Japanese-Canadian Road Camps 1942-1944

Photo by contributor Thomas William Kirkbride - Posted June, 2006

Plaque Location

The District of Thunder Bay
The Township of Schreiber
In Schreiber, on the northwest corner of
Scotia and Winnipeg Streets

Coordinates: N 48 48.454 W 87 16.006

Plaque Text

During the Second World War, the federal government forcibly evacuated Canadians of Japanese ancestry from the coast of British Columbia. In the spring of 1942, several hundred young men were sent to Ontario to help build the Trans-Canada Highway. They were accommodated in four camps between Schreiber and Jackfish. Most soon left the road camps for work on farms or in lumber and pulp mills. Others, interned in prisoner-of-war camps for resisting separation from their families, accepted similar employment. Once established in jobs, the men encouraged relatives and friends to migrate east. Thousands settled permanently, establishing the basis of a significant Japanese-Canadian community in Ontario.

Related Ontario plaque
The Trans-Canada Highway

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