Armenians in Canada: The Great History of a Small Community
Nasha Ottawa magazine is published in Russian, but our website also features articles in English, French, Ukrainian, and Belarusian. Our readership includes many people from different countries of the former Soviet Union, and one of our main goals is to help people get to know one another better, strengthen ties between communities, and build a shared Canadian future together.
We are launching our new section, “Communities of Canada,” with a story about Armenians — a people with an ancient culture, a rich history, and a remarkable ability to preserve their identity far from their ancestral homeland.
(Editor's Note)
Garabed Nergararayan, who arrived in Port Hope in 1887, is believed to have been the first Armenian to settle in Ontario. Over time, Armenian communities emerged in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, and other Canadian cities.
According to the 2021 census, 68,850 Canadians reported Armenian ancestry, although community estimates are considerably higher.
Behind these numbers are thousands of individual stories. People who started new lives in a distant country without forgetting where they came from. They raised families, opened businesses, built careers, established schools, churches, and cultural centres — while becoming an integral part of Canadian society.
Churches have traditionally served not only as spiritual centres but also as cultural hubs of Armenian life. In Toronto, St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church has been operating since 1983. In the National Capital Region, the community gathers around St. Mesrop Armenian Church, whose parish was established in 1978. Religious services, commemorative events, community gatherings, and cultural programs take place there.
Khachkars — intricately carved stone crosses — hold a special place in Armenian collective memory. Erected near Armenian churches and community centres across Canada, they recall tragic chapters of history while also symbolizing the ability of memory, culture, and hope to endure across generations.
September 21, Armenia's Independence Day, remains another important symbol for the Armenian community.
Yet the history of Armenians in Canada is not simply a story of preserving the past. It is also the story of individuals whose talents have shaped the present.
Yousuf Karsh, who opened his photography studio in Ottawa, became one of the most celebrated portrait photographers of the twentieth century. His 1941 photograph of Winston Churchill, taken in Parliament, became an iconic image in the history of photography.
His brother, Malak Karsh, gained recognition for his photographs of Canadian landscapes and became one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Tulip Festival.
Among other prominent Canadians of Armenian descent are filmmaker Atom Egoyan, opera singer Isabel Bayrakdarian, musician and children's entertainer Raffi Cavoukian, and Ann Cavoukian, the former Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario who developed the internationally recognized concept of Privacy by Design.
And this story continues today.
In Ottawa, the Armenian community continues to grow, develop new projects, and contribute to the city's cultural and intellectual life. Armenian teams participate in trivia competitions and music quizzes, while community members establish new businesses and become part of the capital's everyday life.
Even Yan's restaurant in the ByWard Market, opened by Armen and Gohar in 2025, has become another small example of how culture finds expression in everyday life — through food, hospitality, and human connection.
The bond between Armenia and its Diaspora goes far beyond shared history, culture, or language.
It is a bond between generations.
It lives in grandmothers' stories, family photographs, the Armenian language spoken in homes far from the homeland, songs passed down to children, and the dream of one day bringing them to Armenia and saying, “This is where we come from.”
Perhaps this is where the Diaspora's special strength lies.
Preserving one's roots does not mean living in the past. It is possible to remember the language and traditions of one's ancestors, cherish family memories, and at the same time participate wholeheartedly in the life of the country that has become one's home.
That is why the connection between Armenia and its Diaspora is, above all, a connection between people.
It lives in families, friendships, gatherings, young people's curiosity about their heritage, and the desire to pass on to future generations not only memories but also a sense of belonging.
Canada's Armenian community carefully preserves its history while remaining an open and active part of a multicultural country.
And it is precisely from stories like these — different languages, cultures, personal journeys, and traditions — that modern Canada is built: a country whose strength comes not from uniformity but from diversity, mutual respect, and human connections.
After all, distance may separate countries, but it should never separate people.
And every bridge between cultures begins with a simple human desire — to get to know one another.
Nune Zohrabyan
President, NUR Heritage
nune@nurheritage.org
416-832-6336