Shawn Lawlor

Of all the projects that I’ve had the good fortune to be a part of, the Yuriage Public Market post-tsunami reconstruction project in Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture is perhaps the most memorable. This past Golden Week marked the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Yuriage Public Market, a signature project under the Canada Tohoku Reconstruction Project humanitarian relief effort. This seaside community suffered tremendous damage and loss of life in the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake in 2011. The once-vibrant public market hub was entirely destroyed by the subsequent tsunami. Following this disaster, Canada Wood reached out to the town of Natori to see if we could assist them with rebuilding. …With the funding support of the Government of Canada, British Columbia, and Alberta, as well as Canada’s forest products industry, and thanks to the generous support of local builder Selco Homes Co., Ltd., Canada Wood built the Canada-Tohoku Friendship Pavilion