From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Assyrians/Arian Ishaya
The concentration of Jacobites in Montreal, of the Tyari tribe in London, and of Assyrians from northern Iraq in Ontario reveals traditional denominational and regional divisions. The Assyrians of Canada are professionals, small business owners, and office and factory workers. They live and work in tightly knit and well-organized ethnic enclaves. The most important social unit in the community is the child-centred family in which divorce rates are remarkably low. Despite geographical dispersion, Assyrian families make good use of the telephone and air travel to maintain close contact. Members of immigrant families often pool resources, share costs, and function much like a cooperative.
Found only in Ontario, Assyrian civic organizations strive to promote ethnic unity irrespective of denominational and regional differences. Toronto is the centre of several such organizations. The largest is the Assyrian Society of Canada, established in 1967. Its building was completed in 1982, and in 1994 the organization had 180 members. It is the hub of Assyrian social activities in Toronto. Its large hall accommodates weddings and other major community events. There are weekly social and educational activities, including weekend bingo games and picnics (during cold weather the picnics are moved indoors). The United Assyrian Youth of Canada, founded in 1980, specializes in educational activities. Headquartered in a rented office building, the organization has a small library and sponsors regular seminars.
Its quarterly publication, U.A.Y.C. Bulletin, declared the Assyrian year 6743 (1993) to be the Year of the Assyrian Child, with the goal of establishing an elementary school where the Assyrian language and heritage could be passed on to the younger generation.
The Welfare Committee for the Assyrian Community in Canada, which was affiliated with the Assyrian Society of Canada, became independent in 1989. As a charity organization working closely with Canadian immigration services since 1986, it has sponsored and assisted the settlement of Assyrian refugees who were languishing in camps in Turkey, Greece, and Italy. With the rise of nationalist politics, Assyrian political organizations in the homeland such as the Assyrian Universal Alliance, the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party, and the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ZOWA), all operate worldwide and have branches in Toronto. In their respective communities, the Assyrian Nineveh Club, established in Hamilton in 1987, and the Assyrian Ishtar Association, started in London six years later, sponsor social activities and conduct Assyrian language and heritage classes.
