Immigration To Canada In Early Twentieth Century

[Ian Cowan]

Sorry if this appears to be a lazy request, but I have n=been unable to find answers anywhere online.

My grandfather, a carpenter, emigrated from Scotland to Toronto around about 1912 to work at the Kodak factory. I know that the Canadian government were actively recruiting for immigrants at that time. Does anyone know if Kodak was part of this drive, or did they recruit independently.

I also understand that if men were actively recruited their passage was free or heavily subsidised. If there was no subsidy, what was the fare likely to have been.

Many thanks.

Ian

[manawakian]

This site has info re steamship fares to USA, looks like steerage fare was about 50 US dollars in 1912.
http://www.gjenvick.com/Immigration/ImmigrantTickets/1912-08-10-ThirdClass-Receipt.html#axzz4enCEkPwR

The Canadian immigration schemes were aimed at getting farm labor and or domestic servants to come to Canada and were sponsored by provincial governments rather than the federal government.  If you can find the ship's passenger manifest for your grandfather's trip you should find clues as to whether his fare was subsidized.  You might try searching Scottish newspapers from 1912 to see if Kodak was advertising for help.

[daretodiscover]

https://library.ryerson.ca/asc/2015/01/kodak-in-toronto-1899-2005-a-century-of-traces/

[Ian Cowan]

Thanks to both posters - Ian

[JDC]

Hi Ian,

He is shown in uniform in the pic. Was he recruited into the CEF for WW1? You can check at the Canadian National Archived if you haven't already :-)

JDC

[Ian Cowan]

Hi JDC - I have already examined his service records. Volunteered in 1916, called up in 1917 and served as a sapper in England and France until returning to Toronto in 1919. After various family tragedies he returned to Scotland in 1921. Thanks for your interest.