Japanese Canadian Legacies Society carries on work of BC Redress
As we move forward to begin implementation of the various programs under the four funded pillars of education, heritage, community & culture, and seniors health & wellness, here are points of clarification between the NAJC and the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society.
The Legacy of BC Redress
The NAJC took the political risk to advocate for BC Redress. The Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS) is set up to take all the responsibility to manage the funds, ensuring accountability to the BC Government and the community is met over the duration of all projects.
The JCLS was set up to provide oversight to the implementation of legacy initiatives created as part of a set of proposals under the umbrella of the NAJC BC Redress Project led by Susanne Tabata, who developed viable initiatives which honour Japanese Canadian legacies in BC (November 2019 – June 2022). The NAJC team supporting this work included honorary co-chairs Art Miki and Maryka Omatsu, then NAJC President Lorene Oikawa, and BC Redress Project Advisor Paul Kariya. In addition, support came from the National Executive Board and the National Council of the NAJC, representing 19 organizations across the country. A list of gratitude is published on the jclegacies.com site, citing specific individuals and the roles they played, including former BC MLA Naomi Yamamoto who led the 2012 BC Government apology with support from Tosh Suzuki and community; former NAJC President Lorene Oikawa who was politically aligned to the project and a key supporter of the process; and Justice Maryka Omatsu, who led the 2019 Community Consultations for the NAJC with Art Miki and team, collecting key data, and inspiring many reports which would follow.
Two carry-overs from BC Redress to the JCLS are BC Redress Project Director Susanne Tabata and the BC Redress Project Advisor Paul Kariya.
Japanese Canadian Legacies Society Board and Staff
The file of legacy initiatives moved with Susanne Tabata to the JCLS with NAJC approval. The Society is providing governance to the implementation of programs. All agreements (September and October) have been signed between the BC Government and the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society. The JCLS board is an oversight board, and its office reports to the BC Government quarterly. The new oversight board includes professionals in accounting, law, and government relations: President Paul Kariya, Treasurer Larry Okada, Secretary Brian Tsuji, Fred Yada, Karen Nishi, and Les Kojima.
The board is required to have one seat held for a representative from the NAJC, occupied by Les Kojima, the current NAJC president. The Board seat was held by former NAJC board member & BC Redress Project Director Susanne Tabata, who has been appointed CEO of the JCLS. She will continue to work with groups and organizations to further develop and implement the initiatives, which are all part of the original $100Million framework approved in March, 2022. Kyla Fitzgerald has been hired as the Operations Manager for the JCLS Project Office, as a support to Tabata, bringing strong backend operational skills to meet the high output reporting requirements.
JCLS President Paul Kariya and CEO Susanne Tabata are engaging with BC Premier David Eby and his government who have put the Japanese Canadian legacies file into its mandate letter, as both parties mutually work to fulfill the overall historical wrongs package, which includes both the monument and a ‘housing with community space’ component.
For more information, contact info@jclegacies.com
