• Nicola and Franca Lavolpicella
    … and I would like to share the story of my dad Nicola Lavolpicella and how he came to Canada. It was the early 1950's and the economic … in Italy were poor. There were very few jobs and very little food. News came that 'America' could be the beginning of a new and prosperous life and Nicola thought it was a chance he had to take. He would have to leave behind his parents Luigi …
  • Irena and Maria Malinowska Wacyk
    … had a distant uncle in Canada, but had no idea where he was or how to get in touch with him. Ever resourceful, my mother – having been … familiar to our Eastern European palate. As well, grandma learned how to make Canadian staples e.g. fish and chips; burgers; hot dogs, …
  • Peter Stein and Family
    … after Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech and making their way west through Europe and to their life in Canada. ONCE UPON A TIME Fairy … was surrounded with fruit trees and gardens. Early in the morning, before going to work, Dad weeded, pruned and planted.  We had to help in … discipline instilled in us were strictly obeyed. We were pretty well behaved most of the time not counting putting caterpillars down …
  • Hooks for History: Using a Building Model to Introduce Complex Pasts
    … – even things as tiny and offbeat as the addition of miniature trash cans – that would add opportunities for richer interpretation based on the model. Trash Cans and Baggage Adding waste bins to the model might seem something of a low priority – they …
  • John Devai, Olga Kimpel Devai
    … I arrived in Canada on May 28, 1950 and was fortunate to have experienced the wonderful hospitality and dedication … and unforgettable picture - like a dream. We always wanted to visit Halifax again, together as husband and wife but, sadly, my …
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    … Get the latest from Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 Sign up to …
  • The Pier Goes To War: Halifax’s Pier 21 and the Second World War
    by Steve Schwinghamer, Historian (Updated January 28, 2022) Aerial view of Ocean Terminals c. 1940. Credit: Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 Collection (DI2013.1197.1) As Canada prepared for war in late 1939, the advantages of Halifax’s port were considered of value for military purposes. …
  • Dmitro, Anna Orleski and Family
    … 19,1891, the son of farmers Wasyl and Yarene Orleski. After completing high school where he excelled in math, history and singing he remained … 1914 when he was drafted into the Austrian Germany Army (at the time Western Ukraine was under Austrian Control). Initially at the breakout … daughter Pansy and son John. Prospects for a good life were bleak and news from Canada was very encouraging. So they decided to emigrate, …
  • Memories of Home by Pawknyaw
    Time 0:02:28 Transcript I called Thailand refugee camp  a home  because I was born there. It wasn’t much, but it was a home. Before I was born my mom lived in Piobolu and my dad lived in Dawau. They met each other somehow in Piobolu, and came to Mae Ra Moe refugee camp, because Piobolu was burned. …
  • Children of the Pier: Adolescent Experiences of Arrival and Process
    … Below are impressions of arrival and the immigration process of four adolescents through Pier 21 : Margaret Beal (Britain), Jackie … in Beirut for Naples, Italy with a stop in Port Said, Egypt. After four days, he arrived in Naples, where he transferred to a much larger … litres of oil each. We had six containers of those oil—olive oil, and, four containers of—of olives, uh, that were all home-made stuff, you …