Project Summary

In collaboration with the Vancouver Japanese Gardeners' Association (VJGA), the City will be building a Japanese Garden in Jim Hadgkiss Park near the Maple Ridge Museum to commemorate the legacy of early Japanese Canadians in Maple Ridge. We gratefully recognize that funding for this project was provided by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society (JCLS).

Construction of a Japanese Garden will honour and recognize a place of significance and to promote public awareness of pre-war and wartime Japanese Canadian history in Maple Ridge. The Maple Ridge Museum has an extensive exhibit on early Japanese Canadian settlement and treatment in Maple Ridge. More information can be found at this link.

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Community Engagement - Concept

The community is invited to provide feedback on the concept design for the Japanese garden shown below through the survey at the bottom of this page, and/or by attending our open house.

Concept Plan Survey
July 30 - August 20, 2025

Open House
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 4:00pm - 7:00pm (drop in)
Jim Hadgkiss Park (Maple Ridge Museum)
22520 116 Ave, Maple Ridge

Staff will be available to discuss this project and answer questions about the concept plan.

The concept of this garden commemorates the early Japanese families and the community of the Nokai (farmers association) that once resided in Maple Ridge and along the Fraser River. Japanese settlement in Maple Ridge dates back to the early 1900s, with strawberries as one of the main crops being farmed at the time.

This garden is created with this concept in mind and carefully designed to recognize the importance of an encounter. From encounters of new friendships, and bonds of trust and respect, the garden design team values the limitless potential the Japanese Garden possesses.

Garden Layout and Design

This stroll garden will begin from where the current parking lot faces the slope. Notable traditional Japanese Garden features will be staged around each circle garden. Features such as the stone and brick wall, water bowl, dry rock garden, and mist garden will be staged. Local materials from plants to boulders and rocks will be utilized as attributes.

Brick components will be used to recognize the establishment of the Port Haney Brick and Tile Company that once fostered the community and presence at Jim Hadgkiss Park.

Compared to the typical image of Japanese gardens, this garden will not use much shrubbery and groundcover, instead utilizing mid-sized Maple and Cherry trees to accompany the gardens.

Hydrangeas will be placed along the path that trails to the top of the slope which leads to a vantage point of the 5 rings, surrounding mid-sized trees, and the Fraser River. The Lace Cap Hydrangea was a flowering shrub, prominent in Japan centuries ago and it signifies resilience, family, majesty, forgiving, and compassion. The transforming array of nature’s colours along with the surrounding environment will be uniquely different depending on the season. The spring cherry blossoms and fall maple leaves with crimson tones that are planted along the path will provide a different sensation upon each stroll, yet on the same path.

Concept Boards

Click on the images below to expand the images and review the concept boards for this garden design. Then take our survey to share your feedback.

Background

A Japanese garden commemorating the legacy of Japanese Canadians in Maple Ridge will provide a place of significance and promote public awareness of pre-war and wartime Japanese Canadian history in Maple Ridge. It is recognized that Japanese Canadians at one time represented at least 30% of Maple Ridge’s population with Japanese Canadian farmers owning 220 farms in the area. Japanese Canadians in Maple Ridge were part of the 22,000 people who were uprooted, dispossessed, and displaced from their homes and businesses during World War II.

Please see the Maple Ridge Museum's exhibit on Japanese Canadian Settlers of Maple Ridge for more information.

A Japanese garden at Jim Hadgkiss Park will honour the significance of Japanese Canadian legacies in Maple Ridge and provide a visual acknowledgement of this history in combination to the existing displays and features that the Maple Ridge Museum & Archives exhibits.

Level of Engagement: Consult

The engagement for phase 2 of this project is at the "consult" level of the International Association for Public Participation's (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation. This means that we will obtain public feedback on analysis, alternatives, or decision. We will also keep you informed, listen to your concerns, acknowledge them, and share how public input influenced decisions.

Learn more about how we use the Spectrum as a foundation for community engagement here!

Translations

There is an automatic translation tool available at the top-right of this page. Languages include: Japanese [日本語], Traditional Chinese [繁體中文], Simplified Chinese [简体中文] Punjabi [ਪੰਜਾਬੀ], Filipino [Tagalog], Vietnamese [Tiếng Việt], French [Français], Korean [한국어], Spanish [Español] and more.

Please Note: Google Translate is a third-party service and we cannot guarantee the quality or accuracy of the translated content. If you require additional support, email engage@mapleridge.ca.