Cambridge

Community organizations:

Portuguese Club of Cambridge – Oriental Sports Club

CAMBRIDGE’S POPULATION: 138,479

STATISTICS FOR THE PORTUGUESE IN CAMBRIDGE:

AS MOTHER TONGUEAS MOST SPOKENKNOWLEDGE OF
THE LANGUAGE		BORN IN
PORTUGAL		ETHNIC
ORIGIN
5,740
4.1% of population		2,435
1.7% of population		7,125
5.1% of population		4,620
3.3% of population		12,120
8.7% of population
Source: Statistics Canada

A VIBRANT AND INVOLVED COMMUNITY

Audio Version:

Cambridge was formed in 1973 after the localities of Galt, Preston, and Hespeler joined to form a single municipality. Located on the banks of the Grand and Speed rivers, Cambridge is home to a large number of Portuguese organizations that serve a very dynamic community.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 5,740 Cambridge residents who consider Portuguese their mother tongue, 2,435 who speak it most often at home and 7,125 who are able to communicate in the language. In total, there are 4,620 residents here who were born in Portugal and 12,120 who consider Portuguese as their origin.

A view of the city over the Grand River (photo by Allie Caulfield – https://flickr.com/photos/28577026@N02/6067261742)

The first Portuguese community organization founded in Cambridge was the Cambridge Portuguese Club, in 1960, which remains as one of the pioneers Luso-Canadian organizations in the country. The Club offers a variety of cultural, social, and sporting activities to its members and supporters, but it also houses other smaller organizations such as musical bands and religious groups. The Cambridge Supersonics are part of the sporting component of the organization and have established themselves as a force in Ontario soccer.

In 1965, Portuguese Oriental Sports Club was founded mainly to support its soccer club. However, the organization evolved over the years and began offering cultural and social activities to its members and frequenters.

The Portuguese community established here does a fantastic job of maintaining and promoting our culture and traditions. One such example is its annual parade in the downtown core to signal the festivities of Portugal Day, each June 10th. The community has also sporadically participated in ACAPO’s Portugal Day Parade, held in Toronto, which is the biggest of its kind in Canada.

With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008
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