Toronto's Estonian House is old and in need of renovation. It's probably cheaper to build new.
Our community is shrinking. Plenty of people have big ideas, but; are they willing to back them up with big bucks?
Our community also needs a new retirement residence and nursing home; more money needed.
I don't know where it's all going to come from. Some of us are living in a fantasy world.

Aaah, here we go. And once we have the cash, who will control it? Looks like the "führer" principle is live and well! Some of us just love to give out other people's money. Selling the EM with the plan to "promote higher quality and bigger Esto events in the future" is naive at best.

Okay I'll add my two cents also.
The Estonian House is not just a bricks and mortar building but an iconic symbol and central hub of activity for the remaining Estonian community in the GTA. This is our home and our meeting place. (Since 1963.)
It's the Estonian heritage people that make the Estonian House what it represents, not the leaky roof, not the outdated plumbing and heating.
It's funny to see people blame the condition of this old house for the diminishing usage of the building.
Maybe it's the reality that our community has diminished over the past fifty years, maybe it's a fact that Estonian is not spoken in over 50% of our 2nd and 3rd generation homes, maybe Estonia is now a free and independent country.
An old friend of mine once shared some wisdom with me. There are three types of people in this world. First there are the doers, they don't say much, but they build, organize and make things happen. Secondly there are the talkers, talk, talk, talk, and more talk, they're the ones that are first to criticize, blame and spread rumours. They never lend a helping hand and stand on the sidelines watching the doers. Thirdly, there are those people who have no clue or care what is going on.These people walk aimlessly through life, sometimes bumping into walls and small dogs.
We have already witnessed the "cashing out" of St. Andrew's Church on Carlton Street. So is Estonian House next? What about the under utilized and rundown summer camp grounds like Seedrioru, Joekääru and Kotkajärve. Are they also in financial distress? Hey let's all cash out and have one final great party at Tartu College like an Irish wake.
We have spent so much money and time debating the future of Eesti Maja, and created stress for our older generations but how much have we invested in developing our community youth to become our future community leaders. Any organization is only as strong as it's leadership. Let the doers do, because they have a vision, a plan and they are committed to see the thing through.
The Estonian House plays a large role symbolically in our diminished Estonian community.
But, I emphasize again, that the future of this fragile Estonian community in the greater GTA is not based on the quality of the buildings, but rather the quality of the people in leadership roles in all of our various organizations.

I would love to contribute to the future of Esto House by becoming a shareholder and then by voting for a plan that my generation can afford to maintain and operate for decades more. Why won't Esto House sell me and my peers shares? Is this really "our community centre" or just the "private real estate asset" of 70 and 80 year olds?

Be specific - the voters are only the shareholders of EM at the AGM. The democratic approach applies only to those who were there. And we know how esto AGMs are run...

The community, while it wants a voice, should and cannot interfere in shareholder decisions. This is capitlaism, folks, at its best or worst, depending on which side of the plate you are swinging from.Shareholders are the ones that EM has been seeking for decades. The present Eesti Maja itself was born out of controversy - the Merton Street lot was bought, when it was discovered it was in a dry area, no booze allowed, sold. No foresight there. Descendants of original shareholders are not interested it seems. And what about the grand plan to get our youth involved, by granting esto school grads shares in EM, voting privileges once of age. Don't see much incentive from that generation to be involved in the squabbles of their grandparents. Deja vu all over again.


The current EM was bought from the Toronto school board. It was available for two reasons - it was run down then, too expensive to repair. And dwindling number of students clinched it. Estos, far from wealthy at the time, fixed EM up by volunteer labour. Little of that around these days, as JK, KJ and Seedrioru know far too well.

The idea to rely on professionals OUTSIDE of the esto community makes far more sense than having insiders with vested interests, perhaps even financially, to run the show.

Finally - do we even need an esto house? Only a bank in its own controlled building - as it should be -, there is church basement space at Peetri kirik for schooling, rahvatants, and choir practices, and all may be well.n Why are these options not discussed?

Your message is a bit confused, Peeter. You seem to imply that people people unwilling to make a financial contribution to EM should have a say in the management of this asset. On what grounds?
Yes, there is plenty of endearing nostalgia surrounding EM. Unfortunately, that's hardly constructive.