The KESKUS project does not have enough money to complete the construction and is looking for additional funds from Estonia, writes Aimar Altosaar in Estonia's Postimees.
The general manager of the KESKUS project, Ellen Valter, and the president of the Estonian House in Toronto, Veiko Parming, are fundraising in Estonia, because they are convinced that KESKUS, as part of the soft power of Estonians, will become an important link in Estonia's international security network.
"We want to tell the story of Estonia in North America, bring Estonia to those who already have a good impression of the country. That way we can make them friends of Estonia," said Parming and added that KESKUS would show Estonian entrepreneurship and the building would embody modern Estonia. On the other hand, the old Estonian House in Toronto, the proceeds of which went to establish KESKUS, embodied the pre-war republic and resistance to the Soviet occupation.
Estonia's support is necessaryParming said that he hopes to find the support and sympathy of the Estonian state and native Estonians for the KESKUS project.
"Foreign Estonians have done a lot of work for this. We have already collected large sums of money from families and associations here, and we are ready to carry on most of the burden for the project, which will bring a lot of good to the entire Estonian population. We want to hope that the people and entrepreneurs of Estonia and, in short, the Estonian state will think about it, because we still lack the money to complete it. KESKUS will be our flagship, which in turn will support other networks and enterprises. We have something to be proud of, and Estonians have their own story to tell!"
According to Postimees, the KESKUS project is missing at least 6 million dollars.
In October 2020, Ellen Valter ruled out looking for support from the Estonian state and said that all community activities will continue in the old Estonian House until the KESKUS is built. Estonian House closed its doors in October 2022.
The original budget of the project was approx. 18 million dollars, but this quickly ballooned in several steps to 41, 47 and now to 50 million dollars. The KESKUS is also several years behind schedule, the latest projected opening date is in September 2025. 
