There are about 90,000 people of Danish origin in Canada. They are
found in all walks of life, and in all of Canada's ten provinces and two
territories. However, they are mainly concentrated in Ontario, Alberta
and British Columbia.
There have been three major waves of Danish immigration to Canada:
- from the late 1880s to 1914;
- in the 1920s; and
- again in the 1950s and Sixties.
New Denmark, the oldest Danish settlement in Canada, was founded in New
Brunswick in 1872. Situated southeast of Grand Falls, New Denmark is
an agricultural area, well-know for its potatoes.
In 1893, some forty butchers and sausagemakers settled in London,
Ontario. And in 1897 a group of Danes started a Danish colony at Cape
Scott on Vancouver Island.
The first Danish settlement on the Canadian Prairies was founded in
Dickson, Alberta, in 1903. Some years later, settlements
were established at Standard and Dalum, both in Alberta. Other
Danish settlements were founded in the 1920s at Pass Lake, Ontario;
Ostenfeld, Manitoba; Wallace, Nova Scotia; Redvers, Saskatchewan;
Alida, Saskatchewan; and at Tilley, Alberta.
The Danes have formed social clubs, built churches and published
newspapers. And Danes have made significant contributions to Canada in
many fields, particularly the dairy industry, nurseries, the
cooperative movement and gymnastics. And Danes were among the first to
build homes for senior citizens.