There are about 100,000 people of Finnish descent in Canada, served by a wide network of Finnish cultural and community organizations.
FinnishCanadian.Com—a non-profit Toronto-based Website that serves as an electronic focal point for the community—provides contact information for Finnish clubs and organizations across Canada and links to a variety of discussion forums.
The weekly newspaper Vapaa Sana lists events of interest to the Finnish community.
Two major Canadian universities offer Finland-related studies: the University of Toronto offers a program of Finnish Studies, and the Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario has a chair in Finnish Studies that is occupied by professors from different academic disciplines.
Finnish Population in Canada (PDF, 128 kB)
The Finnish-Canadian community publishes a number of Finnish-language local newspapers and newsletters.
Two larger publications also include English-language content: the weekly newspaper
Vapaa Sana and Länsirannikon uutiset(West Coast News).
Other Finnish-Canadian newspapers are Canadan Sanomat and the Florida-based Finnish Update which includes news from Canada.
The FinnishCanadian.Com website is Vapaa Sana's online edition and includes news, classified ads, contact information for Finnish-Canadian clubs and organizations from coast to coast, and links to over 100 Finnish-language online publications.
The Finnish-Canadian Grand Festival is an annual celebration of Finnish culture and heritage. First held in 1940, it takes place in a different Canadian community each year, allowing Canadian Finns and their guests to get to know different regions of the country.
The Festival programme includes lectures, concerts, performances by local artists and artists visiting from Finland, dancing, sports, children's activities, and demonstrations and displays by various clubs and organizations.
Finnish Canadian Grand Festival 2007 was held in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (June 22-24, 2007)
If you’re interested in tracing your Finnish ancestry, you’ll find excellent resources in both Finland and Canada. The paradox of genealogy is that the more you find, the more there is to find! So make yourself comfortable, stretch your mouse hand and prepare to dig up your roots.
The Genealogical Society of Finland promotes genealogical and biographical research and disseminates the results. The Society’s collection of genealogical, family history and biographical material, including records of the Society’s own activities, is the largest specialized library in the Nordic countries.
Finland’s Institute of Migration promotes the collection, storage and documentation of research material about international and internal migration, including immigrants and refugees. Its mandate is to promote and conduct migration research; to publish research reports, books and articles on migration; and to foster cooperation between universities and organizations specializing in migration, both within Finland and abroad.
The goal of the international GenWeb Project is to build an international online genealogical research centre. The Canadian project site, Canada GenWeb, includes links to genealogical associations across Canada and other useful research sites.
Foreigners often consider Finnish one of the most difficult languages to learn. You can decide for yourself by visiting the Genealogical Society of Finland’s Finnlinks section about the Finnish language, which includes, among other resources, Finnish grammar and pronunciation guides and a directory of Finnish language schools in North America.
At the Distance Learning High School, you can study languages and other subjects in a Finnish high school from anywhere in the world.
Kauko is an online Finnish school designed for employees of international Finnish companies who are living abroad with their families. Thanks to Kauko, school-age children can use videoconferencing to receive instruction in their native language from a Finnish teacher.
To help you get you started with your Finnish studies, we’ve constructed a special vocabulary list for you!
Updated 5/18/2012
