Tofino mayor Josie Osborne earned an emotional standing ovation inside the Clayoquot Sound Community Theatre on Tuesday when she formally apologized on behalf of the townsa国际传媒檚 council for a motion made in 1947 to sa国际传媒渆xclude Orientalssa国际传媒� from the community.
sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 speechless,sa国际传媒� Mary Kimoto told the Westerly News outside the theatre. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 finally happened and Isa国际传媒檓 just speechless.sa国际传媒�
Mary moved to the West Coast with her husband Tom in 1951. Tom had been a fisherman in Tofino when he was forcibly removed during Japanese-Canadian Internment in 1942. The family had intended to resettle in Tofino, but found too much tension against Japanese Canadians so they moved to Ucluelet instead.
sa国际传媒淢y father couldnsa国际传媒檛 come back to Clayoquot to resettle,sa国际传媒� said Doug Kimoto, Mary and Tomsa国际传媒檚 son, who was 10 months old when the family returned to B.C.
sa国际传媒淭his is an apology for all the families that lived here years ago and reconciliation for the Japanese community,sa国际传媒� Doug told the Westerly. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 righting a wrong that maybe should have been done years agosa国际传媒t took a lot of will to do this. A lot of previous councils kind of swept it under the rug.sa国际传媒�
The 1947 motion read, sa国际传媒淭he Commissioners of the Corporation of the Village of Tofino, hereby resolve-That at the request of the residents of the Village of Tofino, all orientals be excluded completely from this Municipality, and shall be prevented from owning property or carrying on business directly or indirectly within the Municipality.sa国际传媒�
Tofino did not have a municipal council at the time and was led by commissioners. The motion was never formally passed but, Osborne noted, in 1949 the commissioners directed their clerk to look into sa国际传媒渨hether a bylaw could be made to exclude Orientals from buying or owning property within the municipality.sa国际传媒�
She added that Tofinosa国际传媒檚 council rescinded the motion in 1997, but a formal apology was not made.
sa国际传媒淭oday, we are here to declare the District of Tofino Council takes full responsibility for its actions of 1947 and 1949 and we acknowledge that the words, actions and intentions of the past, both spoken and unspoken, caused harm and suffering,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲e regret these and today we offer a formal and sincere apology to Japanese Canadians, all persons of Asian descent and to all others affected by our actions. We reject any exclusionary policy based on racial or ethnic origins and we make a solemn commitment that such injustices will never again be countenanced.sa国际传媒�
Osborne added that the public apology should serve as a call to action.
sa国际传媒淲e call upon the witnesses here present to tell others about what you saw and heard today,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淲e call upon all present to embrace the shared responsibility to uphold the principles of human rights, justice and equality today and into the future. Let this event be a catalyst to increase public understanding and dialogue on how and why injustices such as those of Tofinosa国际传媒檚 past must never happen again.sa国际传媒�
Prior to the apology, Osborne offered a historical perspective provided by the National Association of Japanese Canadians.
sa国际传媒淚n 1941, Japanese Canadians in Tofino were affected by the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the war with Japan. On Dec. 15, 1941, their fishing boats were rounded up and confiscated. Japanese Canadians were labeled enemy aliens, despite the fact that the military advised they were no threat to the country,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚n 1942, they were given 24 hours notice to gather belongings and move from their homes in Tofino, eventually taken by ferry to Vancouversa国际传媒檚 Hastings Park; a horse stable reeking of manure and urine that was converted into sleeping quarters where they stayed until they were moved into the interior of B.C. and to internment camps.sa国际传媒�
Isabel Kimoto was a 19-year-old living in Tofino in 1942.
sa国际传媒淚 remember police just pushed the door open and took the radio,sa国际传媒� she told the Westerly News in a 2012 interview. sa国际传媒淢y husband was a fisherman and his boat was anchored in the ocean in front of the house, they beached the boat and then, around Christmas time, all the Japanese fisherman had to move their boats to New Westminster.sa国际传媒�
Isabel passed away in 2015. Her daughter Ellen, who was three months old when her family was forced out of their West Coast home, attended Tuesdaysa国际传媒檚 apology.
sa国际传媒淚 think how [my mother] would have put it, if she had been around, she would have said, sa国际传媒榃e were pushed around a lot during those days and this apology pushes back.sa国际传媒� I think thatsa国际传媒檚 what she would have said,sa国际传媒� Ellen told the Westerly.
She added the apology was a sa国际传媒渂ittersweetsa国际传媒� event.
sa国际传媒淭he sweetest part was Josiesa国际传媒檚 apology. I think that was heartfelt and emotional. I think she put a lot of herself into it and I liked the way she ended the apology with a call for people to get along with each other,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭he apology made me hopeful and optimistic. On the other hand, the bitter part was that the people who really suffered werensa国际传媒檛 there to hear it, because the apology took so long in coming. My mom and all her age group; theysa国际传媒檙e all gone.sa国际传媒�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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