Saskatchewan's Environmental Champions

Raymond Moriyama

In the late 1970s, pressures on the South Saskatchewan River valley lead to a local movement for the establishment of a river valley authority to protect the river in and around Saskatoon.

Following a nation-wide search in 1978, the architect and urban planner Raymond Moriyama was commissioned by the Saskatchewan Department of Municipal Affairs to produce a vision for the authority and the river valley around Saskatoon. He was given just five months to complete the task.

Moriyama played a critical role in shaping, expanding, and articulating the vision for Saskatoon's Meewasin Valley Authority, considered the most important conservation organization in Saskatoon. His 100-Year Conceptual Master Plan shaped the early development of Meewasin and continues to guide it today.

We determined to become students of the land and the people as much as possible… We listened to the quiet voice of the 10,000-year-old, but still young, river.

Born into a Japanese-Canadian family in Vancouver in 1929, Moriyama was badly burned in an accident as a young child. Forced to spend eight months in bed, Moriyama passed the time watching a building being constructed near his home. Fascinated by the complexity of the process, Moriyama resolved to become an architect.

Despite living in Canada for over 20 years, the Moriyamas were forced to live in internment camps for Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, with Moriyama's father and the rest of the family in separate camps. His problems were further compounded by the continuous mockery he received from his peers because of his burn scars. His loneliness fostered both a sense of humility and a desire for justice.

After earning a degree in architecture and planning from the University of Toronto and McGill, Moriyama became a founding partner of the internationally celebrated Toronto firm, Moriyama & Teshima Architects.

Building the vision for Meewasin required the participation of many stakeholders, and learning from the river valley itself. Moriyama insisted on staying in Saskatoon over a summer period, spending a lot of time along the river and talking to people. According to Moriyama, "We determined to become students of the land and the people as much as possible… We listened to the quiet voice of the 10,000-year-old, but still young, river."

The history of the physical and human development of the area was also studied in depth. The planners then surveyed the entire area by air and parts of the valley on foot and in canoes. Widespread public consultations were organized. The result was a 100-Year Plan endorsed by all participating parties.

The plan offered 27 recommendations, including:

The plan also enumerated the key natural and cultural assets of the Meewasin Valley, including what are now the area's most important environmental-cultural assets:

People

Organizations

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