Ontario Place Replaces Centennial Commemorative Plaque at the Temple Bell

In 2012, Ontario Place park was closed to the public for redevelopment. During the long park closure, the Memorial Plaque under the Centennial Temple Bell went missing.

The large bronze plaque indicated that the Bell was a gift to the people of Ontario from Japanese Canadians living in the province in commemoration of their Centennial in Canada Inscriptions on the plaque included an original haiku by Japanese Canadian poet Ujo Nakano in Japanese.

In 2020, the Toronto NAJC began inquiries with Ontario Place (OP) staff to see what happened to the plaque. Had it been removed and put into storage during redevelopment of the park? Had it been stolen for its metal content? Or was it a victim of vandalism? OP staff were very cooperative and carried out a search for the plaque and when they could not find it graciously offered to replace it. The Toronto NAJC was delighted with their response and drew up a template based on photos of the original plaque.

Yosh Inouye, a Toronto NAJC board member and retired graphic artist ably produced a near exact copy of the original from the photos. The only changes were the addition of the Centennial logo and updated translation of the haiku by Leatrice Chan, daughter and translator of the poet. We are particularly thankful to Mr. Grant Eberlin, Senior Manager, Operations and Infrastructure and Ms. Julie Berardi, Manager of Communications who were instrumental in the replacement of the plaque. Currently the Temple Bell located on the west island of Ontario Place is accessible to the public.

We encourage all JCs to visit the Bell and view the newly installed commemorative plaque. In late 2021, the Toronto NAJC initiated discussions with senior government officials about the impact to the Temple Bell and Belfry the recently announced plans for the redevelopment might have. Discussions are ongoing. 

Author – Ron Shimizu