People uprooted from Westham Island (1)

Westham Island, near Ladner, was established in the 1870s by non-Indigenous farmers. In 1910, the Westham Island Swing Bridge opened, connecting the island to Ladner and Delta. The Currie-McWilliams Cannery was built in 1897 and purchased by BC Packers in 1902. The area was used as a camp for Steveston’s Imperial Cannery after the buildings burnt down in 1920.

Many Japanese Canadians worked for the Currie-McWilliams cannery as fishermen and often resided in Ladner.