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Important news regarding Estonian House in Toronto, on Broadview The board of directors of Estonian House in Toronto Limited (EHTL) has impor tant news about the Estonian House (EH) and the leaseback at 958 Broadview Ave. From the outset, a single move from EH to KESKUS International Estonian Centre at 9 Madison Avenue was every one’s goal, intent and expecta tion. Unfortunately, delays caused in no small part by the COVID-19 pandemic have up rooted best-laid plans. The im pact has been felt on all fronts: slow and cumbersome munici pal and TTC approvals, supply chain and construction chal lenges with tendering and trades, and financial pressures on EHTL itself. Most recent challenges have been the con struction trades’ strikes. As we overcome these un precedented challenges, prog ress is picking up steam with the start of construction, but there is no way to make up lost time. Further leaseback extensions unlikely When the sale of EH closed on September 1, 2020, EH was able to lease the building back for 21 months. Earlier this year we were able to extend the lease a further six months to the end of October 2022. The leaseback arrangement has been mutually beneficial, as Eesti Maja continues to receive revenues and pay the operating costs of the house and runs it essentially as before. The new owner has welcomed our com munity’s continued use of the house while they progress through development milestones and work toward a point of construction preparedness. It is now the Board’s expec tation that any substantial extension beyond October 2022 is unlikely. This outlook has changed since the most recent community information meeting in March, when we did expect further extensions. As a com munity centre, we also owe
Notice of meeting of Shareholders Estonian House in Toronto Limited 6:30 P.M June 29, 2021 Online at: www.estohouse.com/agm Notice to shareholders Shareholders are invited to par ticipate in the Annual General Meeting of the Estonian House in Toronto Limited on June 29, 2021. Shareholders can attend the meeting virtually or over the phone. Instructions for access
EESTI ELU reedel, 17. juunil 2022 — Friday, June 17, 2022
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Report from the 4th virtual conference of CanadianEstonian organizations (II) Erik Kõvamees The second pillar entails involving the worldwide Estonian community in the life and development of Estonian society, promoting cooperation between internal and external actors, or strengthening pre-existing ties between Estonia and the Engraving from the invitation to the opening of an addition to Toronto’s Estonian community living abroad. In other words, it Estonian House, May 28, 1975. could be said that the second clear forecasts on timelines to tial. A committee of the EH pillar concerns global Esto community groups, leasing board will focus on community nian networking. tenants, and renters so that transition to KESKUS. The ob Practically speaking, this everyone can plan and prepare. jective of the committee will be means expanding the services Running a community centre to make sure that the Centre is offered by Estonia to diasporic month-to-month is not an able to welcome and accommo Estonians, friends of Estonia, option. date every community group and so-called foreign missions that wants to use it – with the or välisesindused, and making Implications of an October goals of priority of usage, low sure that these services are of move-out date and affordable cost, and suit quality, thus enabling the in creased contribution of abroadBased on these develop able spaces including storage. The logistics of moving will Estonians and/or pro-Estonians ments, the Board is now plan ning with the expectation that be a major undertaking both to the development of Estonian October 31, 2022 will be the through the summer and into society. last date of our use. There are the fall. EH is again hiring a The third and final pillar en summer student, funded by a tails welcoming those who wish several important implications. First and most importantly, it government grant, to assist in to return to Estonia, or those will mean that Eesti Maja is not the logistics of moving over the who go to Estonia and stay available for a period of summer months, similar to last there for the first time, and supporting them to the neces approximately a year as a bridge summer when a substantial to Opening Day at KESKUS. amount of materials and sup sary extent as regards their For community groups that are plies were already moved out. re-adaptation – or simply adap impacted, we would like to offer We anticipate that much of the tation, if they have not lived the opportunity to work with month of October will likely be there before – to Estonian life. you, along with Tartu College required to finalize moving Involved in this objective, for example, is the development of and Estonian Foundation of logistics, including for tenants. All community members a “national return support Canada, to explore possibilities for interim arrangements to suit who are EHTL shareholders are scheme,” the development and your needs, and will reach out invited to join the EHTL implementation of counselling Annual General Meeting vir services (such as returnee sup to you in the next few weeks. tually on June 29, 2022, for fur port meetings or general “com Save the date: Celebration ther information and an oppor patriots counselling”), and so on October 1, 2022 tunity to discuss and ask ques on. tions. Another piece of the second Second, our longtime com We would also like to extend p illar dedicated to Estonian net munity home deserves a proper to community groups the working was the construction celebration to remember its o pportunity to use Eesti Maja in and design of a shared and di foundational role in shaping our September for your activities, at verse information and commu memories and our lives over 62 attractive rates. Please contact nication space (Globalestonian. years. Preparations are being made provisionally around the General Manager Ingrid Laar to com) with channels allowing weekend of October 1st for this discuss possibilities, at info@ for the exchange of information between the Estonian state and celebration. We invite every estohouse.com. For more information on the Estonian communities across one’s ideas and involvement for KESKUS project, please visit the globe. After Spiegel, Saks what is sure to be a bittersweet the news/events page at www. spoke about the Global day. estoniancentre.ca Estonian website, which was From the Boards of Directors of: defined in the following way: Transitions ahead ESTONIAN HOUSE IN TORONTO LTD. “Global Estonian is an online Finally, the implications for INTERNATIONAL ESTONIAN global community and network physical transition and planning CENTRE for Estonians and friends of for the gap of time are substan ESTONIAN ARTS CENTRE Estonians around the world.” Saks brought out the three goals of the website: (1) “Provide a ing the meeting are available at M4K 2R6; common and unified infor www.estohouse.com/agm. This 2. By fax to 416-461-2017; meeting is a private meeting of 3. Deposited at the Manager’s mation space” for Estonians Estonian House in Toronto office located at 958 Broadview abroad; (2) “Contribute to the preservation and growth of the Limited and is closed to the Avenue; or global Estonian community”; general public. 4. By email to shares@and (3) “Allow users to connect Invitations have been mailed, estohouse.com. and network with Estonian or and where requested emailed, to Any proxies sent by mail ganizations around the world.” all Shareholders. Shareholders As part of his presentation, that are not received or submit who are unable to participate Saks described the interactive ted by fax, in-person or email have the option of assigning a map feature of the website. after 6:30 pm on June 28, 2021 proxy. Proxies must be re That is, the Global Estonian will not be accepted. These gistered twenty-four (24) hours website features a browsable timing restrictions are designed prior to the meeting. to allow management adequate map of Estonian communities Shareholders can register time to prepare and distribute and organizations around the proxies in the following manner: electronic ballots for each proxy world; even now, there is the 1. By mail, addressed to the holder for the online election possibility to explore, for in Secretary Eric Sehr at 958 platform, Electionbuddy, to be stance, Australian Estonian communities and forge imme Broadview Avenue, Toronto used at the meeting.
diate connections. As it stands, information may be emailed to Saks, who stressed that he hopes people contact him so that he is able to link different organizations to the map. As the official program came to a close, Hemingway orga nized conference participants into small groups and placed them into different Zoom break out rooms, for the purpose of sharing ideas on the topic of how to preserve and strengthen the Canadian-Estonian identity. Of course, the aim was also to have different individuals get to know each other and introduce their specific organizations, whether these be folk dancing groups, Estonian schools, archi val groups, or whatever. Discussion was facilitated by two questions given to partici pants beforehand: (I) “How can Estonian organizations/commu nities across Canada continue to support each other, learn from each other, share resources/ ideas, and so on?” and (II) “What does your organization/ community want/need from Estonia to help you in your organization’s objectives (i.e., monetary funding, language acquisition programs/materials, exchange programs, global awareness, information share, and so forth)?” Once their time limit was exceeded, the breakout rooms closed and everybody re turned to the wider conference, wherein Hemingway and Sehr asked a representative of each individual session to give a re port on what was discussed and what ideas had been generated. Together with one other council member, the group that I was representing at the con ference was the Vancouverbased Society for the Advance ment of Estonian Studies in Canada (SAESC). Here, the SAESC would like to express its gratitude to the organizers and presenters, and anybody else involved in its completion in any way, shape, or form: thank you for the opportunity to partake and for all of the information and thoughts that were shared. The group as a whole would also like to thank all participants for the engaged and fruitful discussion: thank you each and every one and we are looking forward to the next occasion! The objective of this article was to overview the Global Estonia program and the discus sions that took place during the 4th virtual conference of Canadian-Estonian organiza tions; a fuller report providing a more extensive summary, as well as some personal reflec tions, is published and available online. In the end, the hope was to give a more or less accurate understanding of the ideas that were generated over the course of this two-hour slice of Canadian-Estonian history.
