The Latvian Community in Toronto

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Every five years, Toronto becomes the scene of a melodious cultural celebration that originated in Latvia with the first national song festival in 1873, and was recreated in Toronto in 1952, when the first Latvian Song Festival was held at Massey Hall. For one week in July, thousands of voices and hands join together to perform rhythmic folksongs central to the Latvian tradition. A mass choir has performed at several venues including in Maple Leaf Gardens; the most recent mass choir concert was in Roy Thomson Hall in 2024. In addition, there are exhibits of fine arts and handcrafts, theatre performances, music recitals, literary events and symphony concerts. There are folkdance competitions and performances, the most recent in 2024 at the Mattamy Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens), which had 50 folkdance groups with 800 dancers from North America, Europe and Australia.

 

Latvian Canadians have not only introduced Torontonians to their own culture but have enriched the city’s artistic, academic, commerce, music and sports scenes. In the 1970s, the Latvian community in Toronto peaked at 6,000 members, which was the largest concentration of Latvians in Canada. 

Before 1918, Latvia was part of the Russian Empire. Latvia was an independent Baltic state from 1918 until 1940, when it was annexed by the Soviet Union. Latvia regained its independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Latvian is the second oldest existing language within the Indo-European group of languages. 

 

The first Latvian settlers in Canada were farmers who arrived in the 1890s and settled in Western Canada, gradually moving east to find jobs in the cities. In the 1920s and 1930s, Latvian Baptists were in the second wave of immigrants to Canada. They established a Baptist congregation, which had a choir and folkdance group that performed for the City of Toronto at various events. During the Second World War, more than 110,000 Latvians fled their occupied homeland. Of this group, approximately 14,000 immigrated to Canada in the late 1940s. However, by the early 1950s about 5,000 had settled in the greater Toronto area. In Toronto, the early community was scattered throughout the city, with higher concentrations in the High Park area, along Broadview Avenue, and in the suburbs of Willowdale and Weston. 

 

Religious Centres, Schools and Other Institutions

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The new Latvian community established two evangelical congregations in 1949. St. Andrew’s Ev. Lutheran Latvian congregation, together with an Estonian congregation, purchased St. Andrew’s Church at Jarvis and Carlton Streets. St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Latvian congregation built a church on Balmoral Avenue in the 1960s. St. Andrew’s was sold in 2015 and now shares St. John’s church. Both congregations had weekly church services, a Sunday school, choirs, drama groups, and youth and senior citizen groups. The third Latvian church congregation, the East Evangelical Lutheran Latvian congregation rents St. Barnabas Church on Danforth Avenue. Most Latvians are members of one of the Lutheran congregations although some Latvians belong to Catholic and Baptist congregations in Toronto.

 

St. Andrew’s congregation owns Camp Sidrabene, a 65-acre property near Burlington, with a community hall, a children’s summer camp, a café, swimming and wading pools, an outdoor stage and dance floor, an open-air church with a stone altar, a sports field and cottages.

 

St. John’s congregation owns Camp Saulaine, at one time up to a 200-acre property south of Barrie in Essa Township on the Nottawasaga River, with a community hall, a barn, a children’s camp and cottages.

 

The Toronto East Ev. Lutheran Latvian congregation owned Talava, a summer retreat with cottages located on the banks of the Nottawasaga River in Essa Township.

 

The Latvian community supports Latvian language schools in Canada. Three were located in Toronto: the Toronto Latvian Saturday School, Valodiņa, and the Toronto Latvian Highschool. Today, there is only one Latvian school: the Toronto Latvian Saturday School at the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre at 4 Credit Union Drive.

 

For senior citizens, Kristus Darzs (Christ’s Garden) Home for the Aged at 11290 Pine Valley Dr. in Woodbridge is the first Latvian retirement home in North America, built in 1986. The three-story building has approximately 100 rooms and is still operational today with Latvian cultural events and cuisine.

 

The Northern Birch Credit Union, previously the Latvian Credit Union, merged with the Estonian Credit Union in 2020, is the community’s financial institution. The main branch is at 4 Credit Union Drive, with two other locations in Toronto at Tartu College and in Hamilton.

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Places to Go

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Today, other visible signs of the Latvian community include a memorial to the late President of Latvia, Dr. Karlis Ulmanis, located in Willowdale’s York Cemetery, which is the largest cemetery for Latvians outside of Latvia. Latvian culture was fostered in the city at the Latvian House at 491 College Street, purchased in 1964. The striking classical columns of Latvian House recall the old-world culture preserved inside. Formerly a Masonic temple, the building was the cultural home to the Latvian community for many years until it was sold in 2010. Paintings by noted Latvian artists depicting scenes from the homeland and chandeliers carved by noted Latvian artisans were present throughout the building. The Latvian House was also the site for the annual Toronto International Caravan for the ethnic communities in Toronto in the 1970s. 

 

The present active site for the Latvian community is at the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre (LCCC) at 4 Credit Union Drive. It houses a historic display of Latvian folk dresses and artifacts as well as a fine collection of art by Latvian artists. The library has the largest collection of Latvian books outside of Latvia and is used as a resource centre for academic research. The LCCC also houses Latvija Amerika, the Latvian newspaper, the Latvian Relief Society of Canada, Latvian fraternities and sororities, and the Northern Birch Credit Union. There is also a gift shop called Lett’s Shop, which sells Latvian books, music, crafts, jewelry, and food items from Latvia. There is also a pub called Umurkumurs, which is open for special events.

 

The Latvian Relief Society of Canada, or Daugavas Vanagi (DV), established in 1950, owned a building on Broadview Avenue, which was the site of Amber Printers, who published the Latvian newspaper and books, and a focal point for DV’s theatre and folk-dance groups, choirs and sports teams. However, the facility was sold in the early 2000s and DV relocated to the LCCC.

 

Other Organizations

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The Latvian National Federation in Canada (LNAK), located at the LCCC, was founded in 1949 and acts as a unified voice for the community on issues such as politics and works with the Latvian Embassy in Ottawa. The Latvian National Federation in Canada Education and Cultural Fund, founded in 1983, sponsors Latvian cultural and educational projects. Its office is also at the LCCC.

 

The Latvian National Youth Federation in Canada (LNJAK) located at the LCCC, for Latvian youth under the age of 30, organizes social and cultural activities, as well as political seminars, rallies, and demonstrations.

 

The Latvia Canada Business Council (LATCAN), incorporated in 1992, with a postal address at the LCCC, was established to facilitate Canadian business with Latvia and assist Latvian companies in finding business in Canada. Now the Honorary Consuls for Latvia in Canada focus on the business activities between Latvia and Canada. Recently, LATCAN published three books in English about the Latvian diaspora in Canada during the last 70 years: Latvian-Canadian Artists and Artisans, Latvian-Canadian Art, Music and Letters, and Latvian-Canadian Sports, Commerce and Societies.

 

The Toronto Pensioner’s Group meets every Thursday (except in July and August) and is the most active organization today, attended both in person and remotely with guest speakers, an exercise class and lunch.

 

The folk dance group Daugavina is still active today after 50 years, and now has a Maza Daugavina for young dancers.

 

Other groups that meet on a regular basis include the Toronto Latvian Choir, the Latvian Arts and Crafts Association, the Latvian Song and Dance Festival Association in Canada, the Latvian Society of Artists in Canada (LATVIS) and the Toronto Latvian Society.

 

Holidays and Celebrations

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•   Cultural Appeal Day on January 28 recognizes the day in 1935 that Dr. Karlis Ulmanis, the last President of Latvia prior to World War II, appealed to the nation to support local schools, churches, and other cultural institutions.

•   March 6 sees Latvians honour Colonel Oskars Kalpaks, Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian forces, who was killed in action during the War of Liberation in 1919. A special church service on the Sunday nearest the date honours those who gave their lives in the fight for Latvia.

•   Commemoration Day is held on June 14 in memory of the thousands of Latvians who were deported to Siberia in 1941 by the occupying Soviet forces. The anniversary is organized by the Baltic Federation of Canada. Speeches and a cultural program are held.

•   John’s Day or Midsummer Eve. Traditional folk songs and dances are part of the festivities on John’s Day, June 24. The custom predates Christianity in Latvia as a pagan celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of harvest festivals. With the arrival of Christianity, this mid-summer festival has become a cultural celebration.

•   Independence Day. The independence of the Republic of Latvia was proclaimed on November 18, 1918. The nation lost its status in 1940, when occupied by the USSR, and regained it in 1991. A cultural program is held on this day each year.

•   Latvian Culture Days are observed annually at proclaimed dates but are generally held in early spring. A program on these days features presentations of Latvian cultural achievements on a particular theme, represented by music, literature, art exhibits, and lectures.

See Holidays and Celebrations in Glossary.​