Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre

Winner: 2021 Community Heritage Award

In 1963, 75 Japanese Canadian families mortgaged their own homes to build the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC). Since then, the JCCC has served as a gathering place for the Japanese Canadian community, and has welcomed people of all backgrounds with an interest in Japanese culture. The JCCC offers cultural programs for its 5,200 members and over 210,000 annual visitors throughout the year including, the Toronto Japanese Film Festival, monthly Japanese film screenings, contemporary art and history exhibitions, traditional and contemporary Japanese performances, Japanese language classes and workshops in traditional and contemporary Japanese arts and music.

From film festivals to martial arts presentations, the Community Heritage jury was impressed by the depth and breadth of the JCCC’s programming. With a modest staff of 20, the jury was impressed by the over 1000 volunteers who support the organization.