Collection search - Ketola, Niilo - Interview

EKLUND, William

1986-0173

Sound

1 of 1

1979-03-12

Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society

interviewer, Raili Nieminen

Multicultural History Society of Ontario

Interview of Niilo Ketola by Raili Nieminen for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario about Finnish Canadians. Niilo Ketola was born in Vaasa district, Vimpeli, Finland on May 27, 1905. He says he came to Canada on May 16, 1923 by a ship called “Baltic” (Kasandra). He landed at Quebec, and travelled by train to Port Arthur. He lived in South Porcupine and Timmins for 16 years, and worked in mines there for 14 years. He worked as a carpenter, worked in bushcamps, and worked in mines in Sudbury. He belonged to the Finnish Organization of Canada (FOC) in South Porcupine and Port Arthur for 50 years. In 1963, he bought a hotel and ran it for 5.5 years. He was a member of the One Big Union (OBU) for 6 months, and was a member of the Lumber Workers Industrial Union (LWIU) while working as a carpenter. He took part in 5 strikes, one of which was unsuccessful, and was a Co-op member of Port Arthur. <45mn>

Finnish

Open

MSS 20096

Under copyright.

Copyright owner: Multicultural History Society of Ontario, 1979.

with written permission of copyright ownercopyright owner : Multicultural History Society of Ontario