I wish good retirement and luck to Matti ja Leena. Both Finns were more Estonian community friendly than many of our own. If our community here is to continue, we need people like Matti ja Leena.

A board member of the O'Connor House, who was key in its Irish heritage house restoration, knew of Eesti Maja Estonian House because an Irish community group was one of the many non-Estonian community groups that has benefited from the use of Estonian House’s superior and affordable (acoustics, dance floor, auditorium, etc.), and increasingly rare facilities. There was a long struggle for its preservation.

Heritage Toronto gave its award of merit – one of its top prizes – to those who raised funds and painstakingly restored the buildings, which came close to demolition. O'Connor House group, a registered charitable organization, was founded in 2005 with a mission to protect the buildings from demolition, and they did. In March of 2009, a request for a demolition permit from the City of Toronto was turned down as the buildings had been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act the prior month.

"Not only the building itself, but to preserve the legacy and the history of Frank O'Connor is important, and particularly as it's outside the downtown core".

https://www.theglobeandmail.co...

https://eestielu.com/et/elu/16...

I hope Leena and Matti got more than some fast food and a beer as a thank you, as per photo. No mention in article.