People uprooted from Haney / Port Haney (685)

Haney (formerly Port Haney), now considered central Maple Ridge, began as Wickwire’s Landing, established by a non-Indigenous settler, James Wickwire, in 1860. It became part of Maple Ridge in 1874 and was purchased by Thomas Haney in 1879, and was then named Haney’s Landing. In 1882 a wharf was built, and the name changed to Port Haney. The community grew after the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. Haney also operated a brickyard that remained active until the 1890s.

Between 1905 and 1942, about 140 Japanese Canadians settled in Haney and the surrounding area, helping to establish a thriving agricultural community. Jiro Inouye, the first known Japanese Canadian landowner in Haney, arrived in 1906 and encouraged further settlement through his successful berry farm. In 1919, he helped form the Haney Nokai, the area’s first Japanese farmers’ cooperative, which supported agricultural development, cultural activities, and community welfare.

Although strawberries were the principal crop, Japanese Canadian farmers diversified into greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers, poultry, hops, and other agricultural products, including pioneering the local production of forced winter rhubarb. In 1927, the Japanese Canadian strawberry growers in the Fraser Valley joined the BC Fruit Growersʼ Association.

Community life centred around the Haney Buddhist Church and the Japanese Hall, built in 1913. These institutions hosted social clubs, English-language classes, a Japanese language school, and Sunday school programs. In 1926, Haney opened a kindergarten based on the Japanese Canadian model, enabling children to learn English before going on to elementary school.