Toronto's Goan Fabric

The Greater Toronto Area encompasses the City of Toronto (itself an amalgamation of the former cities of Scarborough, North York, York, East York and Etobicoke) and Mississauga. However the GTA as it is known, extends over a wide swathe of residential neighborhoods that would take you 2 hours driving time at 120 kmph on the connecting Highway 401 from west to east, end to end.

The main body of Goans live in Scarborough, Mississauga and Markham, which is north of Toronto, although in the last few years they have inhabited the newer neighborhoods of Pickering and Ajax. Downtown Toronto has it's share of Goan yuppies (with no children) and retirees who have splurged on luxury lakeside condos from the generous proceeds of downsizing from large homes that eventually became empty nests with all their children gone. The population of the GTA is about 4 million souls of which Goans must be about 70 to 80 thousand. The Goan numbers are estimates.

Goan immigration to Toronto, indeed Canada, came from the following waves:
1. Bombay Goans who came in the 50s and 60s with Indian passports and were admitted into Canada without any visas due to Commonwealth status. They just bought an air ticket and immigrated.
2. Karachi Goans also in the same period who were getting disillusioned with the Islamic State and were suffering religious persecution.
3. East Africa Goans from the 70s. The first major number was in 1972 due to Idi Amin's Uganda Asian expulsion.
4. Arabian Gulf Goans from the late 80s. The first Gulf wave was from Bahrain.
5. Bombay Goans from the 90s

The Gulf and Bombay Goans continue to come in significant numbers.

As a population, Goans are well-settled and could be considered affluent relative to other communities. Although mainly from the middle, non-professional class (unlike the USA), they worked diligently and hard, bought homes and accumulated assets. The Goans from East Africa are the most well-off as they joined the Federal and Provincial Govt in large numbers (shades of East Africa) and eventually the Govt turned out to be the best employer. Good salaries and especially fat retirement pensions. A husband and wife couple who reached the 80 factor (50 years old + 30 years service) get a monthly pension of about $8,000 per month in total. This is a significant amount, considering that the mortgage has been paid off, the children studies completed and no major expenses to take care of.

The Bombay Goans have been the biggest achievers. They did not hesitate to re-qualify, a distinct mentality difference from the Gulf Goans whose main mantra seemed to be "I am too old to study, the brain cells have rusted". The BGs also did not hesitate to take low paying jobs and rose quickly through the ranks. A main Canadian feature which takes much getting used to is "start low and rise fast". Another is very few non-Canadian qualifications are given any importance and the third is the insistence on "Canadian experience". The new immigrant gets stumped with this. How can I get Canadian experience if you don't give me the first job they ask.

In the first year or two, the new Goan immigrant gets really disheartened. He has left his comfort zone, his life-long friends, his titled position and is forced to draw down on his savings which can disappear at an alarming rate. This is the Canadian test of fire. Most survive. Only to be faced with the Canadian winter, which he discovers is about a little less than half the year.

The weather is the subject of another chapter.