National Congress of Italian Canadians - Toronto District

06/15/2026

TRANSFORMATIONS: A Near Fatal Experience with Influenza

This is the story of Michele, Concetta, Laureano and Umberto Leone

You can read the story here and in the books, this and many others outlining the Italian Canadian Experience. These are our stories and should be shared.

https://www.transformationscanada.com/narrative/a-near-fatal-experience-with-influenza

06/09/2026

Lisa Malcolm, a second generation, career educator for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

On June 3rd at Villa Charities, Lisa shared with us her experiences in researching and co-writing her family narrative “The Bondi Experience: Building a New Life in Mount Forest, Ontario”.

Luigi Bondi with daughter Mary in Mount Forest circa 1915.

Lisa’s grandparents James and Clara Cardone at a family picnic in 1942. Luigi and Candida Bondi at their 65th wedding anniversary in 1969.

Luigi with granddaughter Pauline in 1948.
Nonno Luigi with granddaughters and great granddaughter in 1978.

06/09/2026

Last December, Italian cooking was awarded Special Cultural Heritage of Humanity status by the United Nation’s cultural agency UNESCO.

This is the first time an entire national cuisine has received this distinction.

The National Congress of Italian Canadians – Toronto District shares the launch Italian Heritage Month 2026.

As we proudly celebrate our ITALIANITÀ this year, let’s recognize and celebrate the great honour bestowed on Italian cuisine by the United Nations last December. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND!

In Canada, Italian cuisine has been much appreciated since Italians began immigrating to Canada during the 1880s. We have not been shy about sharing our cuisine with friends and neighbours. We were glad to help FILL their tummies and EDUCATE their pallets. We remained ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE and careful to avoid wasting good food and natural ingredients BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW TO LIVE.

As we proudly celebrate how our “peasant food” became a gourmet delicacy in Canada, and how Italian fashion and automobiles became the “state of the art”, let’s not forget that the most important things in life are never things!

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

The National Congress of Italian Canadians – National District was proud to participate as an exhibitor at the 2nd Annual Festa D'Italia Vaughan, showcasing the Transformations Canada Project – Volume 1 and Volume 2 publications.

It was a wonderful day filled with community spirit, reconnecting with many familiar faces, and sharing the inspiring stories that have been collected and preserved within these two volumes. These publications celebrate the journeys, contributions, and experiences of Italian Canadians across our country, ensuring that these important stories continue to be remembered for generations to come.

A sincere thank you to everyone who stopped by, supported the project, and helped make today such a success. Thank you Mayor Del Duca, & The City of Vaughan team, we are especially grateful to all the organizers, the volunteers, the performers and community partners whose dedication made this opportunity possible.

If you would like to purchase copies of Volume 1 and Volume 2 for yourself, your family, or as a meaningful gift for friends, please connect with us. Together, we can continue preserving and celebrating our Italian Canadian heritage.

06/06/2026

Michael A. Tibollo ECO MPP and Associate Attorney General, shares his story about his father and the family fig tree. More than one of us shares a story about a fig tree and especially a garden. View these stories in TRANSFORMATIONS. https://www.transformationscanada.com

06/05/2026

This is the story of Alfonso Loffreda and Family, one of the many that you will find in TRANSFORMATIONS: The Italian Canadian Experience.

Please see the link below for their incredible story.

https://www.transformationscanada.com/narrative/che-fico-what-a-fig

Figure 1: Alfonso Loffreda watches over his fig trees in his garden in Montreal, in 2023. Source: Courtesy of Sophia Loffreda.

06/05/2026

After founding Diversity Matters, to promote a more equitable and inclusive society, Dr. Gina Valle has lent her time and expertise to Villa Charities, Italian Canadians as Enemy Aliens, the Association of Italian Canadian Writers and TLN’s Invisible Voices. She was a Goggia Fellow at the Iacobucci Centre, is Editor of Echoes of Growing Up Italian, and 2015 Ordine al Merito recipient.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with us as we come together for a meaningful and empowering afternoon.

https://www.transformationscanada.com/

06/04/2026

On June 3rd, we came together to once again celebrate TRANSFORMATIONS: The Italian Canadian Experience. The evening was hosted by the lead author Angelo Bolotta. We had the privilege of hearing some of the first hand accounts as well. Italians are a proud people, we come from strength and our stories are important. This labour of love was done by few but is for the many who call themselves Italian Canadians. These are OUR stories and they should be recorded and passed on from generation to generation. While we have all heard such stories from our parents or grandparents, to have them all in a wonderful collection is a privilege. We cannot thank Angelo and his team enough.

Please check back as we share more content and we encourage you to visit the website.

https://www.transformationscanada.com/contact