The Canada-Japan Society of British Columbia
55th Annual General Meeting,
June 22nd, 2015
Coast Restaurant, Vancouver, B.C.
President’s Report
This is my report to the Canada-Japan Society of B.C. for 2014/2015.
We celebrate our 87th anniversary this year. We are the oldest Asian bilateral association in Canada, and look forward to continuing to build friendships between Japan and Canada in the years ahead. This past year has seen program contributions from Advantage BC President Colin Hansen, Premier Christy Clark, Deputy Minister of Education David Byng, and others.
We’re working now on our 2015 fall speakers program. This year the Canada-Japan Society of British Columbia will host the 40th Annual Golf Tournament and Dinner – and with the kind support of you and your Japanese Businessmen’s Association of Vancouver (Konwakai) colleagues we hope to enjoy the 12th year of co-hosting of the event. The Meadow Gardens Golf Course has been booked for Sunday, September 13, 2015 and Air Canada will again be our Grand Prize sponsor. This annual signature event is actively chaired by Golf Tournament Committee Chair, Director, Past President and Treasurer Russell Mark; and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him particularly for his volunteer efforts around this event.
Others will comment on Society memberships, including new members, as well as events over the past year, but I would like to underline the role that individuals have played in keeping things moving. Angela Hollinger, Russell Mark, John Tak, Jay Lemoine and Bill McMichael, your Executive, supported significantly by our Honourary Chair Consul General Okada, have all contributed significantly throughout the year.
Every year it seems that there are one or more Society members who are recognized by others within our extended community for their work in building links between Canada and Japan. This year is no exception, and I would like to commend Bill McMichael on his receiving the 2015 Mayor’s Achievement Award, recognizing his contribution to the success of the 2015 Vancouver-Yokohama Golden Jubilee.
On May 8th, Society Director and former Ambassador Don Campbell was conferred with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo by the Prime Minister of Japan, in the presence of the Emperor.
The Order is in recognition of Don’s dedication and commitment to fostering economic and trade relations between Canada and Japan, which has led to many Japanese companies growing and contributing to the economic and social fabric of Canada.
As with other non-profit organizations such as ours, there are many supporters and volunteers, without which we would not realize the continued success that we have.
As the public focus shifts to Japanese and other offshore interests in BC’s energy resources, I trust that we will not lose sight of the long tradition of working together to build for the long term across a range of interests.
Your Society is affiliated with the Vancouver Board of Trade, Advantage BC, Konwakai, Mokuyokai, Nikkei Place Foundation and with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
We do not take the relationship between Japan and Canada for granted. As a Society, we do not take your support for granted, but truly value the relationships with and continued support of sister organizations, member companies and individuals alike.
Thank you very much for your support.
Steven J. Archer
President