• Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to Close Temporarily for Renovations
    Media Release December 11, 2020 Halifax, NS Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to Close Temporarily for Renovations The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road, will be closing temporarily for renovations beginning on December 14, 2020 . The planned closure will allow …
  • Search for the First Families of Pier 21
    Media Advisory October 1, 2020 Halifax, NS Search for the First Families of Pier 21 Late February, more than 90 years ago the steam ship Nieuw Amsterdam departed from Rotterdam, Netherlands and landed at Pier 21 on March 8 1928. It was the first ship to arrive at the newly opened Pier 21 and an …
  • Yolanda Garcia
    First Day in Canada Time 0:02:30 Transcript … the first one was—it was so special like the feeling of being here and feel like uh, This is the place I would like to stay. So it—it was more special than important I would say uh. But it was remarkable because it start my life right so that day, so it …
  • Aljas Peep, arrived from Estonia, 1949
    I was also highly amazed at the way Corn Flakes was packed and served in individual cut-open boxes. Finally I was diagnosed as having measles and released from quarantine and "landed" on Apr 5,1949. A long train trip brought us to Ajax to what seemed to be a POW camp with barbed wire around it. …
  • Berthold Schaefers, arrived from Germany, 1952
    Coming to Canada was the best thing that could have happened to me. "Thank You Canada!" for the opportunity and the many flavours along the way. … Berthold Schaefers, arrived from Germany, …
  • First Taste of White Bread
    That evening, my Dad had bought some "Canadian sliced white bread", which was something new for us, which he made extra special by buttering the bread and sprinkling sugar on top... yum, it was good. The next morning we boarded another train, which was beautiful, and we arrived in Orillia on April …
  • Nation Builders
    In 2005, the Pier 21 Foundation launched the Nation Builders Campaign, an endowment to fund the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Under the leadership of Ruth Goldbloom, the Nation Builders Campaign accomplished its $7 million goal to establish this endowment fund. One million dollars was …
  • The Immigrants: The Story of a Photograph
    (Updated December 18, 2020 ) One of the visual icons of immigration to North America are photographs of newly-arrived immigrants, dockside just after their arrival. Thank you to Back in Time Photos for this image. This photograph of immigrants arriving at Pier 2 in Halifax just before the First …
  • “Small Gold Mine of Talent”: Integrating Prague Spring Refugee Professionals in Canada, 1968-1969
    by Jan Raska, PhD, Historian Following the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia, 11,200 Prague Spring refugees were resettled in Canada. This movement included many experienced professionals and skilled tradespeople. This article examines how these refugees navigated language training and …
  • The World of Yousuf Karsh: A Private Essence
    March 12 to October 16, 2022 Witness the famed photographer’s iconic work and learn about his origins as an Armenian refugee to Canada in 1924. This special exhibition features over 100 portraits of major figures of the 20th century. Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was one of the …