The Beginning
The Latvian National Federation in Canada (Latviešu Nacionālā Apvienība Kanādā) acquired its present name in 1950, but the real work began in September 1948. The organization initially began its life as the Canadian Latvian National Federation (Kanādas Latviešu Nacionālā Apvienība). This was the moment in time when the first cohort of Displaced Person labourers completed their mandated one-year contracts and were free to leave their government-mandated work sites and move on to better employment opportunities. They were also free to sponsor family members to come to Canada, although that was often financially challenging. Most earned on average $0.80–1.00 per hour, and passage across the ocean cost several hundred dollars. Later church groups, the Government of Canada, and the International Refugee Organization financially supported passage for family members. Workers were also invited to contribute one hour of wages per month to support refugee aid.
There was an urgent need to pull together and an acute awareness of the plight of those still subsisting in dire conditions in European refugee camps. The organization also actively lobbied the Canadian government to accept more Latvian DPs, older individuals, war veterans, and those with disabilities and illnesses. There was also a need to assist fellow Latvians in dealing with unscrupulous employers and provide translation services. There was even a serious effort to establish an insurance fund for Latvians. In addition to the challenges of daily living, community members also felt a strong commitment to continue the fight for Latvian independence and to survive as a nation in exile.
As people moved to urban areas, a variety of community organizations and publications rapidly sprang up to serve the growing community. First among them was the Imanta Latvian Society, founded in Edmonton by Konrāds Dobelis and the Latvian Relief Association, founded by Mariss Vētra and Teodors Brilts in Halifax. Both were founded in 1947 by individuals who were not Displaced Persons but felt a keen responsibility to do everything they could to help.
It was an outstanding and generous collaboration between two very different communities.
Konrāds Dobelis (Conrad Dobell) was Latvian by birth but had immigrated to Canada in 1927. He was known as a veclatvietis literally "an old Latvian," the term used for those who had immigrated to Canada before World War II or a veckanādietis (old Canadian) in Latvian. He had received an engineering degree from the University of Latvia but operated a successful painting business in Edmonton.
Dobelis spent 1945 and 1946 with the Control Commission Germany (CCG), which governed the British zone of occupation in Germany. There he saw first-hand what life was like in the DP camps. Upon his return, he threw himself into helping the Latvian newcomers adjust to life in Canada. He was known for his relentless work ethic and enthusiastic support. Of all the "old Latvians," he is said to have best understood the new arrivals. He was known for investing tremendous physical effort, money, and sleepless nights.
From 1947 on, his home served as a community hub for arriving labourers and local Latvians. His home also housed a newspaper (Brīvais Latvietis) that he published, the Imanta Society of Edmonton, and a Latvian shop that sold books, Latvian jewellery, folk costumes, and other items.
Before the war, Mariss Vētra had been a star of the Latvian and European opera stage. In 1944, He escaped Latvia in a fishing boat with his wife and two young sons. In Sweden, he was relegated to menial work, but he sought opportunities through pre-war friends and acquaintances. It was his good fortune that the Halifax Conservatory of Music was looking to found a new opera class and decided to hire him.
Vētra and his family arrived in Halifax in January 1947 with an offer of employment in his field of expertise. It was a rare opportunity.
See the Halifax page for more details.
Mariss Vētra was a high-energy, charismatic individual who embraced both his new homeland and fellow Latvians with equal care and empathy. He became a beloved teacher at the Halifax Conservatory and was responsible for staging the first opera presented in Canada with Canadian-born singers to celebrate Halifax's 200th anniversary in 1949.
Even though he was fully occupied with a demanding full-time job, Vētra also undertook the role of aid worker. As ships carrying Latvian Displaced Persons began arriving in mid-1947, Vētra met each ship himself personally, while Brilts took on the work of compiling a register of all arriving Latvians.
On January 1, 1947, the British and American zones of occupation were amalgamated, and many staff members were released from their duties. Dobelis also returned to Canada from his post in early 1947. It is entirely possible that Vētra met Dobelis on the dock in Halifax when he disembarked upon his return in Halifax Harbour. Otherwise, how could Vētra have come to know of Dobelis, who resided in Edmonton and that he would be interested in assisting Latvian DPs as they headed to Alberta and further north to fulfill their labour contracts. How else could these two individuals have come to the idea of working together to found a central organization for the Latvian community together?