I find this to be an incredible ignorant comment.

Firstly, I've never met the guy, but I've certainly heard of him. He lived in Eesti for a year, he has young kids who are in programs at the Eesti Maja and he is in the building several times a week and he fully supports and encourages the Estonian heritage within his family.

Looking at his resume he has a valid skillset with an excellent education. His work experience particularly in what looks to be with new business launches and finance look to be a good fit to help round out our board.

I wish more of our spouses from mixed marriages cared about and supported our community as much as Blake seems to. He may not be Estonian by blood, but he is an Eestlane in my books by heart, and that matters more to me than his last name.

ps. with his foody background I am particularly excited about the influence he may have on the culinary side of things in the new keskus.

He may be a good guy, but I have never heard of him.

You posted a seriously negative comment. You posted it against a person you admit you know nothing about. This is enough reason to label you ignorant.

By his deeds, it's clear that Blake is an Estophile. (Teretulemast meie hulka, armas mees!)
The infamous 'M' (the name that cannot be mentioned) is, in spite of his roots, an anti-Estonian.
Sad: "You should be locked in a room and forced to listen to 'M' try to speak Estonian." That should cure you of your disease.

Noh, Tarmo, huvitav vaadata sinu üleolevust. Sa järeldad, et kõik osavõtjad on hea emakeele valdajad. Ja kui üks nendest on Blake Royer või mõni teine mitte eesti keele valdaja, kas siis jättame neid vahekorrast välja?

Blake Royer would surely not be left out. Anyone who has such a strong vested interest in the future of the Estonian community most certainly would be enrolled in Estonian language courses. Also, he lived in Estonia for a year, right? So it is quite safe to assume can read Estonian at this point.

Mida sa, HMMM, siin mõmised? Kui keegi sel koosolekul end väärikalt ülal pidas ja tasakaalu säilitas, siis oli see Veiko Parming. Hoia oma näpud ja hambad sellest mehest eemal ja luba küsida, kui hästi sa ise läbi paistad.

Ega see siin mingi võistlus pole. HMMM võib olla nii kinnine kui soovib.
Küsimus seisab, et miks ei saa kõneall olevat dokumenti osanikule avaldada? Mis siin peidus on? Kui osanik ei saa küsitleda valitud juhatuse tegevust, miks siis üldse valimist läbi viia?
Olukord jätab kibeda maigu suhu, meenutades endist kodumaal kehtivat režiimi.

Asjalik küsimus, kahjuks esitatud vales kohas. See tulnuks tõstatada koosolekul, mitte kommentaariumis, kus koosolekult puudujad saavad vildaka informatsiooni. Esimehe vastusega jäid kõik rahule, kaasa arvatud dokumendi soovija, kes igas detailis pedantselt täpne. Kui esimees ei suutnud juriidilise ilmega küsimust rahuldavalt vastata, siis teinuks seda kindlasti kohal viibinud juriskonsult. Küsimata jäetud küsimus jääb alati vastamata.

'Väärikalt ülal pidamine ja tasakaalu säilitamine', ja ausa informatsiooni edasi andmine on täielikult erinevad asjad, võib jälgida Kanada peaministrit

Millised küsimused jäid vastamata? Selline huupi lahmimine on kõige labasem demagoogia. Minu arvamus sellist kommenteerijast on tükk maad allapoole nulli.

The key difference is that Eesti Maja is not a for-profit corporation, but a COMMUNITY CENTER. It needs the support of the people to fulfil its constitutional mandate. The support of ETCU isn't enough.

So, do I understand correctly? The "M" word is Meiusi? What's he trying to destroy now?

What's he trying to destroy now?
What have you got?
That's his personality.

The Estonian community centre in question belongs to shareholders who have put their money where their mouth is.
That this doesn't suit some, on the sidelines, who wish to mind our business is an irrelevancy.

Well if it's exactitudes you need showcased . . . for those of us on the sidelines “the business” that unfolded in the last two years has been a botched, debt digging, PR nightmare and has ripped apart the proud fabric of Toronto’s Estonian Community, THE hub of diaspora Estonian-ness on the Planet, and we have been watching, horrified. Entire families and old friends are not talking to each other, not LOOKING at each other (wth) and even boycotting learn-ed volunteers passing their skills on to the younger generation at a certain Children's Camp because: “Oh they are related to a pro-Esto House relative” and you are wallowing in your precious business? Give . . me . . a . . break.

Who, begins a multi-million dollar project without an architectural program?
Who presents said project, for the first time (smithed in solitude) to a stunned, uninformed audience, who had absolutely no input?
(and by the way, you don’t need to be a marketeer, to know seating for 250 patrons is just plain goofy) (here’s a tip: the numbers go 300, 500, 1,000 etc.) (you’re welcome)

Granted the glue that held everyone in our community together, all our efforts directed to a Vaba Eesti has changed.
An evolution was necessary, but like this? A successful project is not just about money, it needs some of the 'intangible' and I am not feeling it so careful what and who you are calling irrelevant.

glad you made the time to make your standard tiresome comments which provide absolutely no positive input

What I have been arguing for years, to no effect.

The EM bylaws clearly state that the purpose of the house is to serve the community (not just shareholders). This makes every Toronto Estonian a stakeholder in Eesti Maja.

A recent Supreme Court of Ontario ruling states that stakeholders have standing when it comes to the business of a corporation.

Wow! So if you don’t hold shares in EM, you are irrelevant.

Oil companies provide services to car owners.
Does that make us 'stakeholders' in their business?
Of course not!

Well said!

" The idea to sell EM and move was not an idea hatched in a back room"

Actually, this is what actually happened. Why? Our numbers are small and we are a shrinking population of active community members. This becomes a breeding ground for well-meaning people to take the reins and unfortunately make ill-advised decisions for the whole community.

It may prove interesting to know when the Estonian Foundation of Canada approached Alar Kongats for the Madison project. When past plans to build a new home on the Broadview House went south, the then Estonian House board members quickly accepted these new plans hook, line and sinker without doing proper research as to whether the community at large actually wanted this option. That is why we are in this mess today, a divided community.