Finniscanadian.com  is  a  service by Vapaa Sana Press Ltd.  This site offers  timely  items about what is going on on the Finnish Canadian scene. Read more in the printed newspaper.  A  selection of  English features  also at www.vapaasana.com   We regret  there are  temporary technical problems  bar  us  from  updating the vapaasana site for the time being.  Coverage of the  ongoing FinnGrandFest 2010 (Sault Ste Marie) will be available  at this site. Your  comments and suggestions are welcome to  toimitus (AT) vapaasana.com

A group of  Finnish  Canadians, leaving  political affiliations aside, gave  the NDP chairman  Jack Layton  his portrait, as painted  by  Finnish Canadian Janne "Yawn" Temiseva.   - Yes, it looks like me, said  Layton, noting that he must have been angry at the time.  The portrait was handed  to Mr Layton during his annual constituency  barbecue.

Finnish  Canadian politology researcher  Lennard Sillanpää  says  focus  in the  work on  Finnish Canadian history should  shift to the political right.  The history of  the  Finnish left here has been  amply  covered, while very few  projects have touched upon the political right wing here.  Sillanpää took up the theme  when reviewing  The Trailblazers, a book about the  Finnish National Association  (Kansallisseura) of Port Arthur, by  Kaarina Brooks  and  Rail Garth. The review  was  published in Vapaa Sana, issue  35/10.   Dr Sillanpää is  seen here, in a photo taken during the 2010 Finn Grand Fest in Sault Ste Marie, with MP Megan Leslie (of  Finnish extraction, NDP, Halifax)  and MP Tony Martin (NDP, Sault Ste Marie). Dr Sillanpää, of  Orleans, Ontario, is an Adjunst Professor in political science at Laurentian University of Sudbury.

Close to five thousand  North Americans  of  Finnish extraction and visitors  from Finland attened the third crossborder  commemoration of the Finnish legacy in North America, FinnGrandFest,  in  Sault Ste Marie (ON) on July 28 - August 1, 2010.   Seen here the flags of the US and Canada at the opening  ceremonies.  For detailed coverage  see issue  31 of Vapaa Sana.  Taken the massive scale of the convention  Vapaa Sana is only able  to  feature a sampling of  events.

Sudbury based  Finnish athletics  club  Voima  celberared its  70th anniversary  on  February 20th.  While the  festive  audience  was dancing (to the tunes of the Black Tie)  Chairman Esko Punkkinen and former Chairman  Harold Huhtanen dropped in to the kitchen to warm up more  sausages.  Voima  sold  its  Suomi-Ranta  sports and  entertainment area on Long Lake  in 1997. The investment has been taken care of , and today Voima  is able to offer scholarships  and to maintain  a ski school for  children and to arrange  an annual  "Loppet". And the Voima Threatre Group is seen during  Finnish festivals, such as the 2010  GrandFinnFest in Sault Ste Marie.

The 2010 recipient of  the annual Cultural  Award  given jointly by the  Finnish Canadian Cultural Federation and the Vapaa Sana  Publishing House was  the Chairman of the 2010 FinnGrandFest  in Sault Ste Marie (Ont) Raimo Viitala.  Also  the  Finnish Honorary Consult in Sault Ste Marie  Mr Viitala  is a long time active participant in Finnish Canadian  activities.  He has also served  as the chairman of the FCCF.  Seen here with Mrs Margaret Kangas, a member of the Vapaa Sana  Advisory Board.  She  announced  the selection  at the closing ceremonies of the 2010  Sault festival.

Following its availability  in Sudbury (September 1),  the mobile  passport unit  will be  in Vancouver  from the  end of  September..   Seen here with the equipment is Laura McSwiggan, the Honorary Vice-Consul in Toronto.     Consult the Embassy webiste  www.finland.ca   for  details of future availability.  Finland  is bound by European Union regulations and thus  stores in the  chips of the biometric passports also the fingerprints. In Canada meanwhile the Privacy Commissioner  dismissed the inclusion of  fingerprints.  Canada will be rolling out its Biometric Passports program in 2011. Within the Finnish consular  services  Canada  was the first area  to introduce  the mobile equipment.  Since the introduction of the biometric  passports in 2007  Finnish nationals wanting to apply for  a Finnish passport in Canada had been obliged to travel to Ottawa for the filing of the application. 

Megan Leslie, the second  ever  Canadian Member of Parliament of  Finnish extraction talked about her  Finnish background and Canadian values. Seen here  following her presentation  with  Finnish ambassador Risto Piipponen,  professor  Varpu Lindström  and  former  Finnish ambassador to Canada Ilkka Ristimäki. Read morer about  Megan Leslie's  comments in Vapaa Sana issue 35. Megan Leslie (NDP) representes Halifax. She grew up in Kirkland Lake.

 Canadian author and journalist Eric Enno Tamm  drew  comparisons between the  intelligence gathering journey through Asia  (in 1906)  by the-then Russian colonel Gustaf Mannerheim, and the rise of  China today. Though later known primarily as the President and military leader of  Finland (after 1917), Mannerheim was a career officer in Russia. Tamm told his audience that  when embarking on his  Russian military career as a 20-year old  Mannerheim, in a letter to his sister, had  glad to  say goodbye  to Finland and hello to the wide opportunities  in Russia. Finland was between 1809 and 1917  an autonomous Grand Duchy under the Czar. Read more about the lecture by Eric Tamm in issue  31 of  Vapaa  Sana.

Finnish-Canadian  architect  Seppo  Kanerva  was  awarded the 2010  title  of  The Entrepreneur of the Year.  Given now the fourth time, the award is  a joint project of  the Finnish Credit Union (Osuuspankki)  and  the Canada Finland  Chamber of Commerce.  Known on the  Finnish Canadian scene  for  his  pioneer work in modern design of  seniors care  facilities   arhictecht Kanerva  took up in his remarks   the  impact of  building design on health. The keynote speaker for the evening was the Canadian ambassador in Helsnki Chris Shapardanov. Read  more in issue  23  of  Vapaa  Sana.

 

Several  Canadians  of  Finnish extraction  were  carrying  the  Olympic Torch on its  way to Vancouver.  In the Torontto area  the Torch Bearers included  at least  Tomi Karjalainen,  Hari Sihvo (picture)  and Nerysa Devon (picture, nee Riihiaho).   The  Finnish flag  in Thornhill had been brought to the location  by the staffers of  the  store "Finnish Place"  located  in the vicinity.  In early  January  Kevin Waara  carried the Torch in Thunder Bay  and Jessica Tuomela  in Sault Ste Marie.   Information about  Torch Bearers  of  Finnish extraction  reached  Vapaa Sana   somewhat unevenly.  The simple  reason is  that  ethnic background   does not feature highly in the profile  of  a contemporary  Canadian these days,  at least if  a person does not belong to a visible minority.

The  Canadian  Friends  of  Finland  Education  Foundation  has donated  of late half a million dollars  to support  the Finnish Studies program at the University of  Toronto.  Seen  here  with the Cheque  is the Board  of  the Canadian Friends of  Finland, with  Chairman  Bill Holt (front, left) and  long time Secretary  professor Varpu Lindström.  This photo opportunity was  arranged during a festive  supper  in honor of  Professor  Lindström.

The Finnish national epic  Kalevala  was celebrated  at  the Finn Grand Fest. An all-day seminar with tuition from Professor  Borje Vähämäki  attracted  a  record number of  attendance. The Helsinki-based  Kalevala  Society  hosted  a  reception. Seen here  professor Vähämäki with  the Kalevala Society  director   Hannele Jönsson-Korhola..

Though  Finnair ads  had been observed  not only in the daily press but also on  commercial radio in the Toronto area, a major  appearance on the mass transit TTC  in mid April astonished many in Toronto. The Finnish national carrier  had kept a low profile  in Canada  since  the early 2000s with  services  restricted to code shares  and  seasonal flights between Toronto and Helsinki. In its campaign Finnair    now  explained the  advantages  of  travelling to Europe and Asia via Helsinki. A major plus for flying via Helsinki is the price, Finnair offfers low fares. And if the customer has to change aircraft enroute anyhow, Helsinki compares  favourably with many other locations in terms of  ease and lack of hassle. If Finnair  continues  using its  757s for the YYZ-HEL leg though, and in it is  previous configuration,  customers may find  the tight pitch of  seating somewhat inconvenient. But the carrier could alter the configuration or even introduce other types of  equipment.  Starting in June  Finnair  will be offering a five-days  a week  service  (non-stop) between Toronto and Helsinki, with a late  evening departure time  from Toronto. Should someone in Canada not know yet, Finnair is one of the major carriers between Asia and Europe.

May 10-15, 2010,   was  declared  as the  Ethnic Press Week  in Toronto.  Liberal leader  Michael Ignatieff  was the main speaker at an event of  the  Ethnic Press and Medcia Council at the Toronto City Hall.  Mr Ignatieff is  seen here with Vapaa Sana  Press Chairman  John Majanlahti.  In his  address  Ignatieff warned that  our joint Canadian values  were  based on a tacit agreement and  were actually fragile. He was concerned with the tendencies of  the  conservative minority government in Ottawa to create  divisions  on  value matters.   The liberal leader had been in Thunder Bay  the previous week. He  said  he had visited  the offices  of  the  local  Finnish paper there.  That paper, in fact, is one of the newspapers published by the Vapaa Sana Press Ltd,  a  Canadian publishing house  since  1931. The other weekly paper  of the company is  the Toronto-based  Vapaa Sana.

The  Federal  Minister for Public  Safety   Peter Van Loan  enjoyed  a dinner  at the  Christmas  Bazaar of the Cookstown  Finnish Lutheran Church on Friday November 14.  He  defined the event  as "one of his favorites"  The minister (also the MP for York-Simcoe) told  Vapaa Sana  that he was from the mother's side of  Estonian extraction, and  the only  "Estonian cabinet minister in the world outside Estonia".   Vapaa Sana's Juhani Niinistö told him that  the Finnish scene in Canada has not had  a  cabinet minister since the days of  Judy Erola (Trudeau years), but that an MP of  Finnish extraction was  elected in 2008, Megan Leslie. - Oh, is she  of  Finnish extraction, Peter Van Loan said  and noted that often the  ethnic background  of  Canadian born persons  does not come up even it would be  useful  to know.