Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians living in Toronto joined together for a mass candle lighting ceremony at Toronto's Nathan Phillip's Square on June 13 to commemorate the victims of the Baltic deportations in June 1941 by occupying Soviet forces.
The event was organized by The Baltic Federation, The Estonian Central Council, Latvian National Federation and Lithuanian-Canadian Community.
Nearly 100,000 refugees from the Baltic States came to Canada fleeing Soviet occupation and terror after WWII. The trauma that their families experienced through political repression and ethnic and cultural genocide at the hands of the Soviet authorities are passed along through generations and continue to haunt Canadians of Baltic heritage.
Photos: Maimu Mölder
