Shown by different polls, there are over 200-250 thousand people living in Greater Toronto that have Russian as their native language, or can speak it freely. Besides that, the Russian Language is also understood by the members of the Ukrainian Community of Toronto (there are over 70-150 thousand of them), the Bulgarian Community, the Serbian Community and the Croatian Community.
The main Russian-populated region of Toronto is North York, which has an Un-Official Center at the Steeles and Bathurst intersection. There is also many Russian-speaking people living in Etobicoke, in the High park region. In the past years, there have been many immigrants moving to the regions of Don Mills, Missisauga and Richmond Hill.
The special quality of immigrants from the former USSR is their excellent education and professional skills. A high percentage of them have a University degree. As a result, they don’t have many problems finding a job, and their yearly salary is higher than the average Canadian. Also, a surprisingly large number of Russian-speaking professionals work in the field of Information Technology. A lot of them start their own business. Immigrants from Russia have a very big impact on the cultural life in Canada. Amongst them, there are many musicians, architects and artists.
Members of the Russian Community of Toronto support each other, and strive to maintain their Russian culture. In Toronto there are over 20 Russian newspapers and magazines, 4 TV programs (one of them being 24 hours a day), numerous Russian-speaking schools, concerts, and restaurants with Russian cuisine. In the field of services, there are many Russian-speaking specialists and companies.
Businesses organized by immigrants from Russia are growing and expanding very fast. Having professional skills, a lot of experience and a strong will to work, its no wonder why they are so successful. Good contacts with Russia and the countries of CIS serve as a great help to many Russian businessmen.
Even though the Russian community of Toronto has a very solid infrastructure, its members are not self-isolated. They wish to adapt to the Candadian society as quickly as possible, and become a part of it.
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