Finnish Labour Temple

The Finnish Labour Temple was born out of optimism and the belief that the world could be made more equitable for all by empowering workers, newcomers, women, and children. A cooperative project of the Finnish Workers’ League Imatra and Uusi Yritys (New Attempt) Temperance Society, construction began in 1908 and in 1910, the Finnish Labour Temple opened its doors at 314 Bay Street. For the first half of its existence, the Finnish Labour Temple was firmly tied to the revolutionary Left. The Työkansa socialist newspaper, which published between 1907-1915, moved into the Labour Temple building upon its completion. The Hoito (“hoito” means care in Finnish) was founded with $5 loans from members, as a not-for-profit restaurant to serve low-cost, home-style Finnish meals to hungry workers. Operating from 1918 to 2020, the Hoito became a favourite of the broader Thunder Bay community.

As the socialist Finnish immigrant community searched for its place within the burgeoning landscape of revolutionary politics in Canada, the Finnish Labour Temple community moved through affiliations with the Socialist Party of Canada, the Social Democratic Party of Canada, and the One Big Union – all within the first decade. By 1919, tensions grew between direct-action syndicalists and those moving ideologically toward what would become the Communist Party of Canada. The syndicalists affiliating with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) gained control of the “Big Finn Hall,” while the Communists moved next door to 316 Bay Street to found the “Little Finn Hall.” The Finnish Labour Temple of the Wobbly Finns slowly transitioned into the Finlandia Club of Port Arthur in the 1960s, with a new wave of more conservative Finnish immigrants. The Club continued to evolve, becoming the Finlandia Association to usher in a much-needed restoration and renovation project in the early 2000s.

The Finlandia Association of Thunder Bay functioned as an active community organization and managed the restaurant and unique event venue. However, it had become burdened by significant financial difficulties. The Association’s debts were largely the result of completing the renovation of the building in 2010-2013 that was meant to serve the Labour Temple well into its next century. In May 2020, two months after COVID-19 had closed the Association’s Hoito Restaurant, the burden was finally too great and the organization was forced to dissolve and liquidate its assets. The September 25th announcement of the Finnish Labour Temple’s purchase by a real estate agent based in Barrie, Ontario. With building gutted of its historic interior, it was redeveloped to serve as “luxury” condos. However, on the night of December 22, 2021, with renovations underway, the building was completely destroyed by fire.

Generations of Thunder Bay area folks have memories of the bustle of the “haali.” In its first decades, the Big Finn Hall was an incomparable hub of cultural and political activities, including: political lectures, debates, and discussion groups, dances, theatre, orchestras, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, children’s socialist Sunday schools, women’s sewing circles, English language lessons, an exceptionally well-stocked reading room, and always a warm cup of coffee. There, the community ate together, everyone able chipping in, children played and when the adult talk or dancing went late into the evening, the young ones were put to sleep on a bed of coats in the cloakroom. When the community fell on hard times, the Hall sheltered homeless striking workers.

For further reflections on the loss of the community hall, see: “On Grieving the Finnish Labour Temple and the Promise of the Community Hall” by Samira Saramo, Active History (2020)