The Belgians in Ontario chronicles more than 300 years of Belgian presence in Ontario, beginning with Father Louis Hennepin, the Recollet missionary who accompanied La Salle on his explorations. This book examines the contributions of the Belgian community in a diverse range of activities including agriculture, sports, and the arts. Magee offers a detailed analysis of reasons and methods of immigration (including a study of the pioneering agricultural labourers who participated in the swallow migration). Of special interest to students of social and ethnic studies is the extensive survey of Belgian Canadians, reflecting their attitudes and experiences. Lavishly illustrated with more than 50 rare photographs culled from private and public collections, The Belgians in Ontario is a visually-interesting look at the many contributions of a determined people.

Schryer’s central argument is that ethnic groups are as much modern “myths” as they are integral components of a socially constructed reality. Focusing on the large cohort of immigrants from the Netherlands and the former Dutch East Indies who arrived in Canada between 1947 and 1960, Schryer shows how the Dutch, despite a loss of ethnic identity and a high level of linguistic assimilation, replicated many aspects of their homeland. While illustrating and illuminating the diversity among immigrants sharing a common national origin, Schryer keeps sight of what is common among them. In doing so, he shows how deeply ingrained habits were modified in a Canadian context, resulting in both continuities and discontinuities. The result is a variegated image reflecting a multidimensional reality.

Consists of separately paged reports of bodies related to the Dept.