
BC Ferry Schedule: Nanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) https://bit.ly/3NeskjM
Ferry cam on the Gabriola Island side with the ferry schedule https://ferrycam.clayrose.com
Omoide – Memories, Recollections, Reminiscences
The Gabriola Historical and Museum Society’s four-part Japanese Canadian Legacies Project honours the history and legacy of Japanese Canadians on Gabriola Island, with a particular focus on the Koyama and Shinde families and their contributions to Gabriola’s culture and economic history. The permanent exhibit at Gabriola Museum showcases two BC heritage sites on Silva Bay, the Koyama Fish Camp and the Shinde Sunrise Sawmill, and features miniature dioramas of these two sites. The story of Nikkei on Gabriola continues on location at Silva Bay, shared through the project’s two mobile monuments to the Koyama and Shinde families, inspired by Shinto torii gates and an interactive mobile exhibit, Gaman, meaning resilience and endurance, that showcases Gabriola artists influenced by Japanese culture. These exhibits are on display at Pages Inn on Silva Bay and Pages Resort & Marina, close to the original Koyama Fish Camp and Shinde Sawmill sites.
For more information about Gabriola Museum’s Omoide Opening and Community Celebration and museum weekend opening hours to visit the new exhibit, please visit https://gabriolamuseum.org/events
3. Salt Spring Island | May 31
Sunday, May 31, 2026 | 1:15pm – 3:30pm
Memorial Story Project Unveiling Celebration
Doors: 12:30pm | Celebration: 1:15pm – 3:30pm
PROGRAM
Part 1: 1:15 – 2:15pm
ArtSpring Multi-purpose Gallery
100 Jackson Avenue, Salt Spring Island
Welcoming remarks and refreshments
Part 2: 2:30 – 3:30pm
Heiwa Garden
101 Jackson Avenue, Salt Spring Island
Unveiling of the new structure and musical performance
ArtSpring and Heiwa Garden are located directly across the street from one another. Chairs will be available at both locations.
RSVP by Saturday, March 28: info@saltspringjapanesegarden.com
Phone: 250.537.4716 (Sheryl Taylor-Munro)
Mobile/Text: 250.539.4082 (Rumiko Kanesaka)
If you require wheelchair access or other assistance, please let us know when you RSVP. We would also be happy to provide guidance on ferry travel and transportation to ArtSpring.
The Japanese Garden Society of Salt Spring Island warmly invites you to join us for the unveiling of new interpretive panels created through the Japanese Canadian Memorial Story Project, made possible with the generous support of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society.