• Turning Seven in Quarantine
    One six-year-old made the best of long weeks of quarantine in Pier 21’s Accommodation and Detention quarters. Gerard Van Kessel arrived in Canada with his family in 1951. “…two of my brothers had developed a contagious disease on board, I think it was mumps or whooping cough, I'm not sure which, we …
  • A Mother and Daughter Recall Frightening Days in Quarantine
    They were robbed on the ship to Canada and quarantined when they arrived at Pier 21, but the Haddad family still felt blessed. The Christian Palestinian refugees had already fled to Lebanon, then Syria, then Lebanon again. While Laima Haddad still hoped to return to her home one day, her family …
  • Colour-Coded Quarantine and a Boy at Play
    British evacuee child, Keith Alan Freeman made the best of his wartime quarantine experience. His story starts with words that I hope children today will echo when they grow up and think about these challenging days. “It must have been tough for my mother and aunt but my memories are of having a …
  • No eggs or butter? Baking during difficult times is nothing new.
    During the Second World War and reconstruction period, the Canadian Government wanted to fulfill its commitments to England by providing a vast quantity of food supplies for troops and civilians. Therefore, from 1942 to 1947, a system that was completely new to Canadians: rationing was imposed. …
  • Reflections on Oral History Interviews from Prague Spring Refugees
    by Nicole Dalrymple (Updated July 19, 2021) Introduction As the Research Intern here at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, as well as a History and Masters of Library and Information Studies graduate, I have had plenty of opportunities to engage with historical information. …
  • Does Anyone Have Any Questions?
    As a Heritage Interpreter here at the Museum I have the opportunity to interact with the public on a daily basis. There are numerous reasons behind coming to Pier 21, but there is something universal I hope all visitors bring: questions. It might seem like a trivial thing, dear visitor, but your …
  • Call Your Grandparents
    Call Your Grandparents …
  • Call Your Grandparents
    One of the things I love most about working in the Scotiabank Family History Centre (SHFC) at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is that every interaction is wildly different. But as diverse as our genealogy research can be, one thing that comes up constantly is the regret that people …
  • Customs and Traditions: Holiday Edition!
    In the Canadian Immigration Hall, we have a great interactive element where we ask visitors to share with us their family traditions and customs. The point of this activity is to get people to think about where these traditions come from and the intangible culture that immigrants bring with them …
  • Would You Pass The Test?
    I have had the pleasure of attending quite a few citizenship ceremonies in my life. If you have not been to one, I suggest you look into it. The excitement, the joy, the pride, you can feel them in the air like electricity. Many immigrants feel like they really belong in Canada after receiving …