German Pioneers Day

A Bill introduced to the Ontario Legislative Assembly by PC MPP Wayne Wettlaufer (Kitchener Centre) in 1999 passed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reading and by receiving Royal Assent on 23 June, 2000 was proclaimed into law. Thus "German Pioneers Day"  is celebrated annually on the day after Thanksgiving at Kitchener's City Hall, beginning in 2000.

In March 2001 the German Embassy Publication "Perspectives" (Vol 8 No 1) published an article written by Alid� Kohlhaas, Canadian Journalist, Author, and Critic, covering the background of German Pioneers Day based on an interview with MPP Wayne Wettlaufer. This article and interview describes the background and history leading to German Pioneers Day so well, we requested and received permission to reproduce the article. (Ms. Kohlhaas maintains a website under the name of CamKohl Art Productions, which can be found under Lancette, Journal of the Arts).

Links to photos and reviews of the annual German Pioneers Day celebrations can be found at the bottom of this page.

Perspectives (Vol 8 No 1 March 2001, (reproduced with permission from the author)

 

Ontario Proclaims German Pioneers Day

 

Photo: Alid� Kohlhaas   Wayne Wettlaufer, a third generation Canadian, said he has always taken great pride in his German heritage.

Legislature gives Kitchener

MPP's bill unanimous consent

By Alid� Kohlhaas

 TORONTO 

Ontario is the first province to officially recognize the contribution Canadians of German ancestry have made to the province by proclaiming "the day following Thanksgiving Day in each year" German Pioneers' Day. 

Wayne Wettlaufer, MPP for Kitchener Centre since 1995, sponsored Bill 28, which received Royal Assent. By the time his private members' bill received second reading, all three parties in the Ontario legislature had thrown their support behind it.        

Mr. Wettlaufer chose the date for the celebration of German Pioneers' Day.

 "It falls right in the middle of Oktoberfest," he explained. "Over 100,000 people come from outside the Kitchener-Waterloo area during Oktoberfest. They could take part in the ceremony. That way it receives recognition not just in Kitchener." 

But looking ahead, he hopes that other towns and cities in Ontario will eventually also celebrate the day. German Pioneers' Day this year (2001) is Oct. 9. 

Mr. Wettlaufer, 57, is a third-generation Canadian. His great-grandfather moved to the Kitchener area from Pennsylvania where he had emigrated from Alsfeld, Hesse. 

"I have always taken great pride in my German heritage," said Mr. Wettlaufer. "I did a lot of research to justify this bill to recognize German pioneers." Some of that included overcoming "minor resistance in the opposition parties" by sitting down with individual members and explaining the history of German emigration to Canada and the contributions the new settlers made to Ontario. 

The emigration of settlers of German origin to Canada "was nothing short of phenomenal," he said. "In the 1820s, people of German origin in Ontario made up 70 per cent of the population." 

An influx of Irish, Scottish and large waves of English immigrants later reduced this percentage. He said that Germans quickly assimilated into the general population. To this day, however, Canadians of German origin are still the third-largest ethnic group in Ontario. He also said that 20 per cent of the population in the Kitchener-Waterloo area still speaks German at home. 

Loyalist German immigrants settled large parts of Ontario outside the Kitchener-Waterloo area after the American Revolutionary War, and the decade that followed. 

"They came first into eastern Ontario with the Hessian soldiers. Then they appeared in southwestern Ontario. Many settled in the Niagara area, in the Tavistock and Woodstock areas. They also went to Lake Huron settlements. A branch of my family went into the Kincardine area where they had a store." 

In all, there were seven waves of German emigration to Canada, three of them major. About 30,000 Hessian troops fought for the British Crown during the Revolutionary War and an estimated 10,000 of them settled in Canada, most of them in Ontario. Their number cannot be confirmed, however, because Lt. Governor Peter Hunter struck them from the list of United Empire Loyalists in 1799 for lack of British origin. 

Mr. Wettlaufer said Ontario's early history clearly shows its German connection. 

By Royal Proclamation on July 24, 1788, King George III divided Upper Canada into the districts of Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau, and Hesse. Germans brought the Christmas tree, the Easter bunny and Easter eggs to Canada; their descendants included Ontario Hydro's founder, Sir Adam Beck; several members of the Berczy family, who are intimately associated with the founding and naming of Toronto and Markham, and the building of Yonge Street.

Among the household names today are those of piano manufacturer Theodor Heintzmann; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir founder Augustus Vogt, Fathers of Confederation William Steeves and Sir Charles Tupper (Canada's sixth prime minister); and more recently, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, and Governor General Ed Schreyer.

Links to Annual Celebrations

These links document the Proclamation of Mr. Wettlaufer's Private Members Bill (Bill 28) into law and report on Kitchener's annual celebrations, which honour German Pioneers through Pageants, Song, Prose, and Speeches. Awards are presented to descendants of the Pioneers.

Please click on the Headings below to follow the documentation by topic or date.

German Pioneers Day 2002                Bill 28 Proclamation

German Pioneers Day 2001

German Pioneers Day 2000