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BEST COVERAGE OF THE FINNISH SCENE IN CANADA
Finniscanadian.com is a service by Vapaa Sana Press Ltd. This site offers timely items about what is going on on the Finnish Canadian scene. Read more in the printed newspaper. Comments and suggestions are welcome to toimitus (AT) vapaasana.com Lindström and Vähämäki receive the 2009 Cultural Award The 2009 Finnish Canadian Cultural Award has been given to professors Varpu Lindström and Börje Vähämäki for their work on the Finnish Canadian cultural scene. The Cultural Award is a joint effort by the Finnish Canadian Cultural Federation (KSK) and the Vapaa Sana Press Ltd. The award was announced at the Finn Grand Fest in Sudbury by the president of the Vapaa Sana Press John Majanlahti.
Toronto gets a new Professor of Finnish Studies The new Professor of Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto is Dr Pia-Maria Päiviö. The new professor has spent the last two years in Indiana, teaching Finnish at Indiana University in Bloomington. She has received her Ph.D in Finnish at the University of Turku, Finland, in 2007. The position of professor of Finnish Studies became vacant following the retirement of professor Börje Vähämäki. The future of the Finnish Studies remained uncertain until the University of Toronto and the Finnish Ministry of Education reached agreement earlier during the year on the continued financing of the program. The cost of the program will be split between Finland and the University of Toronto.
Seen here outside the building that houses Finnish Studies at the University of Toronto, professor Päiviö will commence teaching in September. Paul Siren 1917-2009
Paul Siren, one of the three recipients of the Order of Canada of Finnish extraction, died in Toronto on May 31st. Paul Siren was born in Alppila, Ontario near Port Arthur on July 19, 1917 to Severi Siren and Sophia Koistinen, immigrants from Finland, on the farm cleared from virgin forest by his father. Self-educated, he rose to prominence as a General Secretary of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA); during the course of his 20-year association with this body he molded it into a national union of professional performers and writers in the recorded media. He gave valuable service on national and international commissions and task forces. Paul Siren was survived by daughter Valerie Schatzker, sons Dr Ken Siren and Dr Greg Siren and their families. Read an extensive feature about Paul Siren on www.vapaasana.com The new CFCC President is an expert on Finland
Niilo Saari continues as the Expatriate Parliament Vice Chair Niilo Saari of Sudbury will continue as the Canadian vice president of the Finnish Expatriate Parliament. His alternate representative will be Niilo Saari of Calgary. This was the outcome of the Candian regional caucus arranged during the Finn Grand Fest in Sudbury at the end of June. There were no other candidates. Seem here Niinimaa (left) and Saari (right) with visiting Finland Society Director of Information Leena Isbom. The next plenary meeting of the Expatriate Parliament will take place in Helsinki next May. Ms Isbom urged interested signatories to submit their draft initiatives as soon as possible to allow ample time for preparations at the secretariat.
Most Canadians have social democratic values MP Megan Leslie is of Finnish-Canadian extraction. Her mother was born in Finland. Originally from Kirkland Lake, Northern Ontaro, Megan Leslie (NDP) represents Halifax. Read a Vapaa Sana feature published in issue 03/09. Many of the goals of the Canadian New Democrats have been attained long ago in Finland, and part of the political consensus there. In a way, the prevailing values of contemporary Finland match to a large extent the goals and values of the New Democrats in Canada. - Most Canadians have social democratic values even though they do not know it, says Megan Leslie. The last countdown...
Monday, June 2nd, 2008, marked the end of the period of transition when former Finnish nationals and their children could, with certain qualifications, hand in a declaration of Finnish citizenship. Vapaa Sana visited the Finnish Honorary Consulate in Toronto during the final hour of service. The very last customer happened to be the president of Ostrobothnians in Canada, Lauri Talvitie. Due to the large amount of last minute notices the processing of the new citizens may continue until late 2009. Not quite the seven brothers as in the novel by Aleksis Kivi, but three Kojola brothers seem to be asking tough questions about the dual citizenship. Information officer Laura McSwiggan from the Finnish Honorary Consulate in Toronto is responding. The scene was captured at an information event during the final weeks of the transition period. Visions of the future aired at a CFF event
Comments about the future state of being Finnish Canadian by John Majanlahti, the Chairman of the Vapaa Sana Press Ltd, received an enthusiastic welcome at a meeting of the Canadian Friends of Finland (Toronto) on May 11, 2009. Majanlahti pledged that the company would continue the publication of its Finnish language newspapers as long as there were demand. He also said finnishcanadian.com could be developed into a portal serving a wide Finnish Canadian audience. Majanlahti is a first generation immigrant, he came to Canada with his family at the age of ten. He is also a long time member in the Board of Osuuspankki (Finnish Credit Union, Toronto). He saw Osuuspankki in a key role in the future as a catalyst of the Finnish Canadian scene. One of the ideas for the near future included an event to honor Finnish Canadians who have obtained Finnish citizenship during the period of transition that ended in May 2008.
The event about the Finnish Canadian scene in transition, at the Croft House of the University of Toronto, attracted a larger audience than many comparable events. The Canadian Friends of Finland is one of the few organzations on the Finnish scene that has been able to accomodate Finnish Canadians with varios backgrounds as well as people living temporarily in Canada. The OP Board gets contemporary input
The 2009 annual meeting of the
Ethnic media at the Toronto City Hall - Not many people come from Finland, but we are proud of each of them.. This was a seemingly impromptu comment by Mayor David Miller on the low level of immigration from Finland and the rest of Scandinavia. Mayor Miller and the president of the National Ethnic Press and Media Council Thomas S Saras met representatives of ethnic journalists in early July to mark the opening an exhibition of ethnic press and media at the rotunda of the City Hall. - Concerning ethnic media in Canada and the press in particular, the hightlight of the evening were comments by the Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt, Jim Karygiannis (lib). He noted the low level of public advertising channelled to the ethnic press. He also questioned the structure whereby an intermediary is allowed to cash in on public advertising in this branch and asked why the ethnic media cannot approach the government directly. Other speakers included media people and political figures such as the Ontario Minister for Immigration Michael Chan and the leader of the Ontario opposition John Tory. A more detailed report iappeared in Finnish in Vapaa Sana issue 28. . This could be THE Finnish landmark in Toronto, but major questions remain open
The Finnish scene in Toronto may still get a modern building for multi-purpose use, if the ideas put forward by the owners of the Suomi-talo (House of Finland) in Main Street will become reality. Suomi-talo is for sale and the owners are confident that the deal will bring in funding for a new Suomi-talo somewhere else. Earlier during 2009 they made public their interest in joining forces with the Agricola Lutheran Congregation. The General Meeting of the congregation heard a briefing by the chairman of Suomi-talo Kauko Leppälä and architect Seppo Kanerva on Sunday, February 22nd. The ideas were met with public enthusiasm, but many questions remained. The congregation wanted to continue the exchange of ideas though. Meanwhile, potential users of the would-be new Suomi-talo have raised the question whether co-operation with a religious organization would trigger restrictions on social life in the public areas and halls. A ban on alcohol would be unacceptable, for example. Co-operation with the owners of Suomi-talo would enable the congregation to continue its activities well beyond the time when it would otherwise have to close down its church, should religion-based membership decline. Read the full story in www.vapaasana.com. A documentary about Vapaa Sana to appear this year The chairman of Vapaa Sana Press Ltd, John Majanlahti, interviewed in early August 2008 for a documentary about the publishing house and the Canadian scene it serves. The documentary is an idea of two recent Finnish interns at Vapaa Sana, Virpi Oinonen (right) and Aleksi Moisio (not in the picture). The cameraperson is Yi Chun. - The film is also about the Finnish-Canadian scene, now is the time to do this kind of documentary, as the Finnish element in Canada is dwindling, says Oinonen. Immigration from Finland to Canada has practically ceased as Canada is no longer competitive in terms of social security, labor laws and family education costs. Specialists working in higher echelon jobs do arrive from Finland, but often on a work permit basis for a limited period of time. Newspaper Vapaa Sana was launched in 1931. Ms Oinonen told Vapaa Sana the documentary will be ready during 2009.
Canada raised its profile at a Finnish Travel Fair
Travel and business opportunities offered by Canada were featured widely at the 2009 Helsinki Travel Fair in January. Seen at the Embassy of Canada stand here are (left) the Embassy's Head of Information Peter Lönnberg and Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner Stephen Chase .
Though not served by Air Canada aircraft Helsinki belongs to the airline's code share network. Representing Air Canada at the Helsinki Fair Ms Rosita Johansson told would-be travellers that through choosing Air Canada for the transatlantic segment custemers are likely to get the internal flights in Canada at economical rates. 131 000 Finns in Canada according to the 2006 census Thirty thousand people gave in the 2006 census in Canada "Finnish" as their only background. Another hundred thousand people included Finnish in referring to multiple origins.Over a half of those giving Finnish as their sole origin (18 000) lived in Ontario. At the national level the number of sole-origin Swedes amounted to close the Finnish frequency, 28 000. Swedish came up a lot more in the multiple origins, exceeding 300 000. Read more about the Finnish element in the 2006 census in Vapaa Sana issue 15, available on April 10. Andrea Hansen captured her audience Violinist Andrea Hansen, herself of Finnish extraction, made the FinnJoy and Nordic Fair volunteer appreciation event a memorable evening. The scene was the Finnish Lutheran Agricola Church in Toronto on Saturday, October 25. FinnJoy and its companion event Nordic Fair were arranged at the Toronto Mel Lastman Square in late June. Seen here are Andrea Hansen and the main organizer of the FinnJoy, Hans Myrskog. On the left the chairman of the House of Finland (Main Str) Kauko Leppälä, on the right the then-chairman of the Agricola Congregation, Allan Paananen. Andrea Hansen is one of the three Finnish Canadian recipients of the Order of Canada. The other two have been the first editor of Vapaa Sana Reynold Pehkonen and trade union activist Paul Siren. Read more about the FinnJoy appreciation night in Vapaa Sana, issue 44. The youngest
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One of the Finnish landmarks in Toronto is Suomi-talo (The House of Finland) at 276 Main Street. Purchased in the early 80s, Suomi-talo was the youngest Finnish hall in the GTA area, and also the last. In September 2007 an enthusiastic audience of former Suomi-talo activists celebrated the 25 years of Finnish activities there. At the time when Suomi-talo was purchased various Finnish associations in Toronto were wealthy owners of properties. Efforts to pool all that could not be done, however. The divisions between various groups could not be overcome. A Vapaa Sana feature in English in 
