What the community can be assured of is that skilled and dedicated people are working on this project. The City of Toronto and local Councillor Joe Cressy – and the area ratepayers’ community – have been overwhelmingly supportive and have all reacted very favourably to what we are doing. This is extremely positive, and we thank them for that.
Tell us a bit more about why the Madison Avenue property presents such a good opportunity for the Estonian community.
As a Chartered Business Valuator, I deal with business and property values on a daily basis. I clearly see the value that we can create with this development. We are so fortunate to have this opportunity.
Why? Because it is an unrivalled opportunity to be in this vibrant, cultural hub of Toronto – near the University of Toronto and a stone’s throw from superb public transit links and so many other attractions. And we are in the midst of a community that wants us to be there, who will be interested and engaged to learn more about Estonia and become future customers, visitors and participants.
There is also something else I would like to say here. We have to give our parents’ generation – the ones who first settled in Toronto – the deepest recognition and respect for developing the Estonian House. They built much of it with their own hands so we would have somewhere to go, to learn about our heritage and hold all the important celebrations that are part of life. It is why we are all here.
Now we have the opportunity to leverage this asset into the next phase of preserving and celebrating our culture, by developing a modern and operationally sustainable building that we can all consider our home. Toronto has the largest permanent population of Estonians outside of Estonia and moreover, an active younger generation – many of whom are truly excited about a convenient location in which to hold their events. This building is for the future.
And one more thing: the son of one of those immigrants – Alar Kongats, who has grown into an internationally renowned architect – is creating the vision for this future. I just know it will be a building of high architectural merit that will attract people from all over the world. It will be home to all Estonians in the southern Ontario area and a vibrant hub for many others.
How do we move forward?
We are determining the legal structure to ensure proper governance and efficient operations. It is important to have these key building blocks in place and that is part of the due diligence.
Once the due diligence phase is complete early next year, the resulting information will be shared with the community. Consultations with community groups, especially those who will use the new Estonian Centre, will be organized to understand what their needs are, and this may begin before due diligence is complete just so we can stay ahead of the curve.
Architect Alar Kongats will lead this process, along with the project team. And I intend to have a front row seat to hear what everyone has to say!
What will this project mean for the community?
I believe this new centre will be important not just to Estonians in Southern Ontario, but to those across North America as well. Outside of Estonia, this can be the central place for Estonians to come. People are looking for meaning, for connection. We want to preserve our culture in Toronto and support the culture and business development in Estonia.
It will be a centre that’s well used – I am convinced of this. People can have personal celebrations there, they can attend cultural events and lectures and they can visit with friends and family in a warm and welcoming space. It’s something the community can truly embrace. It will be comfortable, it will have practical beauty and it will be accessible and accommodating.
We have to think proactively here – we have to look to the future and plan for what our community will need in the decades to come. How will our culture survive and thrive? How can we support our success locally and globally? How can we attract our creative minds and keep community members engaged?
It is an incredible opportunity and I am absolutely convinced that we are working toward the right solution. There is nothing we Estonians can’t do!
