This weekend, we invite you to learn and experience the vibrant culture of Poland at Mississauga Polish Day at Celebration Square on Saturday, June 8. You will get to taste delicious Polish food, listen to the music, watch the twirling, jumping and dancing of the entertainers, and more! If venture inside Civic Centre (when you see everyone’s favourite brutalist farmhouse opposite Celebration Square, you will know you’re there), you will have the opportunity to learn about the rich Polish heritage within Mississauga over the past 50 years curated by Heritage Mississauga and Orlinski Museum.

The first Polish immigrants in Canada came in the 19th and early 20th centuries when Poland did not even exist on any maps. Ask any Pole and they will tell you that Poland was partitioned and colonized by the foreign powers of Russia, Prussia (Germany) and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for a whopping 123 years. Due to the political instability and oppression, Polish immigrants were driven to Canada by economic opportunities, freedom from political oppression, and land availability. The first significant Polish settlement in Ontario was Wilno, near Barry's Bay, which was established in the 1860s by Polish Kashubian immigrants. Tracking down Poles in this time period in Canada is exceedingly difficult as Poland did not exist on paper, and so you may see a Pole identified as a Russian or Prussian, only to see their language on census records listed as Polish and then you get that sneaky little feeling that all is not as it seems. Sometimes, you may also see names anglicized in order for people to blend in better and avoid unwanted discrimination. For example, “Czajkowski” might become “Chajkovsky”, and “Król” might be translated to “King”.

The need for changing one’s name becomes apparent when looking at cases of discrimination against Poles whether on the basis of their linguistic, religious or cultural differences. In historic Mississauga, Polish immigrant Stefan Swyryda had the unfortunate distinction of being the first person executed in Peel County. He was convicted for the murder of Oleck Loutick (also recorded as Leutik) near Erindale in 1908. The case was based on circumstantial evidence with several points of contention that were never fully investigated, leading to the case later being dubbed as “injustice most foul”. While the truth of his guilt or innocence is impossible to discern given how much time has passed, it is believed by many that Swyryda was (at the very least) a convenient scapegoat as an outsider, a Pole, a Catholic, and a non-English speaker within the community.

Throughout the ordeal, Swyryda maintained his innocence, his final words being: “Friends, I’m no guilty, I’m no guilty. I’m guilty before the people, but not before my God.” If changing one’s name allowed them to blend in more seamlessly and not become a target, I can understand why many early Polish settlers made that choice. For all these reasons, early Polish history in Canada remains somewhat difficult to unravel.

However, after gaining independence in 1918, the Poles who began arriving in Canada tended to be more vocal about their Polish identity, as they had just fought for the freedom of self-determination back home. From this time period onwards, we see Polish immigrants captured in census records as living in historic Mississauga in greater numbers. Most of these people worked as labourers such as the Tymkoin family who lived on Joseph Street (now Mississauga Road South) in 1931. All were born in Poland except for the youngest daughter, who was born in Ontario. The family came to Canada in 1926 and spoke Russian. They were Roman Catholic, and the patriarch of the family, Stefan, worked as a labourer at the Port Credit brickyard. While the vast majority were Roman Catholic, there were also a few Polish Jews in historic Mississauga such as the Culiner family who were all born in Poland and emigrated to Canada in 1924, listed as living in Streetsville in 1931. They were Jewish and spoke Hebrew at home. The father of the family Philip Culiner was listed as a Dry Goods Merchant in Streetsville.

Little did these families know that only 8 years later, Poland would be invaded first by Germany, and then by Russia during the Second World War, beginning one of the darkest chapters of Polish and World history. All Poles, whether Jewish or not, were at risk, but Poles fought tooth and nail both at home and abroad to free their homeland. One of those who answered the call to arms was Private Arthur Thomas Pashak who was born on October 8, 1920 in Lakeview, Ontario. His father Francis was born in Ontario to a Polish father and Irish mother. In census records, it lists that both Francis Pashak and the children spoke Polish at home. Pte Pashak was called up under the National Resources Mobilization Act on January 8, 1942 and enlisted for active service with the 1st Battalion of the Midland Regiment on May 8, 1942. Pte Pashak arrived in the UK on March 31, 1943, and was attached to the Irish Regiment of Canada (IROC) on June 18. Pte Pashak arrived in Italy on November 23, 1943. He was wounded on September 13, 1944 (likely during action against the Coriano Ridge, which the 5th Canadian Armoured Division played a large role in capturing), later returning to active service. Pte Pashak was subsequently killed in action on January 2, 1945, most likely during the 5th Canadian Armoured Division’s push into the Valli di Comacchio, which began on the date of his death. Pte Pashak was buried at Villanova Canadian War Cemetery in Italy and is commemorated on the Port Credit Cenotaph. He, of course, was not the only Pole to fight in Italy. The Polish victory at Monte Cassino in 1944 is the stuff of legends amongst the Polish community – 2024 marks the 80th Anniversary of this significant moment.

However, despite their bravery, loyalty to the Ally cause, and sacrifice, the Poles who fought with the West were not rewarded. After the Second World War, in a series of events known to Poles as the “Western Betrayal”, the Allies turned over control of Poland to the Soviet Union behind the back of the Polish government-in-exile in London, England. To add insult to injury, few Poles were allowed to take part in Victory Day celebrations in London (the only ones included being Polish pilots with the RAF, but that’s a story for another time). For most, armistice marked the end of a foreign domination and subjugation, but for the Poles they would once again live under the control of a foreign power until 1991.

This period of history had an important role to play in Polish immigration to Canada. For many of the Polish soldiers who had fought with their Western allies, including the Canadians, they were not welcomed back home by the new communist government. Many of these veterans were seen as traitors and so they chose not to return to their homelands which they had fought so hard to free. Instead, they moved to England, Australia, the United States, and Canada (to name a few). Particularly after the Points System of 1967 was introduced, Poles came to Canada in earnest and began immigrating to cities such as Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighborhood. Westward expansion and continued immigration after the fall of Soviet-controlled Poland, helped establish Mississauga’s growing Polish community.

One of the first and most pressing matters that the community dealt with in Mississauga was where they would gather and worship. Formal petitions were compiled from community members and presented to the Diocese for a church servicing Mississauga’s Polish community in the late 1970s. In October of 1979, it was announced that a new parish, dedicated to Blessed (now Saint) Maximilian Kolbe, would be built in Mississauga. During the church’s construction, mass was held at Holy Name of Mary High School in their gymnasium. The first mass in the new church near Cawthra and Highway 403 was held by Father Stanisław Bąk, O.M.I., on December 18, 1983. In 1984, Pope John Paul II blessed the church. With a place to meet their spiritual needs, more and more Poles settled nearby the church. The immigration of Poles was further helped by the church and its parishioners who sponsored newcomers, even housing families until they were able to get established here in their new home.

These people began opening businesses of all types in Mississauga. A few of the notable ones that come to mind are the delicatessens, past and present, in our city. Armadale Meats & Delicatessen was located at 2551 Hurontario St., in Cooksville. It opened in 1974 as the newly founded city’s only Polish delicatessen for over a decade. It was owned by husband-wife duo Chester and Chris Fudecki, who were from a long line of Polish butchers, and who had immigrated to Canada in 1964. While it has since closed, they used to set up a stand at the Square One Farmer’s Market every year and, being one of the only visibly Polish businesses for many years, they are frequently mentioned in newspaper articles of the time discussing Polish culture.

EuroMax is another well-known Polish delicatessen founded in 1989 by pastry chef Jan Cidylo and his wife Irena who immigrated to Canada in search of a better life. Their first “Karpaty store” was in a small wooden shack in the middle of an unpaved parking lot close to Hurontario Street and Dundas Street in Mississauga, but they had bigger dreams. Their cozy store attracted customers craving the “old-world” quality and service they are still known for to this day. Today, their stores operate as EuroMax Foods, under the leadership of Irena and Jan’s son Greg.

I would, of course, be remiss if I did not mention another family-owned business, Eddie’s Meat and Deli Market, which was established by Polish-born husband-and-wife duo Edward and Janina Kida. They started out small at home making sausages and Polish delicacies for friends and family until they leased a small unit in Mississauga in 1995. Edward functioned as chef, and Janina as business aficionado, slowly but surely growing their business. Today their Dundas Street shop employs over 30 employees and produces over 150 Polish products right here in Mississauga. And that is only a few of the delicatessens – I could go on about all the other wonderful Polish people, businesses, organizations and groups who have helped to make Mississauga the wonderfully diverse place it is today.

Better yet, why not come down to Mississauga Polish Day on Saturday, June 8 at Celebration Square and come see beautiful Polonia for yourself. Experience the culture, learn about the history and join the party! You can come see the Polish Heritage Centre in the Great Hall in the Civic Centre to learn more about Polish history in Mississauga over the past 50 years (and more). We hope to see you there!