|
Kunio Hidaka was born on April 29, 1918 in Haney, British Columbia to Teizo Hidaka and Kume Ihara. After graduating from high school in 1934, before attending the University of British Columbia (UBC), he worked briefly in land clearing and farm development in Haney. At UBC, he obtained a BA in Economics and Political Science in 1940, but was also active in the Student's club, the Student's Christian movement, and the International Student's union. A close friend Roger Obata, recalls Kunio in those days as 'quiet, serious, and studious, but with a tremendously active analytical mind contributing much to the organizations so consequently in great demand'.
However, due to racist policies in BC, Kunio could not get a job that used his degree. He ended up working at an acid plant of the pulp and paper mill at Ocean Falls. In March 1942, he was forcibly removed from Ocean Falls to Vancouver and became a member of the Japanese Canadian Citizen's Council (JCCC) which was organized by Nisei from Vancouver and the lower mainland to serve as one of the liaison groups between the Japanese Canadian community and the government on "evacuation" matters. During much of this time he stayed at the Tairiku Nippo newspaper building which was the headquarters of the JCCC through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Yoriki Iwasaki. In August of 1942 he was removed to Slocan city and saw the construction of Bay Farm, Popoff and Lemon Creek from forest and farm land. He worked for the BC Security commission in setting up the office and administering welfare maintenance services. In November 1942, he was sent to Greenwood to do the same work and stayed there until March 1943. Kunio moved to London Ontario in May 1943 where he worked in a wartime steel rolling mill and stayed until he entered the Master's program in Queen's University in September. He may have been the first graduate from the Master's program in Public Administration.
After graduation in 1945, he moved to Toronto and got his first exposure to town planning with Town Planning Consultants Ltd under Dr. Faludi. He then tried landscaping for Brobst Forestry, and Mr. Karl Brobst helped get Kunio's parents to Ontario. Eventually in 1947, he achieved an MA in Economics from the University of Toronto and subsequently took a Town and Regional planning graduate course at the University of Toronto in 1952, continuing with advanced graduate studies in Public Administration at George Washington University, Washington, DC. Community planning became his ultimate career and he excelled as planner, director and consultant to the Town and Township of Markham, Town of Newmarket, and the Regional Municipality of York. He worked for the Ontario Department of Planning and Development and Department of Municipal affairs in management and consultation until his retirement in 1983.
In Japanese Canadian community activities, Kunio was ever present: beginning with the Japanese Canadian Citizen's League (in pre war and during the war years), the Japanese Canadian Committee for Democracy (assisting "relocees" to settle in the East), the National JCCA (working with the Bird Commission on property claims in 1946-48), the Cooperative Committee on Japanese Canadians (who opposed exile/deportation to Japan), the Citizenship Defense committee (liaison with all provincial groups to raise money for legal costs to raise civil rights issues), the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (where he served as president in 1963-64), the Nipponia Home (where he served many years on the board), the 1977 Centennial Year celebrations (where he contributed to many events) and lastly with the Toronto (North York) Chapter, NAJC.
Kunio's wife Susan worked alongside him throughout his many activities including his counsel to youth about career and educational opportunities. Audrey Kobayashi, a niece who now teaches at McGill University was inspired by Kunio and considered him her mentor. Forrest E. LaViolette, associate professor at McGill, author of "The Japanese Canadians" gave Kunio a reference in 1945, at a critical time of his career.
|