The Finnish Community 

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In 1959, Kendal Park at Brunswick and Bernard avenues was renamed Sibelius Square in honour of Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), best known for his composition Finlandia. Today, a bronze bust of the music master by Finnish artist Waino Valdemar Aaltonen, erected in 1959, overlooks the park—a dignified reminder of the great composer and of the 15,000 Finns who live in the city Statistics (Census 2021). 

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In 1987, Finns celebrated a century of settlement in Toronto. The founder and pioneer of the Toronto Finnish community was Jaakko Lindala, a tailor who arrived in 1887 and encouraged other Finnish tailors to emigrate. A spokesperson for Finns and other immigrants, Lindala was a mayoral candidate in 1907. Established at the turn of the century on York Street, Lindala’s Iso-Paja (Big Shop) became a centre for the community’s gatherings. The shop, which contained a public sauna, was the largest employer of Finnish men in the city. 

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A Finnish neighbourhood developed around Widmer Street, where Finnish women operated rooming houses and Holm’s restaurant became a gathering place for single men. Finnish-owned bakeries (Lopponen was the first and Miettinen’s the second), restaurants, and grocery stores were also established in the area. On weekends, bands, theatre groups, and a choir livened up Finnish dances, picnics, and cultural events. 

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Prior to the Finnish settlement in Toronto, the first Finnish migrants to North America helped establish the colony of New Sweden along the Delaware River in 1638. In the 19th-century, several hundred Finns settled in Alaska and along the coast of British Columbia. In Ontario, Finns were among the pioneers who constructed the Welland Canal. A tide of Finnish immigration in 1902 brought tailors, artisans, seamstresses, and laundresses to Toronto. The Finns contributed to early city construction, and iron workers laboured over the building of railroads, ships, and bridges. In the heart of the Finnish neighbourhood on Adelaide Street, the Parisian Laundry employed Finnish women for over two decades. 

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The Finnish in Toronto started cultural, social, and sport groups and one of the famous sportsmen was E. Lopponen who was the national heavyweight champion in wrestling (1908–1912) and a member of the Canadian Olympic team. 

Another large group of Finns—mostly professionals—arrived in Canada between 1950 and 1960. Today, many Finns work in the professions or in business, some as independent contractors specializing in construction and the aluminum siding industry. 

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The showpiece of Finnish architecture in Toronto is the dual-towered New City Hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, whose novel oyster-shaped design won the 1958 international competition for the new home of city council. 

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Places to Go 

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In front of the Finnish Agricola Church, (25 Old York Mills Rd) stands a granite monument dedicated to the Finnish soldiers who perished during the two World Wars on the eastern defense line of Finland. The rock was brought to Canada from Finland, where it was utilized as a blockade to prevent Russian tanks from crossing the border during the early part of this century. 

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Religious Centres, Schools and Other Institutions 

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•  AGRICOLA FINNISH LUTHERAN CHURCH, (Tel. 416-489-7600, www.agricola.ca, 25 Old York Mills Rd) 

•  BAYVIEW FAMILY CHURCH/SAALEM FINNISH PENTECOSTAL CHURCH, (Tel. 416-222-2291, www.saalem.ca /, 2570 Bayview Ave). One of the oldest and largest Finnish Pentecostal Churches outside of Finland, started in the 1930s by Finnish immigrants. Services held in Finnish and English, as well as weekly services for children, youth and seniors. 

• TORONTO FINNISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL, (www.suomikoulutoronto.org). The Toronto Finnish Language School is a charitable organization that promotes and teaches Finnish language skills, culture and heritage in Toronto. Through the school year from September to May, in-person programming for children and youth 0-18 years is held at Agricola Finnish Lutheran Church approximately three times a month. They also offer virtual courses for children and adults as well as social and cultural activities including arts and crafts, music, drama and special events. 

• SUOMI-KOTI (TORONTO FINNISH CANADIAN SENIORS’ CENTRE), (Tel. 416-425-4134, www.suomikoti.ca, 795 Eglinton Ave. E). A modern housing development for senior citizens containing 88 apartments. The building has social facilities, a library, auditorium, and a medical centre with a pharmacy and a Finnish-speaking family practitioners. In 1992, a 34-bed nursing home facility was added to the Centre. 

• FINNISH (TORONTO) CREDIT UNION (OSUUSPANKKI), (Tel. 416-486-1533, www.finnishcu.com, 191 Eglinton Ave. E.) 

 

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Holidays and Celebrations 

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• MAY 1ST VAPPU. The Toronto community celebrates the occasion with a dance. Sima, a special lemon-flavoured drink, is served with munkki donuts and funnel cake known as tippaleipä. 

• MIDSUMMER DAY, celebrated on the Saturday nearest June 24, recognizes the longest day of the year. A picnic is held in Cedar Park, the Finnish camp site in Udora, Ontario. A huge bonfire meant to ward off evil spirits is an important part of the event. Midsummer Day is also a religious holiday and the Finnish name, Juhannus, refers to John the Baptist. 

• THE ANNUAL FINNISH CANADIAN GRAND FESTIVAL, (www.finnfestivalcanada.com/) held in the summer, is organized by local clubs and coordinated by the  Finnish Canadian Cultural Federation. In 1940, concerned Finns in Sudbury organized a Song and Music Festival to collect money for Finland, which had just survived the Winter War (1939–1940) against the Soviet Union. The need for assistance of the homeland has ceased, but the festival which brings together Canadians of Finnish descent still took place in a different city each year. Finnish artists are featured in three nights of arts and crafts exhibitions that include dances, religious services, and sporting events. Finns enthusiastically compete in a round-robin tournament of Finnish baseball in which an intrepid pitcher throws the ball high up in the air, while standing next to the hitter. However, there have been no iterations since the COVID-19 pandemic.