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July 27 - August 3,2003 |
Italian Clubs in the East End
Sixteen associations from the "other" side of the Toronto meet to discuss visibility
By Francesco Riondino
Originally Published: 2003-06-08
The reason for the meeting of 16 Italian-Canadian clubs and associations of Greater Toronto's East End was to reach an agreement on how to work at "not being forgotten", as the organizers underscored repeatedly.
From Markham to Scarborough, Toronto to Pickering, Ajax to Oshawa, over 20,000 Italians feel somehow cut off, and want to get their voices heard.
"Following their early concentration on the Danforth, Italian East-Enders dispersed over a wide area; nowadays they must go downtown or all the way to Woodbridge if they want to use the services of a patronage or of the Consulate. If we managed to unite, on the other hand, we could find strength in numbers and ask for a patronage to be opened in our area," explained Enzo Di Mauro, president of the Eloro Cultural Association and promoter of this initiative with Roberto Anzivino of the West Hill Social Activities Club, and Vittorio La Pianta of the Monteleone Community Centre that hosted the meeting.
The assembly was opened with a speech by Italian Consul Marco Giomini who highlighted the importance of associations in keeping Italian traditions alive and nurturing the link of the new generations with the Old Country.
In the last few years, in fact, the success of Italian products, cuisine, and culture aided our youth in rediscovering their Italian roots; this process could further accelerate with the new law on voting abroad. "We are living through a very trying and yet enthusiastic period," said Consul Giomini. He also illustrated the efforts being made by the whole consular structure these days and insisted on the importance of voting in order to prove "the interest of Italians living abroad for Italy's internal affairs."
Finally, Tony Porretta of the EPASA patronage spoke of the possibility of opening an office in the East End. "The patronage financing system," he explained, "is based on the number of files submitted to each office of a patronage. If we want to ask Rome to open a new office, we must prove that it can process enough files to make it self-supporting. Therefore we need to conduct a test and assess the real potential."
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