37.405069, 13.734954

I am 4th generation Italian Canadian on my father’s side.  My father’s grandparents on both maternal and paternal sides immigrated to Canada via New York from a villiage in Racalmuto, Sicily, Italy. This part of my family were hard-working farmers, or blue collar steelworkers. Our Italian heritage was a very strong presence in my childhood. Much of my family is located in Hamilton, Ontario, which has a strong Italian Canadian presence.  It was difficult moving to Vancouver, and feeling a very different and less evident Italian presence.

My mother’s side is a mix of French, English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish, however her father was adopted, so much of this we only learned through her Ancestry.com DNA results. We believe her family history has been situated in Canada for many generations and is linked to the St. Lawrence French settlers.