Eight signs have now been erected along British Columbia highways to tell the stories of the Japanese-Canadian internment camp victims forced to build the roadways 75 years ago.
Stony Nakano, 97, remembers the hot summers he spent during his federally-ordered internment. He worked for 20 cents a day with about 400 other men building the Trans-Canada Highway in harsh mountainous terrain.
“I thought it was an essential job,” he said at the unveiling of the last of the eight signs, which is located at the Rutherford Beach rest area of Highway 1 near Revelstoke.
“I became a man after the road camp and it was a very important part of my life,” Nakano added.
More than 22,000 British Columbians with Japanese heritage were uprooted from their homes beginning in 1942 due to unfounded suspicions about their allegiance to Japan during the Second World War.
Laura Saimoto, chair of the Japanese Canadian Legacy Project Committee, said that the signage is important to ensure the past is not forgotten.
“You’ll give a quiet nod to those that built the highways and understand the stories and the lessons that gave us these highways,” she said Friday.
The eight signs have been installed on Highways 1, 3, 6, 12 and 31 over the past year.
Grace Beuter was one of the high school students present for Friday’s unveiling.
“We don't want to repeat history, this generation,” she said. “Kids and teenagers are going to grow up and we don't make the same mistakes as we did in the past.”
Nakano said he was very proud.
“Today is really exceptional to me,” he said. “I'm really glad I came.”
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Stephanie Wiebe
