Peter Paparizos

Image 6.1 Pictured: Peter and his friends in the restaurant where he worked after studying the fur trade. Peter is shown second from the right. Courtesy of the Paparizos Family, 2015.

Maintaining Ties to Heritage and Community

Peter returned to Toronto from Greece after learning the fur trade. However, his movement in Toronto continued as his own family began to grow. He and his wife Effie, a Greek-Canadian, had two children and left the Danforth area to live with Effie’s parents in Scarborough. Although Effie was born in Canada, her parents had immigrated to Toronto from the same Greek village as Peter.  Later, Peter and his family would move again to another neighbourhood in Scarborough.

In order for his children to maintain ties and support from the Greek community, Peter ensured that they attended school in the Danforth area and participated in various community events.

Peter succeeded in gaining Canadian citizenship, running a business and starting a family, all while maintaining a connection to his home country. Peter has returned to Greece on occasion to visit his relatives, but ultimately considers himself a Canadian, although a Greek one.