James Lindala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Lindala (May 11, 1860 — March 23, 1917) was a Finnish-Canadian socialist and was the first Finnish settler in Toronto. He became leader of the Finnish community in Canada and in 1907, he ran for Mayor of Toronto and came in second place.[1]
Lindala was born in the village of Vähäkyrö, Grand Duchy of Finland in 1860 and apprenticed as a tailor in Vaasa. He emigrated to Canada in 1887, part of a wave of emigration to North America in response to economic uncertainty and Russification efforts by the Russian Empire, which ruled Finland. He was the first Finn to settle in Toronto and wrote back to Finland encouraging other tailors to emigrate to the city, as a result tens of them settled in the Queen and Spadina area by the turn of the century.[1]