Key Dates

1877 The first Japanese to come to Canada settle in Victoria
1894 Rev. Wilson records ten people of Japanese ancestry living on Salt Spring
1895 The Japanese are legally denied the right to vote in British Columbia elections
1907 Japan agrees to limit emigration to Canada to 400 males per year.
1909 The Okano family moves to Salt Spring for the first time, returning to the island again in 1919 after some years away.
1928 Japanese emigration to Canada is now limited to 150 per year.
1942 All people of Japanese ancestry in B.C. are interned to the interior of the province and to other provinces.
1949 Freedom of movement and the franchise are returned to Japanese Canadians.