Current President of the Estonian Central Council of Canada (EKN), and former longtime Estonian Foundation of Canada board member Marcus Kolga, writing "as a concerned father" and Estonian community member who “deeply appreciates the contributions of our community volunteers”, [has] already published an article ‘complaining of mooted funding cutbacks by [the Estonian Foundation of Canada] to the Estonian School and other children's activities due to lack of cash.’

http://eestielu.com/et/arvamus...

Kolga’s current concern was anticipated in 2017, and opposition enlarged upon in numerous articles, by Eda Sepp:

https://www.eesti.ca/thougths-...

Although architect renderings are well-known as a species of pure fantasy, often highly amusing when compared with the finished products, close analysis can yield meaningful clues about the thought processes of the guiding lights:

Firstly, there is not a single car to be seen anywhere. Has parking on Madison been banned? Has it been turned into a car-free thoroughfare?

There is no line-up in front of the Madison. There are people who do not appear to be either homeless, intoxicated or otherwise up to no good in the parkette just south of the Madison. - Enough said about that.

As for lights, in this case, it is notable that the community spaces of Tartu College and VEMU (if there actually is a VEMU there? -it is hard to tell) are in pitch darkness. Have they gone bankrupt? Moved all their activities to the new space? Presenting their academic programmes as seances in the dark?

The darkness of TC is in stark contrast with the blazing lights emanating from all the windows of the day school and charitable foundation to the north of the former Buddhist Temple. Those establishments are normally closed at night. Maybe they were bought up by successful Estonian business start-ups, burning the midnight oil to satisfy ever-increasing demand for their goods and services? Counting their money before stuffing it into laundry bags for the trip to the bank, two doors down?

Even with all their windows alit, they are blitzed by the brilliant lighting of the new center and its privately-maintained public- thoroughfare “Green P Estonia shaped Sqaure.” Even with LEDs this appears to be expensive and somewhat extravagant. Perhaps the business incubator has cooked up some sort of proprietary source of cheap energy? (Daily EKN meetings to capture all that hot air?)

The whole place is lit up and visible. You can see what is going on in every room. The only privacy comes from the orangey-brown fall foliage on the two and-one-half storey deciduous trees in the Green P Estonia Shaped Square thoroughfare. When the leaves fall, there will be no privacy at all. - Which is good. Estonians cannot be trusted with privacy. Just ask the Russians.

Those trees - Beech? Oak? Are growing straight out of the concrete pavement of the Green P Estonia Shaped Square thoroughfare. Quite amazing, given that the roots have so little space to spread before they hit the TTC tunnels below.

It is curious that the “green” rooftop - so highly touted in previous publicity - is the only part of the Keskus that is in darkness. Perhaps scouts and guides are having “luuremangud” up there? But really, given all the idle congregants hanging around the Green P Estonia shaped Square thoroughfare below (hard to tell if any of them are Estonians) you could probably make good money with something like a three season mini-putt golf operation up there?

This is confusing. A recent EE article - no, an Estonian Centre Project "Update" (to which comments are not permitted) - begins: "The Nordic-inspired design for the new International Estonian Centre by Alar Kongats has won an Award of Merit by Canadian Architect magazine in its annual Awards of Excellence program." But Canadian Architect magazine describes the design thus: "The building is structured as a series of stage-like platforms enclosed by a luminous curtain made of glazing and cast foamed-aluminum panels. The choice of foamed aluminum makes a material reference to the Estonian New Year's tradition of bleigiessen" - which is actually German. Just how cynical a manipulation of public opinion is this on all fronts?

call it as it is: To this day I laugh out loud when I remember what Allan Liik yelled out as we were about to hit a golf shot over a big pond: "Ära karda! Meie oleme mere rahvas!"