Digital Literacy: Exploring Russian and Ukrainian History in Canada

19 December 1983 Laurence Decore is Made a Member of the Order of Canada Laurence Decore (born 28 June 1940; died 6 November 1999) was born in Vegreville, Alberta. He was an Edmonton alderman from 1974 to 1983 and the city’s mayor from 1983 to 1988. Decore was appointed to the Order of Canada for his vast community service. He also co-authored section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms , which enshrined multiculturalism in Canada’s constitution.

1948 Russian Immigration Increases after Second World War Russian immigration to Canada noticeably increased after the Second World War, though not from Russia directly. Many new Russian immigrants came from other European countries where they had settled after the Russian Revolution. They left for Canada looking for a better life after the Second World War. They were joined by Russian wartime prisoners enslaved by the Nazis.

1950 Russian-Canadian Cultural Aid Society Established The Russian-Canadian Cultural Aid Society was founded in Toronto in 1950. Unlike earlier Russian Canadian organizations, the RCCAS was vehemently anti-Communist. It reflected the politics of recent émigrés, as well as attitudes in Canada. The RCCAS sought to promote and preserve Russian culture and traditions in Canada. It also assisted Russian immigrants to integrate into Canadian society.

10 June 1948

Grand Duchess Olga Arrives in Montreal

One prominent Russian who came to Canada after the Second World War is Grand Duchess Olga, the sister of Tsar Nicholas II. Olga made her way to Canada on the Empress of Canada , a Canadian Pacific steamship. She eventually settled on a farm near Milton, Ontario with her family, where she also painted watercolours.