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     Home > People > Oral History Projects > Italians Settle in Edmonton Project

     Italians Settle In Edmonton Oral History Project

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Raffaele Albi

Mr. and Mrs.
Enrico Butti

Mr. & Mrs.
Domenico Chiarello
(Nella Anselmo)

Gus & Assunta Dotto
(Emilia Raffin)

 Attilio & Stella Gatto

Gus Lavorato

Giovanni Paron

Louie Protti

Mr. & Mrs. Sartor

Sam Scrivano

Silvio Tona

Paolo Veltri

Italians Settle in EdmontonThe Italians Settle in Edmonton  project began in 1983 as a celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Santa Maria Goretti Parish.  As a result of this project it was revealed that the mosaics that exist at the Alberta Legislature, built circa 1912, were laid by an Italian mason.

It was not until 1951 that Italians began to make their presence felt in Edmonton. Italian workmen worked at the Imperial Oil Refinery and at Northwest Construction; Italian women worked for the Great Western Garment Company and other garment manufacturers.

In the mid 1960s, the Italian presence in Edmonton was significant enough to warrant a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism Research entitled:  Italian immigrants in Edmonton : adjustment and immigration.

In just over 50 years the Italian community has had an impact on Edmonton. First settling in the area around 95th and 97th streets, north of the railway, Italian-Canadians moved throughout the city, though there are still a number of Italian businesses concentrated in the area. In fact, it was this group of businesses and the Giovanni Caboto Society that spearheaded the renaming of Princess Patricia Park to Giovanni Caboto Park to acknowledge the existence of a Little Italy.

While the first generation of Italian-Canadians made their contributions in the various resource-based industries, the second generation have chosen to make their mark in the professions as teachers, doctors, lawyers, accountants and retailers. 

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