Your Dutch Heritage

May is Dutch Heritage Month in OntarioMay is Dutch Heritage Month in Ontario

Click on the CNFA logo to the right to see the way the bill as presented by the former  Deputy Premier of Ontario, Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer at Queen's Park and adopted.

 

 

Canada-Netherlands Friendship Day ProclamationCanada-Netherlands Friendship Day Proclamation 2018

The friendship that the people of Burlington and Canada share with the Netherlands has a rich and enduring history, dating back in particular to harbouring the Dutch Royal Family and the birth of HRH Princess Margriet in Ottawa during World War II, and the subsequent liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian troops on May 5th, 1945Read more ...

 

Dutch Memorial in Stratford, Ontario, CanadaDutch Memorial in Stratford, Ontario, Canada

This memorial was a gift from the Netherlands after WWII, as a token of appreciation for Stratford's hospitality to seven hundred free men of Dutch birth who came to Stratford to form a battalion.  After the occupation of Holland by Nazi armies, Canada invited free men of the world to use Stratford for a military training base.  Queen Juliana of the Netherlands came four times to see them.  Their Caserne or barracks was a former furniture factory on Trinity Street.  For this reason and that of the participation of the Perth Regiment in the liberation of Holland in 1945, there is a close bond between our countries.  The pair of hands, symbolizes Canada's support; the dove  is symbolic of the Netherlands.

 

 

Dutch Heritage Month Flag Raising Ceremony at Queen's ParkDutch Heritage Month Flag Raising Ceremony at Queen's Park, May 2013

Schiedam born, Dutch-Canadian Elizabeth Witmer, former MPP for Kitchener-Waterloo and now Chair of Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board returned to Queen`s Park to MC a Flag Raising Ceremony to celebrate Dutch Heritage Month.  Read more ...

 

 

 

 

Apeldoorn Being Liberated By The CanadiansHistory:  Twinning of Burlington with Apeldoorn intertwined with a Thank-You-Canada mission of Dutch Students.

Eight high school students and two teachers of the Koninklijke Scholen Gemeenschap (Royal Schools Community) Apeldoorn were the guests of the Ontario city of Burlington Nelson High School with a multi-purpose visit, fittingly embracing the November 11 Remembrance Day.  The events of the one-week visit culminated in the ceremonial planting of Dutch tulip bulbs in three locations in Burlington, the Central Library, Nelson High School, and the Springer House.  Although the attending crowd at the bulb plantings on the cool and grey November day was fewer than 100 people, the attendees included a member of the Canadian Parliament, Cam Jackson MLA of Ontario, Region of Halton chair, the Mayor of Burlington Rob MacIsaac and four of his six Councillors.

The Dutch community present included Jack van der Laan - Canada-Netherlands Friendship-Day chairman, Wilbert Witkamp - President Dutch Treat, Napoleon Winia - Consul of the Netherlands, Tim Hogenbirk - Secretary Treasurer Netherlands Luncheon Club, Henny Groenendijk-Baljet - Netherlands Board of Tourism, Ada Wynston - columnist, Harry Voortman - sponsor of many Dutch events.

On Remembrance Day, November 11, 2002, Burlington City Council convened at 7 pm for their regular meeting, which was attended by the Dutch students and their Canadian hosts, the students of Nelson High. Jack van der Laan had obtained the permission to address the Council and he opened with: “I am so very thrilled that the students and teachers decided to come to Canada during Veterans Week.  They came to say Thank You because the Canadian Armed Forces liberated the Netherlands on 5 May 1945”.  Jack then read the last letter of his wife’s uncle Jacob Kraal, who was condemned to death and executed by the occupying Germans on 13 April 1944 at age 30.  Jack then continued with presenting the Mayor and all council members each a box with Canadian Liberator Tulip Bulbs.  He concluded with “I am excited about tonight’s council meeting in which you will vote on the twinning relationship between Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, and Burlington.  I would like to thank Mr David Trueman, chairman of the Mundialization Committee and his committee as well as Mr Miles Ross, (teacher at Nelson High School, History department) for their kind participation.”

Mundialization - The declaration of specified territory - a city, town, or state, for example - as world territory, with responsibilities and rights on a world scale.  Counsel then voted on a significant list of items for consideration, and a sigh of relief was heard on the public seats when item CC-213-02 came to order:

Approval of proposed twinning relationship - Apeldoorn, Netherlands:

That the Mundialization Committee encourage the cities of Burlington and Apeldoorn, Netherlands to enter into discussions with a view to establishing a formal relationship between our two communities which would promote and enhance the following:

1.

Existing exchange programs between our schools

2.

The celebration of the historical connection relating to the liberation of the Apeldoorn area by Canadian Forces

3.

Relationships between churches, cultural groups and sporting groups in both Apeldoorn and Burlington

4.

Our Chambers of Commerce

5.

Existing and future business relationships

And the recorded vote was unanimous to which the public loudly applauded.  After a few more agenda items, Mayor MacIsaac was proud that all the items were dealt with before 8 pm as he had promised.

Mayor MacIsaac then related his visit with councillor Rick Craven to Apeldoorn, where he had been asked by the Dutch students what Canadian students eat for breakfast, and his answer “pizza” evoked loud laughter in the council chamber.  And then the Mayor invited all present in the council chamber to accompany him to a nearby restaurant, where he treated everyone with pizza.  Not to be outdone the students and their entourage were invited for coffee and cake at the very richly and beautifully decorated mansion of Rudy Reimer and his wife Theresa.  By Jacob Abas.

LaSalle Discovers BurlingtonBurlington Remembers - LaSalle Discovering Aldershot on the way to China

Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle is the first white man to step on to the leafy shores of Burlington.  In 1669, he is 26 years old and obsessed with being the first person to find the way to China, with its stories of endless riches.  Read more ...

 

 

 

Louise, the Stone SofaCity Ties Between Burlington and Apledoorn continues long friendship

BURLINGTON, Ontario - The long-planned twinning of this Ontario city with the town of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands recently was made official. In Burlington, the mayors of both communities signed the sister city agreement, witnessed by Dutch Canadians, war veterans and officials.  Read more ...

 

2002 Canada-Netherlands Friendship Day

On Saturday May 4th, 2002 Mr. Alan Earp made the following moving speech at the Canada Netherlands Friendship Day flag raising ceremony at Burlington City Hall.  Read more …