by Susanne Tabata, BC Redress Project Director
The Japanese Canadian Health and Wellness Fund is winding down its operation of creating, managing, and implementing the initial and limited $2M fund for survivors in Canada. This grant was negotiated by the National Association of Japanse Canadians, stipulating that the money could be spent inside and outside of the province of BC. Working through this lens, the Nikkei Seniors Health Care & Housing Society and the NAJC set up a framework to make this happen. It must be repeated that this has been a humbling six months to create, administer and implement a limited $2M seniors health and wellness fund in Canada, when there are families who have lost loved ones, there are survivors in need of support, and there are some who live outside the country and are not eligible for this round of funding. We have done this work with condolences to all families who are mourning the loss of a family member, and with support to those caring for loved ones. And while it is true that we have done all the work under the umbrella of a pandemic, we must acknowledge the hardships that all British Columbians have faced in the past two years and continue to struggle with today.
Since awarding 1816 individual grants, and monies to 50 organizations and 19 small groups – see jcwellness.org for results – this grant office has received hundreds of emails and letters from survivors and their families across Canada, who are emotionally moved by the gesture of a small grant. For many individuals and families, this moment validates a family’s journey, and begins to unpack the hidden trauma and the larger historical wrong that occurred in BC. To the hundreds of community members who have taken the time to thank the office and the fund for the work, we thank you for the feedback. We are working hard to ensure that the next fund will be respectable and meet the ‘health care’ needs of survivors.
What’s next for BC Redress?
As talks continue, in a January 14, 2022 letter addressed to NAJC President Lorene Oikawa and Director of BC Redress Susanne Tabata, BC Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-racism Initiatives Rachna Singh confirms the following:
“During the fall, our ministry staff worked with your BC Redress team (Paul Kariya, Susanne Tabata), and cross-ministry partners to develop options for Cabinet to consider based on the six pillars of recognition you proposed to us on September 22, 2021. Your recommendations for initiatives related to seniors’ health and wellness, heritage, community and culture, education, anti racism and a monument were shared and discussed with a cross government committee of assistant deputy ministers in November, followed by a cross government committee of deputy ministers in December. We are now getting ready to share your recommendations and options with a Cabinet committee in early February 2022. Based on their direction, we anticipate that the next step will be to submit funding options for Treasury Board’s consideration in the late winter/early spring of 2022.”
We have currently passed the first gate with our proposal package which looks at ‘scope’ of those six pillars for BC Redress. A lot is about to happen over the next few months.
I end with a personal note of gratitude to my parents. My mother passed away while I’ve been working on this file, and I now care for and live with my 96-year-old father, Susumu, who is grateful that the BC Government is engaged. Let’s hope that the sentiment, which is shared by the hundreds of seniors responding to our initial fund, will translate into a respectful package.
Stay tuned.