The Ehatare retirement home has been operating in the suburbs of Toronto for over 40 years since 1974. It provides a safe and caring home to many of the oldest members of the community, the website says.

"Because Estonians still want to be together and live together, we bring people who need help here," said Allan Meiusi, chair of the Estonian Relief Committee in Canada (ERC).

"We have 75 beds or apartments in the retirement home. Thirty are in the nursing home. We've been here since 1985," said Ehatare executive director Veronika Viinamäe.

Ehatare feels like a small family. The organizers ensure that elderly people of Estonian descent can spend their old age surrounded by the Estonian language and culture.

"We sing the songs our residents used to sing when they lived in Estonia, and we eat Estonian food here. Our cooks try to make what the residents ate when they were young in Estonia," Viinamäe said.

"This Estonian atmosphere here is very pleasant, the food is good, and we watch ETV all the time. There are old friends who pass through here and old friends who come and stay," said Ehatare resident Keto Soosaar.

For many Estonians at Ehatare, the journey to Canada began in 1944 when Russia retook Estonia from the Nazis. Keto Soosaar left his homeland after the USSR's bombing raids in March 1944.

"Our house was hit by only one bomb. It landed in the grand piano on the top floor and didn't explode. Ever since then, I've been very interested in music," Soosaar said.

Ehatare eases the longing for Estonia. Little pieces of home can be seen on every wall.

"We have a lot of things here that are 60 to 70 years old, but they simply bring joy to our residents," said Meiusi.

The love of expatriate Estonians for their homeland has not faded, even after decades. Thanks to this, the Estonian language is still spoken in the homes of second- and third-generation Estonians abroad.

"My language isn't especially good, but my late wife Reet, she was a language keeper, and the children had to speak it," said Soosaar.

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