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EESTI ELU reedel, 13. augustil 2021 — Friday, August 13, 2021
Nr. 32
Seedrioru family Beach Day Fundraiser!! August 28th! 10 am to 9 pm. English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Estonia asserts its continuity 30 years ago (II) The sights and sounds of restored independence, some personal vignettes Flying from Frankfurt to Vilnius late in the evening on September 1, 1991 in a decade-old Canadian Air Force Cosmopolitan transport, we were confident we would overcome unexpected situations with common sense and determination. It was known that Moscow had not yet issued orders to all the remaining KGB Border Guards left on duty at various entry locations in Lithuania. In spite of this we unanimously agreed that no one would obey any KGB demand to surrender passports. Relinquishing to passport control, held by the remains of an irrelevant Soviet system would simply not be an option for us. Approaching Lithuanian air space, news passed round that Vilnius airport had closed for the day. Half in jest, someone suggested that perhaps the run way lights would be switched off also. Upon landing it was obvious from the darkened buildings and lack of any activity that air port work had ended for the day. But soon after landing the airplane door was opened and a KGB-uniformed official entered. From the pips on his shoulder he was a major in the old Border Guards, a mid-level offi cer usually not relegated to such duties as passport control. In Russian he tersely asked for our passports and was told that we would gladly submit them to a Lithuanian official. He insisted that he would be in charge of processing the entry. We all agreed that if he were to ask us individually we would still insist on co-operating only with a Lithuanian official. We were confident that Wilson, in the executive jet had responded similarly. After a tense stand-off the Border Guard major left the plane and soon thereafter a Lithuanian in civilian clothes entered and gathered up our passports, and told us they would be returned at the hotel
and left. The caravan of cars and vans in which we rode maintained a brisk pace. When forced to stop by a traffic snarl, the policeman in the lead vehicle jumped out, hand gun in his fist, and or dered drivers he perceived to cause the delay to get out of the way. It was past midnight, when some of us at the hotel decided to visit the site of Lithuania’s ‘Singing Revoution’, a park within walking distance, with a stage for choirs and a field for the audience. It was a modest venue compared to the massive stage at Tallinn’s Lauluväljak that can hold more than 25,000 singers and grounds for one quarter of Estonia’s population. During the years preceding August 1991 the Western media often focused on singing and spontaneous song festivals as a mode of defying and confront ing the Soviet occupation in Estonia. In Lithuania however, it was the professor of music, Vytautas Landsbergis and his unembellished advocacy of Lithuania’s outright indepen dence that attracted the media’s attention. The 1990 elections, conducted under Western standards, had placed Landsbergis as Chair of the Lithuanian Supreme Soviet, its parliament at the time. He assumed the highest state position, in essence the Head of State, soon to be named President by many in the media. The next morning, a small convoy of cars rushed us to many meetings, always accom panied by police, ready to force through stalled traffic, pistol in hand. With a Canadian flag affixed to the hood, a Chaika, on loan from the Lithuanians, took Minister Michael Wilson, followed by others in his dele gation to meet Landsbergis at the parliament buildings. The lawn surrounding the facility had sandbagged defence bun kers at which armed men were ready to fend off any assault. Locations inside the parlia ment buildings were also forti fied with sandbags, especially the area outside Landsbergis’ office. Many of the armed men at these posts, both inside and out, were not armed with modern military weapons, but
Advance tickets: please send etransfer to treasurer@ seedrioru.com. Come rest and lounge by the pool! Listen to music played on the basketball court by our DJ! Try target shooting at our super vised shooting range or play a game of volleyball! Enjoy a burger, hot dog, corn on the cob! SHOP at our clearance sale of Seedrioru apparel! Try your luck at the lottery table! Buy tickets for the raffles… a week of Seedrioru laager, two entrance tickets to Suvihari, an evening at our beautiful Seedrioru saun for 10 close family members or friends, or a cooler! Wow! All of the fundraising pro ceeds will go towards buying a creative, a play center down by the pool! Laste jaoks! For the children! Elagu Seedrioru!
with shotguns, used mainly for ducks and geese. Lack of access to adequate weaponry? After signing the agreement restoring the diplomatic accord with Canada, Landsbergis thanked Canada for being the first country to cut credits to the Soviet Union in protesting their ‘aggression against Lithuania’. He was referring to the night time Soviet Black Berets’ assault in January against the Lithuanian TV tower that left 14 people dead. The Soviet occupation of the transmission tower lasted for eight months until the special troops were withdrawn and relocated to Siberia. During the Soviet pro longed seizure of the tower, the Lithuanians were able to install a transmission centre within the parliament buildings that continued broadcasting. It was at the Antakalnis cemetery memorial erected to commemorate the loss of those defending the tower that Wilson placed a wreath on behalf of Canada that day. In the evening, our caravan of cars rushed us off to the air port, to find it once again closed for the day. At a gate shut with a padlock, no number of beeping cars could summon anyone to open the gate, shut with a large padlock. An embar rassed Lithuanian policeman was ready to break the lock with a pistol shot when he was dissuaded from that by a Canadian diplomat. Finally an elderly female caretaker, seemingly awoken by the noise, came out of a nearby wooden hut, pulled a key from a large ring of keys and opened the gate. Next stop, Riga. (to be continued) LAAS LEIVAT
The Estonian Central Council in Canada (EKN), representing the interests of Canadians of Estonian heritage, welcomes the Estonian House/IEC’s revised decision to give Toronto Esto nian community organizations the choice to complete their 2021-22 programs and activities in the Estonian House until the current lease extension term date of May 31, 2022. At the Estonian House AGM on June 29, 2021, EKN raised community concerns about the timing and relocation process of Estonian organizations operating inside the Estonian House. Of primary concern was a letter sent from Estonian House Board President to community organizations, dated May 19, 2021, which informed them of a final move out date of March 31, 2022. EKN also raised questions about the interruption of community programming and activi ties, the absence of any guidance where activities would take place until the completion of the IEC. We thank the IEC for hosting a virtual “Community Engagement Session” on July 28th, 2021, to address some of these community concerns and the Estonian House commit ment to look at working with the new owner of 958 Broadview Ave. to extend its lease back agreement beyond May 31, 2022, as well as efforts to work towards a ‘onemove’ option for tenants and community organizations. However, EKN encourages the IEC to incorporate greater participation of organization leaders in its decision-making process and include them in active and ongoing dialogue with the Project Team and Working Group, in order to meet the needs of community organizations, build greater trust, and ensure user groups are accommodated with realistic and affordable rental terms, space and storage availability. It was shared that “affordability for community space at KESKUS is a top priority”. The d onors who so generously c ontributed to the IEC and those who funded and built the Estonian House 70 years ago, expect the IEC to first and foremost, become a home for our community organizations, and the cultural and language programming they engage in, in order to sustain and grow Estonian identity. EKN also encourages the Estonian House/IEC to incor porate greater transparency into their future virtual meetings and ensure all participants can see who is attending; micro phones are not permanently muted; text chat is visible to all; and open and free flowing dialogue between participants, IEC/Estonian House employees and board members. Active listening and addressing collective community concerns will only serve to strengthen our community going forward. Openness, transparency and meaningful engagement are critically important to build trust and support for the IEC project among our organization volunteers, who are the life blood that keeps our culture and language alive and vibrant. We hope the Estonian House/IEC will build on previous en gagement with organizations and look forward to continued and expanded community dialogue with updates, as soon as they become known. Follow up items from Estonian Central Council and commu nity groups: • Community organizations will need to be made aware of rental costs at the IEC well before Spring 2022, in order to plan and budget for activities resuming in fall 2022. • Regular two-way communication with organizations about IEC construction progress • If IEC is not anticipated to reach completion by fall 2022, organizations need to be in formed in a timely manner, in order to plan for alternate location space • IEC space confirmations for multiple group use-primarily Saturday mornings. • Storage space provisions; how much, how easily accessible etc. • Parking and safety concerns; 40 story condo development on NW corner of Madison timelines
TRIINU LUMI kinnisvarafirma müügiesindaja BURLINGTON • HAMILTON • NIAGARA
Right At Home Realty Inc. triinu@triinulumi.com mobiil 289-442-5390 kontor 905-637-1700 fax 905-637-1070
