By Krystyna Cap
Ask most Canadians where the heart of the Ukrainian Diaspora can be found in this country and they’ll likely answer Alberta or Manitoba, calling to mind images of Clifford Sifton’s sheepskin-clad farmers who began settling the Canadian west in the 1890s. Few would cite Toronto, despite our city’s own distinct Ukrainian heritage, now over a century old. Yet, the War of 1812 brought the first Ukrainians to the city (then called York) as mercenary soldiers. For their service in the de Meuron and de Watteville battalions, these men were granted land near present-day Perth, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, although it was not until the late nineteenth century that the first Ukrainian immigrants began arriving in significant numbers to form the “nuclei for [Ontario's] Ukrainian communities today.” [1]
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Source: Toronto Heritage Organization
I didn’t realise that you were NASHI!
Strong and Vocal Ukrainian community in Toronto. Come out for some of the events!
David Pylyp
Toronto