Parya Trillium Foundation

The photo above refers to category 1 (Contributions to Canada's multicultural society.)
 

The building photographed above is a Persian community centre location on John Street in Thornhill, aiming to provide recreational activities to meet the needs of Thornhill’s Greater Toronto Persian-speaking community.  Iranians are a relatively new community in Canada.  Immigration was very low until the 1979 Iranian revolution, when the monarchy was overthrown and the Islamic government rose to power.  Beginning in the 1980’s and 90’s, several thousand Iranians come to Canada each year, escaping political and religious persecution during the Iran-Iraq war, or because of the cultural and social repression imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.  The Payra Trillum Foundation was founded in 2000 by Mr. Ahmad Reza, frustrated that many older Persian immigrants have become isolated and completely withdrawn from society due to the lack of Persian-language activities and services.  Along with Mrs. Zarrin Mohyeddin and Dr. Fahimeh Mortazivi, they established the foundation to provide services and activities to the Iranian-Canadian community, particularly seniors.  Parya Trillium gives seniors from the Iranian-Canadian community an opportunity to participate in a community that they may otherwise feel detached from. This organization and facility is an excellent example of the many contributions to Canada’s multicultural and diverse society.