The contributions of Finnish immigrants to Canada — economically and culturally — are especially well known in Sault Ste. Marie and across northern Ontario.
As the daughter of Finnish immigrants who came to Canada in the 1950s, the Sault’s Shirley Mantyla plays a special role in keeping Canada’s ties to Finland alive and assisting with the needs of Finnish immigrants, their children and grandchildren.
The retiree and married mother of two serves as Honorary Consul of Finland in Sault Ste. Marie.
There are several honorary consuls for Finland across Canada.
Though not an official ambassador for Finland — that job is centred in Ottawa — Mantyla stays busy in her role.
"We’re volunteers so we don't get any pay for the work that we do but we are a connection for the Finnish community or anyone else who has inquiries regarding Finland and business and trade with Finland,” Mantyla told SooToday.
“In a lot of cases I get inquiries throughout the year from people about getting inheritances from Finland. When a person passes away in Finland every blood relative has the ability to view the will or contest it if they want but they need to provide proof of identity. So I get a lot of requests for that and applications for pensions.”
The Finnish embassy in Canada does the work in regard to applications or renewals of Finnish passports.
Assisting with paperwork for pensions and wills are the formal side of Mantyla’s work.
The fun side comes through attending Finnish community events among the Sault’s Finnish population.
“With the aging population, and because we don't have many Finnish people immigrating to Canada now, most of the events are held at the Ontario Finnish Resthome. The Sault Ste Marie Museum is having a Finnish social on the afternoon of Sept. 25,” Mantyla said.
Mantyla attends the raising of the Finnish flag at the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre to mark Finnish Independence Day — celebrating the country’s Declaration of Independence from Russia in 1917 — on Dec. 6 of each year.
“It gets cold Dec. 6 at city hall,” Mantyla chuckled.
She’s proud of Finland’s fiercely independent spirit and accomplishments.
“Finnish people had to be strong and they had to fight against the Russians (in the Winter War of 1939-40) and even though they had to cede some land they are proud and mighty for the size of their country, proud about the progress of the country in technology and health care and education.”
On this side of the Atlantic, apart from the hard work performed by Finnish skilled tradespeople and labourers in building the Sault’s economy, the cultural contribution — such as that of the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club at the Hiawatha Highlands — is highly significant.
“Finns are quiet. They're not rambunctious but everyone knows what a sauna is. That’s one of the things Finns have brought over and of course there’s pulla bread,” Mantyla said.
Mantyla became Honorary Consul of Finland in Sault Ste. Marie in 2019 upon the retirement of Raimo Viitala from the role.
“There were requests for people to submit letters of interest to the embassy in Ottawa. I applied. The embassy interviewed people and I was selected as the successful candidate. I felt quite honoured and proud to continue the work of the Finnish honorary consul here in Sault Ste. Marie,” Mantyla said.
“I feel good and I feel proud that I can help people with their questions about citizenship or pensions and have a connection between these people and with the embassy in Ottawa. Also, when I do their affidavit, I have to get a bit of their background information and personal information so I really get to hear their stories. And, being an honorary consul, I meet with the embassy and the trade people. I'm interested in hearing the news of what's happening in Finland politically and with trade and get to speak Finnish.”
Born and raised in Sudbury, Mantyla graduated from Sault College’s architectural drafting technician program and moved back to Sudbury to work for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
She later lived and worked in Toronto with her husband before the couple moved back to the Sault in 1988.
This community has been home for Mantyla and her family ever since.
“We love the Hiawatha area for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking. We enjoy the Sault," Mantyla said. "It's just a wonderful place for nature."