{"id":6434,"date":"2023-06-20T10:18:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T14:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/?p=6434"},"modified":"2023-06-21T02:59:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T06:59:29","slug":"finding-home-away-from-home-the-italian-canadian-community-of-windsor-ontario","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/2023\/06\/20\/finding-home-away-from-home-the-italian-canadian-community-of-windsor-ontario\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Home Away From Home: The Italian Canadian Community of Windsor, Ontario"},"content":{"rendered":"


Alanna Bolotta for Transformations Canada<\/em><\/strong> – For many Italians, immigrating to Canada meant more than acclimatizing to a new environment. It involved finding ways to make this strange new country their home. The book\u00a0Impronte: Italian Imprints in Windsor<\/em>, provides a rich account of how new Italian Canadians adjusted to their surroundings by finding ways to keep their traditions not only alive, but flourishing.<\/p>

Matteo Palmieri was the first known Italian in Windsor. He was born in Napoli and fought alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi to liberate and unify Italy. After a failed battle, he was forced to flee his homeland and eventually arrived in Windsor, Ontario in the 1860\u2019s. Palmieri moved back and forth between Detroit and Windsor, eventually settling in Windsor where he died in 1916. He is credited with founding the Italian Benevolent Society, a group responsible for assisting new immigrants (Temelini, 1985).<\/p>

The first wave of Italian immigration to Canada occurred between 1901 and 1911. By this time, 95 Italians could call Windsor their home. <\/p>

Seventy-five percent of the Italians in Windsor today arrived between 1940 and 1970, with the population almost doubling each decade (Temelini, 1985).<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>

As if moving to a new country wasn\u2019t challenging enough, in 1940, shortly after Mussolini declared war on England, many Italians in Windsor had to contend with their new identities as \u2018enemy aliens.\u2019 Italians were photographed and fingerprinted, often fired from their jobs and in some cases interned in camps. Windsor\u2019s mayor at the time, Arthur J. Reaume, reminded citizens of the many contributions of Italians, stating: \u201cYears past Windsor was lucky to have those Italians. They dug out sewers and did other hard labour. Today they have lost their homes and their jobs and are persecuted by everybody.\u201d (Temelini, 1986)<\/p>

After the war, immigration from Italy experienced rapid growth. Several reasons explain why all these Italians were rushing into the small town, across the river from Detroit. Windsor provided proximity to the United States, and to the booming auto industry. In addition, many Italians had family, economic or other ties to the Detroit area (Impronte). As the United States increasingly restricted immigration, Canada became the next best option and Windsor was as close as many immigrants could get to their American relatives.<\/p>

The rapidly increasing number of Italians in Windsor led to the formation of an active community that was desperate to connect their new lives to the nostalgic memories of \u2018back home\u2019 and to continue traditional practices and celebrations. Through their shared experiences, these Italian Canadians were able to use their religion, the formation of social clubs and an appreciation for music and sport to make a lasting contribution, to Windsor\u2019s cultural development.<\/p>

Today, Erie Street East is known as the \u201cLittle Italy\u201d of downtown Windsor. However, this area was not always associated with Italians. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>

In 1938, Monsignor Constantino De Santis (then Father De Santis) arrived in Windsor to facilitate the construction of a new church. He enlisted the help of many Italians in the community who used their skill set and the familiar practices of the old country, to get the project off the ground. Community members provided labour and raised funds through spaghetti dinners, dances and bingo nights (Impronte).<\/p>

Father De Santis said the first Mass at St. Angela Merici Church on Christmas Day of 1939. From this point on, the church on Erie Street East became the focal point of the Italian community, leading to an increase in Italian homes and businesses in the area. The church community spent years growing, developing a youth center and forming many Italian Catholic associations (Impronte).<\/p>