This community-led research project uses two main methods to learn more about the experiences of Japanese Canadians in Farnham: archival research and oral history interviews. Here is a summary of how we’ve approached the research so far, and what we’ve found.
Archival Research
In June 2023, Sara Hanako Breitkreutz, Alison Reiko Loader and Julie Tamiko Manning began conducting archival research on the Farnham Hostel at the McGill University Archives. The McGill University Archives is currently the repository for the Japanese Canadian History and Archives Committee of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center of Montreal (JCCCM) Collection, which was donated to the university in the early 2000s by community organizer Rei Nakashima. Thanks to the efforts of the History and Archives Committee nearly four decades ago, this collection contains documents describing the administration of the Farnham Hostel by the federal Department of Labour and testimonials from individuals that lived at this site, as well as other materials relating to the history of the Nikkei community in Quebec.
Then, in July 2024, Alianne Kimura and Toby Kimura visited Library and Archives Canada to consult additional documents from the Japanese Division series of the Department of Labour fonds. This archival collection contains information regarding the establishment and administration of the Farnham Hostel, as well as lists of the Japanese Canadian families that were relocated to this site.
Oral History Interviews
In 2023, the Farnham Subcommittee began conducting interviews with the survivors of internment that were relocated to Farnham, Quebec, in the late 1940s, to explore their experiences living at the Farnham Hostel. In total, 14 survivors have been interviewed by community researchers so far. Their stories can be found on this website in Stories from Farnham.