Estonians in Canada

The country is home to a large community of Estonians, who are active in society and have made a significant contribution to preserving Estonian culture outside of Estonia’s borders. Canadian Estonians are united by the Estonian Central Council of Canada, which was founded in 1951 with the goal of preserving and developing ties between Canadian Estonians and Estonia. In addition, there are active Estonian societies in many cities. The biggest centres of the Estonian community in Canada are Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. After Estonia regained its independence, many Estonians that were born in Canada have come back to Estonia, where they have found success in state institutions, the cultural realm, and business. In addition to the well-established traditional Estonian community in Canada, in recent years Estonian youths in Estonia have shown growing interest in studying or working in Canada. An agreement between the Canada and Estonia concerning youth exchange came into force in August 2010. Estonian and Canadian universities have established student exchange programs (University of Tartu – University of Toronto, Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn – Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Tallinn University of Technology – University of Waterloo in Ontario) that further contibute to youth exchange between the two countries.