Oakville

Community Organizations: Filarmónica Lira do Bom Jesus de Oakville

OAKVILLE’S POPULATION: 213,759

STATISTICS FOR THE PORTUGUESE IN OAKVILLE:

AS MOTHER
TONGUE		AS MOST
SPOKEN		KNOWLEDGE OF
THE LANGUAGE		BORN IN
PORTUGAL		ETHNIC
ORIGIN
3,360
1.6% of population		1,365
0.6% of population		4,190
2.% of population		2,255
1% of population		7,550
3.5% of population
Source: Statistics Canada

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Oakville lies on the shores of Lake Ontario, nestled midway through Toronto and Hamilton. It is home to a few famous Canadians, including the sprinter Donovan Bailey, the former football player Pinball Clemons, the musician Tom Cochrane and former Hockey Night in Canada host, Ron McLean. It is also home to a sizeable Portuguese population that has struggled to keep organized.

Founded in 1827 when Bronte, Palermo, Sheridan and Trafalgar joined Oakville to form a larger locality, the city was once populated by the Mississaugas who were eventually ‘forced out’ after the British settled here. Robert Kerr Chisholm is credited with the initial development of the region.

During the 1800s, the construction of boats, transportation of lumber and the production of wheat were the major drives of the local economy. However, the economical recession of 1850 forced the population to rethink the strategy. It took almost a century for Oakville to finally find its niche among the competitive economy of the Greater Toronto Area. The arrival of oil company Petro-Canada, the Proctor factory and Ford Motor Company’s plant stimulated not only the economy but also the population of Oakville.

The Oakville Harbour (photo credit: pixabay.com)

As a result of this boom and of the location on the water, Oakville has been the choice for the home of many of the GTA’s wealthiest, with Villas lining the shores of Lake Ontario and spread throughout the region.

The Portuguese-Canadians have, however, found it difficult to settle and organize here in ways that other similarly sized communities across the country have. Once, there was a Portuguese Club in the city but it no longer exists. We are still looking for information on this defunct association. Please contact us if you can help or know someone who can.

Filarmónica Lira do Bom Jesus de Oakville is the only community organization currently active in Oakville. Founded in 1969, it has enjoyed much success in the way of involving the community and, in particular, our youth. The city also boasts a few Portuguese establishments, although they have been diminishing as time elapses and the population fully integrates.

With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008
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