The author is Ken Tanaka. Several years ago he wrote a similar book for the US market, which was published by BDK America, the U.S. branch of Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism, an international organization with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
Late last year he approached me about doing a Canadian version and sent me the manuscript. The original obviously needed all the US references stripped out and Canadian ones put in. We're working on that. Durgesh Kasbekar, a Buddhist scholar from British Columbia has contributed a sociological summary of Buddhism in Canada and also a timeline of significant events. I've contributed a chapter on the unsung heroes in the growth of Canadian Buddhism, and also some further anecdotes about significant events. We're aiming for publication early in 2023.
I will be reaching out to sanghas across the country requesting photos for the book, since I am in touch with them in association with the directory I host. I'm looking for a photo editor who is familiar with digital asset management, permissions, and releases, to handle that aspect of the project.
We're looking for archival material that includes annotated photos of temples and events from times gone by, and scans of ephemera such as posters, programs, tickets, etc.
We're also looking for some help with fact-checking.
If this project is of interest, please contact me and let's discuss how you could be involved. It would also be appreciated if you could get the word out to your own networks.