Greenwood is known as the first town in Canada to take a proactive stance in accepting Japanese Canadians who were interned during World War II.
Grand Forks, however, served as a “self-supporting site” where families worked together to rebuild their lives.
Greenwood
Greenwood was one of the Japanese Canadian internment sites supported by the Canadian government. In 1942, when the internment began, most towns rejected the arrival of Japanese Canadians. However, Greenwood welcomed them.
At that time, Greenwood’s population had dwindled to about 200 people, and the town faced the risk of decline. Mayor W.E. MacArthur Sr. publicly declared in a newspaper advertisement that the town would not refuse Japanese Canadians. This statement became a catalyst for their relocation to Greenwood as a new place of residence.
Key figures in relocating Japanese Canadians included Father Benedict Quigley of the Catholic Church and Franciscan nuns, who played significant roles in supporting the community.
In 1945, the Canadian government forced Japanese Canadians to choose one of two options: move east of the Rockies or “repatriate” to Japan. However, in Greenwood, the city hall and the Chamber of Commerce submitted protests to the government to allow Japanese Canadians to stay in the region. As a result, hundreds of Japanese Canadians remained in Greenwood and built new lives. Greenwood became one of the few communities that continued to provide a life foundation for Japanese Canadians after the war.
Grand Forks
Grand Forks is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Greenwood. Beginning in 1939, under the leadership of Reverend Esumatsu Nakatani, Japanese Canadians voluntarily established a foundation for their lives, making Grand Forks one of the “self-supporting relocation sites.” Over 300 people relocated there.
Cooperating with nearby towns such as Greenwood and Midway, the community made an effort to support Japanese Canadians in establishing their livelihoods.
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