#5. "We are not trapped by our thoughts. WHat we generally do, however, is create thoughts that trap us."
During the Japanese-Canadian internment of 1942, old mining and ghost towns were hastily built into housing premises for the displaced minority. Women and children were separated from husbands and fathers, who were sent to work in labour camps. Initially, the BC government refused to pay for education, eventually agreeing to fund for schooling up until Grade 8. The curriculum was weaved with textbooks on British history, loyalty to the British Empire, honesty and obedience. They were treated as if any one of them had committed a suspicious act against the Canadian and British majority.
Conditions in the camps were crowded, many families being forced into shacks or tents. They went from homes filled with family heirlooms and pictures into wooden, single rooms that were poorly insulated. Akira Horii remembers: "Built of green lumber, as wood shrank cracks appeared between the boards. My brothers and I stuffed newspapers into cracks but they didn't keep out the blistering heat in the summer or the cold in winter. "
What made it more difficult was that the BC coast had been a relatively mild climate. Moving inland, internees experienced the onset of harsh winters. Shoved into this new environment, many people had trouble adjusting to the brutal cold and snow, especially deprived of warm coats and boots. The Tashme internment camp located in the mountains near Slocan, BC suffered the most severe weather. It was known as "Camp Hell-Hole" and was the first to close.
It is important to remember that these were not the "temporary" camps as had been promised. Families lived there for years, even after the war terminated. Children grew up in these camps, babies were born, elders passed and new beginnings formed. The Japanese-Canadian society had to alter their entire lifestyle to survive camp conditions. Many fathers and husbands who left to labour camps could not return, and wives had to take up both roles of woman and man in the family to support their children. In those times, differences between the two sexes and their responsibilities were evident. Families worked hard to resume their normal routine - clubs and events were organized for the children. However, in the face of such disparity, conditions made these goals much more difficult. Horii also recalls that drinking water had to be paid for and in the winter, snow was melted for water. There was barely electricity and wood had to be logged from nearby mountains to provide heat.
This photo was chosen for the list because it sheds light on the children who suffered these conditions with their parents. It is impossible to say that any of these young kids could have been spies sending information to enemy forces. However, they suffered the same consequences as everyone else though they were were just children. It was as if an adult and a five year old could have been tried for the same crime and sentenced to the same term. This truly showcases an act of injustice that will always remind our nation to refrain from acting on the basis of nothing but suspicion. Though the Japanese-Canadian internment was a dark time in Canadian history, it should be remembered as a duty of our government to learn from its wrongs and assure a bright future for all Canadians.
Conditions in the camps were crowded, many families being forced into shacks or tents. They went from homes filled with family heirlooms and pictures into wooden, single rooms that were poorly insulated. Akira Horii remembers: "Built of green lumber, as wood shrank cracks appeared between the boards. My brothers and I stuffed newspapers into cracks but they didn't keep out the blistering heat in the summer or the cold in winter. "
What made it more difficult was that the BC coast had been a relatively mild climate. Moving inland, internees experienced the onset of harsh winters. Shoved into this new environment, many people had trouble adjusting to the brutal cold and snow, especially deprived of warm coats and boots. The Tashme internment camp located in the mountains near Slocan, BC suffered the most severe weather. It was known as "Camp Hell-Hole" and was the first to close.
It is important to remember that these were not the "temporary" camps as had been promised. Families lived there for years, even after the war terminated. Children grew up in these camps, babies were born, elders passed and new beginnings formed. The Japanese-Canadian society had to alter their entire lifestyle to survive camp conditions. Many fathers and husbands who left to labour camps could not return, and wives had to take up both roles of woman and man in the family to support their children. In those times, differences between the two sexes and their responsibilities were evident. Families worked hard to resume their normal routine - clubs and events were organized for the children. However, in the face of such disparity, conditions made these goals much more difficult. Horii also recalls that drinking water had to be paid for and in the winter, snow was melted for water. There was barely electricity and wood had to be logged from nearby mountains to provide heat.
This photo was chosen for the list because it sheds light on the children who suffered these conditions with their parents. It is impossible to say that any of these young kids could have been spies sending information to enemy forces. However, they suffered the same consequences as everyone else though they were were just children. It was as if an adult and a five year old could have been tried for the same crime and sentenced to the same term. This truly showcases an act of injustice that will always remind our nation to refrain from acting on the basis of nothing but suspicion. Though the Japanese-Canadian internment was a dark time in Canadian history, it should be remembered as a duty of our government to learn from its wrongs and assure a bright future for all Canadians.
#4. "We actually saw him running that day. just down on yonge, with his leg."
Terrance Stanley Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 28th, 1958. He was only 19 when a malignant tumor was found in his right leg. It was amputated six inches above the knee and the night before his surgery, Terry read about an amputee runner and dreamed of running. Just two years after his surgery, in 1979, Terry begins to train for his Marathon of Hope. His training ran over 5,000 kilometres. On April 12th, 1980, he dips his artificial right leg and sock into the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of newfoundland.
And so begins the journey.
Terry ran an average of 26 miles a day, 7 days a week. There was no day of rest, no "cheat day". His feet began to blister badly after the first week or so and sores developed between his leg and the artificial counterpart. However, this did nothing to dim his spirits - when running with some school children, he said: "I really burned it just to show them how fast I could go. They were tired and puffing. All right!" Terry always wore shorts so people could recognize his artificial leg and its story, no matter the weather. He must have endured headaches, fever and cramps - but the determination inside one young man had the ability to override all of these things. Illnesses that prevent us from going to work in the morning, or taking a day off to rest - Terry denied himself any of these "luxuries" and continued to press on with his goal. When he reached halfway point, it was discovered that the odometer had a 4% error and he had actually ran an additional 65 miles.
The runner passed on June 28th, 1981 at 4:35 PM. Cancer took over his lungs and Terry fell into an endless coma. The government of Canada ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half staff, an honor usually reserved for statesmen. Terry's life was finished but the legacy he left would prove to be immortal. Every year, countless participants across 60 countries continue his Marathon of Hope.
This fourth picture was chosen because I wanted to bring recognition on another level. Most of the photos on Terry Fox are of him running, but I wanted to find something that showed him as just the young man he was. What moved me about this photo was the struggle you could see in his eyes. Though the Marathon of Hope was an amazing goal that brought an entire country together, it came at the cost of his life. People get so caught up in his media character, his legacy that they forget to see just how much of a battle Terry fought. Ellen Tate of Sudbury recalls: "I was expecting that he would be happy to see us, but he was tired. It took me a while to realize that in my self-centered 15-year-old-mind. We went to the bypass and he must have been near the end of the day and he looked very tired." Terry's endeavor required no less than superhuman strength. The amount of sheer pain he experienced, day after day, and the fact that he could still get up under any circumstance to fight for the next is miraculous in itself. Since Terry Fox, over 500 million CAD has been raised for cancer research and awareness. Terry ran in hope of allowing the discovery of a miracle, of the cure for cancer - but the real miracle was the fact that one boy's determination managed to unite a world of others.
And so begins the journey.
Terry ran an average of 26 miles a day, 7 days a week. There was no day of rest, no "cheat day". His feet began to blister badly after the first week or so and sores developed between his leg and the artificial counterpart. However, this did nothing to dim his spirits - when running with some school children, he said: "I really burned it just to show them how fast I could go. They were tired and puffing. All right!" Terry always wore shorts so people could recognize his artificial leg and its story, no matter the weather. He must have endured headaches, fever and cramps - but the determination inside one young man had the ability to override all of these things. Illnesses that prevent us from going to work in the morning, or taking a day off to rest - Terry denied himself any of these "luxuries" and continued to press on with his goal. When he reached halfway point, it was discovered that the odometer had a 4% error and he had actually ran an additional 65 miles.
The runner passed on June 28th, 1981 at 4:35 PM. Cancer took over his lungs and Terry fell into an endless coma. The government of Canada ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half staff, an honor usually reserved for statesmen. Terry's life was finished but the legacy he left would prove to be immortal. Every year, countless participants across 60 countries continue his Marathon of Hope.
This fourth picture was chosen because I wanted to bring recognition on another level. Most of the photos on Terry Fox are of him running, but I wanted to find something that showed him as just the young man he was. What moved me about this photo was the struggle you could see in his eyes. Though the Marathon of Hope was an amazing goal that brought an entire country together, it came at the cost of his life. People get so caught up in his media character, his legacy that they forget to see just how much of a battle Terry fought. Ellen Tate of Sudbury recalls: "I was expecting that he would be happy to see us, but he was tired. It took me a while to realize that in my self-centered 15-year-old-mind. We went to the bypass and he must have been near the end of the day and he looked very tired." Terry's endeavor required no less than superhuman strength. The amount of sheer pain he experienced, day after day, and the fact that he could still get up under any circumstance to fight for the next is miraculous in itself. Since Terry Fox, over 500 million CAD has been raised for cancer research and awareness. Terry ran in hope of allowing the discovery of a miracle, of the cure for cancer - but the real miracle was the fact that one boy's determination managed to unite a world of others.
#3. "O accursed hunger of gold, to what dost thou not compel human hearts! "
The year of 1896 was one of discovery. Gold in the Yukon! Between 1897 and 1899, thousands of men left their homes to search for this precious metal in the Arctic lands. The Klondike Gold Rush transformed public image of the North, turning it from a barren wasteland to a site of wealth and prospective opportunities. George Carmack, an American prospector along with his companions Keish and Kaa Goox were the first to find these nuggets of shiny treasure. Their discovery was made on Rabbit Creek, a small portion of the Klondike River. When word of their findings reached the rest of the world in July of 1897, it sparked a stampede of hopeful men who packed up their bags and headed for the Klondike.
It turned out to be an epic journey. The harsh northern weather, the methods of transport and a territory nearly impossible to map all became obstacles for these prospectors. The lawless town of Skagway, on route to the golden lands was commanded by the notorious Soapy Smith and his band of thieves. People perished in the mountains by both weather and crime. Gold could drive one crazy in its luster and above all, the high prices it fetched anywhere in the world. The promise of honor and wealth led people on to the Chilkoot, the most famous trail of them all. Thousands carried heavy loads up the steep climb and across the rocky summit. These trips numbered 30 or 40 times to haul up the amount of supplies needed for Arctic survival. When the prospectors reached Dawson City, they found it full of life. Situated at the mouth of the Klondike River, veteran gold searchers and now millionaires (called "Sourdough") greeted the new "Cheechako", a term given to newcomers who had yet to survive an Arctic winter. Dawson city was a place where the mundane was surrounded by tales of grand adventure, always ending in a pot of yellow wealth. However, not everyone was lucky enough to find anything that proved their investment's worth. Those who did, went on to lead extravagant lives. For the majority of people however, life was about surviving the cold winter. Disease, darkness, isolation and general lack of motivation made the conditions unbearable. Success was highly unpredictable, but the battle to reach it could not be more sure. It was a hard fight for finding one shiny piece of metal.
During these years, nearly $29 million dollars in gold was recovered. Due to the spending, the continental economy felt some light in its plague of depression and unemployment. The Canadian Government was able to develop the Yukon with a much faster pace, establishing foundations of new cities and economic centres. Authors like Jack London wrote novels about the event, popularizing it into a worldwide phenomenon. The Arctic was no longer a place that nobody knew, or dared venture. It was now one of the most exciting locations in Canadian history, showing that adventure and wealth can be found only if you search beneath its blinding white veils. The whole world was stunned by the bounty of Canada's natural resources and the treasures which lie beneath our land.
It turned out to be an epic journey. The harsh northern weather, the methods of transport and a territory nearly impossible to map all became obstacles for these prospectors. The lawless town of Skagway, on route to the golden lands was commanded by the notorious Soapy Smith and his band of thieves. People perished in the mountains by both weather and crime. Gold could drive one crazy in its luster and above all, the high prices it fetched anywhere in the world. The promise of honor and wealth led people on to the Chilkoot, the most famous trail of them all. Thousands carried heavy loads up the steep climb and across the rocky summit. These trips numbered 30 or 40 times to haul up the amount of supplies needed for Arctic survival. When the prospectors reached Dawson City, they found it full of life. Situated at the mouth of the Klondike River, veteran gold searchers and now millionaires (called "Sourdough") greeted the new "Cheechako", a term given to newcomers who had yet to survive an Arctic winter. Dawson city was a place where the mundane was surrounded by tales of grand adventure, always ending in a pot of yellow wealth. However, not everyone was lucky enough to find anything that proved their investment's worth. Those who did, went on to lead extravagant lives. For the majority of people however, life was about surviving the cold winter. Disease, darkness, isolation and general lack of motivation made the conditions unbearable. Success was highly unpredictable, but the battle to reach it could not be more sure. It was a hard fight for finding one shiny piece of metal.
During these years, nearly $29 million dollars in gold was recovered. Due to the spending, the continental economy felt some light in its plague of depression and unemployment. The Canadian Government was able to develop the Yukon with a much faster pace, establishing foundations of new cities and economic centres. Authors like Jack London wrote novels about the event, popularizing it into a worldwide phenomenon. The Arctic was no longer a place that nobody knew, or dared venture. It was now one of the most exciting locations in Canadian history, showing that adventure and wealth can be found only if you search beneath its blinding white veils. The whole world was stunned by the bounty of Canada's natural resources and the treasures which lie beneath our land.
#2. "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
The Oka crisis was a land dispute between the Mohawk tribe and the town of Oka, Quebec. It was triggered when the Mohawks of the Kanesatake reserve were confronted with an urban development plan: to extend a golf course onto their land. They refused this proposal, arguing that the selected land was actually a Mohawk burial ground. On July 11th, 1990, the tribe erected a barricade to prevent developers and construction from entering the area. The police were immediately called to attack these enforcements. Things turned violent in a heartbeat and shots were fired, resulting in the death of Marcel Lemay. He was an agent of the Provincial police force. Before his death, the police had struck out with tear gas and flash bang grenades. With the situation clearly getting out of hand, the Federal Government intervened and offered to purchase the land from Oka and prevent further development. However, the damage had already been done. Racial commentary split the Montreal radio waves and aggressions against the First Nations group mounted. Ottawa sent in the RCMP, who could not control the situation with any more effectiveness. Finally, on August 20th, the military was deployed. The "Van Doos" was a Royal 22nd Regiment who replaced the Police force at three different barricades.
This is when the above photo was taken. It shows a stand off between a Mohawk warrior and a young soldier. The media surround them, shoving microphones and cameras in the faces of two who would not speak. I found this photo to be extremely compelling because here is a warrior of his tribe, a protector of sorts who refuses to move in the face of any resistance, even the Canadian military. The Aboriginals of Canada have been treated with crippling injustice, cornered off into reserves whose conditions are nothing like the rest of Canadian society. They suffer continuously from depression, alcoholism, suicide and violence. This is a stunning contrast to the way of life for these First Nations before we had stolen the land that was rightfully theirs. The act of erecting a physical barricade out of their own people is characteristic to a group that has nothing left to defend but their territory. The cameras and mics surrounding these two are directly representative of the oppression Aboriginals have felt from a society so different than theirs. Whatever way they are portrayed by the media and seen by the majority, it must be remembered that in the end, we are all people. We respect and hold value to different things, but we feel all the same. Martin Luther King once said : "We must learn to live as brothers, or perish together as fools."
The Mohawks were finally forced to back down. The final end was on September 25th, when the overpowered tribe laid down their weapons and returned to the reserves. Many were arrested by the police. This event was not caused by a need for violence or a land dispute for a golf course. It was a stand of the Aboriginals to shed light on the fact that they were an independent group of people who deserved to be respected and treated equally, as all Canadians have the right to. We cannot make a human rights code, pat ourselves on the back for it and then proceed to choose who it applies to.
This is when the above photo was taken. It shows a stand off between a Mohawk warrior and a young soldier. The media surround them, shoving microphones and cameras in the faces of two who would not speak. I found this photo to be extremely compelling because here is a warrior of his tribe, a protector of sorts who refuses to move in the face of any resistance, even the Canadian military. The Aboriginals of Canada have been treated with crippling injustice, cornered off into reserves whose conditions are nothing like the rest of Canadian society. They suffer continuously from depression, alcoholism, suicide and violence. This is a stunning contrast to the way of life for these First Nations before we had stolen the land that was rightfully theirs. The act of erecting a physical barricade out of their own people is characteristic to a group that has nothing left to defend but their territory. The cameras and mics surrounding these two are directly representative of the oppression Aboriginals have felt from a society so different than theirs. Whatever way they are portrayed by the media and seen by the majority, it must be remembered that in the end, we are all people. We respect and hold value to different things, but we feel all the same. Martin Luther King once said : "We must learn to live as brothers, or perish together as fools."
The Mohawks were finally forced to back down. The final end was on September 25th, when the overpowered tribe laid down their weapons and returned to the reserves. Many were arrested by the police. This event was not caused by a need for violence or a land dispute for a golf course. It was a stand of the Aboriginals to shed light on the fact that they were an independent group of people who deserved to be respected and treated equally, as all Canadians have the right to. We cannot make a human rights code, pat ourselves on the back for it and then proceed to choose who it applies to.
#1. "wait for me, Daddy."
Above is a touching photo taken by Claude Detloff on October 1st, 1940. It shows the British Columbia Regiment marching down Eighth Street at the Columbia Avenue intersection in New Westminster. The little boy is Warren "Whitey' Bernard, who temporarily escaped the hold of his mother to run to his father, Private Jack Bernard. The photo received extensive exposure and became an image used in the drive for war bonds. It shows the carefree innocence of a young child who understood that it was time for good-byes, yet perhaps the little boy knew that there was some sort of notion that his father may not return. Children did not understand war and death like adults, but it brought about the same feelings nonetheless. This photo is representative of how war affected Canada as a nation, and how it touched everyone with the same concept in different ways.
By the end of the war, over a million Canadian men and women performed full time duty in services. Total casualty was less than the First Wold War, but over 40,000 had lost their lives.
Achilles, a Greek Hero of Homer's Illiad said: "War is old men talking, and young men dying." Indeed, many of the Canadians who gave their service to war were young husbands who had just been married, or fathers who had just seen their first child. It took tremendous strength and courage to leave their families behind and go to war, sometimes in the face of uncertain survival. However, Canadians made these sacrifices in knowledge that the future they wanted had to be fought for. There was no preparation for the tragedy they would face - like the horror of Dieppe, where Allied forces ran into walls of machine gun fire as soon as they stepped out the landing craft. It was an end to be remembered on Juno Beach, but a hard-fought victory always comes at the greatest sacrifice. The ones who were in the right place at the right time lived, and the ones who were in the wrong place at the wrong time perished. War did not judge who should deserve to live and who should not, soldiers died and survived beside each other regardless of all else. Their fight was for a country they could see their children grow up in, with the happiness and freedom we all deserve. As J.R.R. Tolkien said in the Two Towers: "...but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."
By the end of the war, over a million Canadian men and women performed full time duty in services. Total casualty was less than the First Wold War, but over 40,000 had lost their lives.
Achilles, a Greek Hero of Homer's Illiad said: "War is old men talking, and young men dying." Indeed, many of the Canadians who gave their service to war were young husbands who had just been married, or fathers who had just seen their first child. It took tremendous strength and courage to leave their families behind and go to war, sometimes in the face of uncertain survival. However, Canadians made these sacrifices in knowledge that the future they wanted had to be fought for. There was no preparation for the tragedy they would face - like the horror of Dieppe, where Allied forces ran into walls of machine gun fire as soon as they stepped out the landing craft. It was an end to be remembered on Juno Beach, but a hard-fought victory always comes at the greatest sacrifice. The ones who were in the right place at the right time lived, and the ones who were in the wrong place at the wrong time perished. War did not judge who should deserve to live and who should not, soldiers died and survived beside each other regardless of all else. Their fight was for a country they could see their children grow up in, with the happiness and freedom we all deserve. As J.R.R. Tolkien said in the Two Towers: "...but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."