Cultural diversity and sustainable practice to come together in the KESKUS International Estonian Centre
Enriching the experience of visitors to the KESKUS International Estonian Centre, the green roof will cap the Estonian Arts Centre's vision to create an architecturally significant, cultural landmark. Reducing stormwater run-off, passively cooling the building and providing additional green space, the more than 8,000-square-foot rooftop garden and terrace will be a unique, beautiful and functional feature of the facility. The investment will support its construction, including installing irrigation, stormwater management systems, walkways, and lighting.
KESKUS will be a hub for people of all generations to connect, celebrate, and share Estonian culture and achievements. As a symbol of its interconnected relationship to the residents of Toronto, the green roof will be planted with trees and plantings that are native to both southern Ontario and Estonia.
Quotes
"As MP for University—Rosedale, I am proud that Toronto is home to people from all over the world, whose cultures, experiences and ideas make our city one of the greatest places to live in the world. KESKUS will be a place to celebrate the past contributions and achievements of Estonians around the world, while contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive future for everyone. I am grateful to the Estonian-Canadian community for choosing to make Canada their home and for the cultural wealth they bring to our country. As a Ukrainian-Canadian I am also grateful to Estonian-Canadians for their resolute support for Ukraine as it fights Vladimir Putin's criminal invasion and stands up for democracy and the rules-based international order."
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade and Member of Parliament for University—Rosedale, on behalf of the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
"The scale and ambition of this green roof make it a standout feature of KESKUS, and thanks to the support of the Natural Infrastructure Fund, we're proud that we will deliver a space that will benefit the building, the community, and the environment for generations to come. This investment isn't just about construction—it's about legacy."
, Board Chair, Estonian Arts Centre
Quick Facts
The federal government is investing $1 million in the construction of the green roof through the Natural Infrastructure Fund (NIF) and the Estonian Arts Centre is contributing $686,300.
In 2023, the federal government also announced its contribution of $750,000 through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) for below-grade construction of KESKUS.
Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has committed €1,371,808 (about CAD$2.15 million) to support the completion of the multifunctional large hall at KESKUS.
The Natural Infrastructure Fund supports projects that use natural or hybrid approaches to increase resilience to climate change, mitigate carbon emissions, protect and preserve biodiversity and wildlife habitats, and promote Canadians' access to nature.
Examples of natural infrastructure include urban forests, street trees, wetlands, living dikes, bioswales, and naturalized coastal restoration.
Hybrid infrastructure incorporates elements of engineered grey infrastructure to enhance or support natural infrastructure and/or the use of ecosystem processes. Examples of hybrid infrastructure include green roofs and walls, and naturalized stormwater ponds.
A minimum of 10% of the overall Natural Infrastructure Fund envelope will be allocated to Indigenous-led projects.
Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html
Housing and Infrastructure Project Map
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html
Follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
Follow us on social: Facebook, Instagram, X
Web: www.estoniancentre.ca
SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
31 minutes ago
- CBC
Trump warns Russia of ‘severe consequences' if war doesn't end
U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia would face 'very severe consequences' if it doesn't move toward peace with Ukraine, but some wonder if Trump will follow through on his tough talk when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week.
Winnipeg Free Press
38 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump's friendly-to-frustrated relationship with Putin takes the spotlight at the Alaska summit
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday could be a decisive moment for both the war in Ukraine and the U.S. leader's anomalous relationship with his Russian counterpart. Trump has long boasted that he's gotten along well with Putin and spoken admiringly of him, even praising him as 'pretty smart' for invading Ukraine. But in recent months, he's expressed frustrations with Putin and threatened more sanctions on his country. At the same time, Trump has offered conflicting messages about his expectations for the summit. He has called it 'really a feel-out meeting' to gauge Putin's openness to a ceasefire but also warned of 'very severe consequences' if Putin doesn't agree to end the war. For Putin, Friday's meeting is a chance to repair his relationship with Trump and unlace the West's isolation of his country following its invasion of Ukraine 3 1/2 years ago. He's been open about his desire to rebuild U.S.-Russia relations now that Trump is back in the White House. The White House has dismissed any suggestion that Trump's agreeing to sit down with Putin is a win for the Russian leader. But critics have suggested that the meeting gives Putin an opportunity to get in Trump's ear to the detriment of Ukraine, whose leader was excluded from the summit. 'I think this is a colossal mistake. You don't need to invite Putin onto U.S. soil to hear what we already know he wants,' said Ian Kelly, a retired career foreign service officer who served as the U.S. ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administrations. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Russia hawk and close ally of Trump's, expressed optimism for the summit. 'I have every confidence in the world that the President is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he's going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably,' Graham wrote on social media. A look back at the ups and downs of Trump and Putin's relationship: Russia questions during the 2016 campaign Months before he was first elected president, Trump cast doubt on findings from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russian government hackers had stolen emails from Democrats, including his opponent Hillary Clinton, and released them in an effort to hurt her campaign and boost Trump's. In one 2016 appearance, he shockingly called on Russian hackers to find emails that Clinton had reportedly deleted. 'Russia, if you're listening,' Trump said, 'I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.' Questions about his connections to Russia dogged much of his first term, touching off investigations by the Justice Department and Congress and leading to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who secured multiple convictions against Trump aides and allies but did not establish proof of a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign. These days, Trump describes the Russia investigation as an affinity he and Putin shared. 'Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,' Trump said earlier this year. 'He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia, ever hear of that deal?' Putin in 2019 mocked the investigation and its ultimate findings, saying, 'A mountain gave birth to a mouse.' 'He just said it's not Russia' Trump met with Putin six times during his first term, including a 2018 summit in Helsinki, when Trump stunned the world by appearing to side with an American adversary on the question of whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election. 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said. 'He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.' Facing intense blowback, Trump tried to walk back the comment a full 24 hours later. But he raised doubt on that reversal by saying other countries could have also interfered. Putin referred to Helsinki summit as 'the beginning of the path' back from Western efforts to isolate Russia. He also made clear that he had wanted Trump to win in 2016. 'Yes, I wanted him to win because he spoke of normalization of Russian-U.S. ties,' Putin said. 'Isn't it natural to feel sympathy to a person who wanted to develop relations with our country?' Trump calls Putin 'pretty smart' after invasion of Ukraine The two leaders kept up their friendly relationship after Trump left the White House under protest in 2021. After Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, Trump described the Russian leader in positive terms. 'I mean, he's taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I'd say that's pretty smart,' Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago resort. In a radio interview that week, he suggested that Putin was going into Ukraine to 'be a peacekeeper.' Trump repeatedly said the invasion of Ukraine would never have happened if he had been in the White House — a claim Putin endorsed while lending his support to Trump's false claims of election fraud. 'I couldn't disagree with him that if he had been president, if they hadn't stolen victory from him in 2020, the crisis that emerged in Ukraine in 2022 could have been avoided,' he said. Trump also repeatedly boasted that he could have the fighting 'settled' within 24 hours. Through much of his campaign, Trump criticized U.S. support for Ukraine and derided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a 'salesman' for persuading Washington to provide weapons and funding to his country. Revisiting the relationship Once he became president, Trump stopped claiming he'd solve the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. In March, he said he was 'being a little bit sarcastic' when he said that. Since the early days of Trump's second term, Putin has pushed for a summit while trying to pivot from the Ukrainian conflict by emphasizing the prospect of launching joint U.S.-Russian economic projects, among other issues. 'We'd better meet and have a calm conversation on all issues of interest to both the United States and Russia based on today's realities,' Putin said in January. In February, things looked favorable for Putin when Trump had a blowup with Zelenskyy at the White House, berating him as 'disrespectful.' In late March, Trump still spoke of trusting Putin when it came to hopes for a ceasefire, saying, 'I don't think he's going to go back on his word.' But a month later, as Russian strikes escalated, Trump posted a public and personal plea on his social media account: 'Vladimir, STOP!' He began voicing more frustration with the Russian leader, saying he was 'Just tapping me along.' In May, he wrote on social media that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Earlier this month, Trump ordered the repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines 'based on the highly provocative statements' of the country's former president, Dmitry Medvedev. Trump's vocal protests about Putin have tempered somewhat since he announced their meeting, but so have his predictions for what he might accomplish. Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump described their upcoming summit not as the occasion in which he'd finally get the conflict 'settled' but instead as 'really a feel-out meeting, a little bit.' 'I think it'll be good,' Trump said. 'But it might be bad.' ___ Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Conservatives aiming to amend Criminal Code so immigration status won't be a factor in sentencing
Article content The Crown sought a 90-day jail sentence. Ontario Court judge Paul O'Marra wrote that a criminal record would likely prevent the offender from sponsoring his wife to also become a permanent resident, as well as delay the offender's eligibility for Canadian citizenship and jeopardize his ability to become a licensed engineer. Article content O'Marra concluded that 'a custodial sentence would be unduly harsh' and instead handed down a conditional discharge with 12 months of probation, which included three months of house arrest. In establishing the basis for his reasoning, he wrote: 'The Pham decision stands for the principle that collateral consequences, while not determinative, can justify a lower sentence within the legal range to avoid disproportionate hardship,' Article content In an Alberta case cited by Rempel Garner, a man in Canada on a visitor's permit was accused of groping an 18-year-old woman in a nightclub twice. The judge ruled that 'in consideration of the devastating collateral immigration consequences to recording a conviction, I conclude that the appropriate sentence for Mr. Singh is a conditional discharge with a probation order of maximum duration, 3 years.' Article content Article content Rempel Garner insists that when 'it comes to sentencing non-citizens, Canada has essentially adopted a system of two-tier justice where judges can and have given lighter sentences to individuals who are non-citizens.' Article content The Conservatives are proposing a bill that would prohibit immigration discounts in sentencing. Great news! Courts have been more lenient on non-citizens since 2013, at times going light on sex offenders to help them remain in Canada. That can change if Parliament wills it. — Jamie Sarkonak (@sarkonakj) August 13, 2025 Article content Article content Rempel Garner said the Conservatives intend to introduce legislation to amend the Criminal Code. 'Our bill will add a section after Section 718.202 … which will expressly outline that any potential impact of a sentence on the immigration status of a convicted non-citizen offender, or … their family members, should not be taken into consideration by a judge when issuing a sentence.' Article content Acknowledging that the vast majority of immigrants and temporary residents in Canada abide by the law, she said 'removing non-citizens convicted of serious crimes is a no-brainer. Conservatives will always fight to protect Canadians, the value of our citizenship and the safety of every person who lives here. Becoming a Canadian is a privilege, not a right.'
