Italian immigration and resilience in Calgary (1918–1950)
- May 29
- 4 min read
From postwar rebuilding and the Great Depression to wartime discrimination and the rise of Calgary’s Little Italy, this chapter explores how Italian immigrants helped shape the city through hard work, family, and resilience.
The First World War brought the first era of Italian immigration to an abrupt halt. Approximately 85 Italians from Calgary and surrounding areas enlisted in the Canadian war effort, returned to Europe, or shifted into war-related labour. When the war ended in 1918, Calgary — like much of the world — had changed dramatically.
With the arrival of Antonio Milano as an official representative of Italy in 1914, Calgary’s Italian community gained a formal voice. In 1915, Milano wrote a letter to the Mayor of Calgary addressing concerns regarding the treatment of Italian labourers in the city. Signed on behalf of “The Italian Club,” the letter called for fairness, mutual respect, and equal opportunity during a difficult period marked by war and uncertainty.
At the same time, returning soldiers brought with them the devastating Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918–1919. Hundreds of lives were lost in Calgary as businesses closed, public gatherings were restricted, and neighbourhoods struggled through months of disruption. Yet even during hardship, Calgary continued to rebuild and grow.
By the early 1920s, Calgary entered a new era of expansion. The streetcar system extended into communities such as Bridgeland, Hillhurst, and Centre Street North. Roads, sidewalks, power lines, and public infrastructure expanded rapidly as the city’s population climbed once again. Construction resumed across downtown Calgary, rail activity increased, and new opportunities began attracting immigrants from around the world.
This period marked the beginning of the second wave of Italian immigration to Calgary.
Unlike earlier arrivals, many of the Italians who came between 1918 and 1927 arrived through family sponsorship and community connections. Relatives and paesani already established in Calgary encouraged others to come west by describing steady employment and opportunity. Most immigrants arrived through eastern Canadian ports before travelling by train across the country to Alberta.
Employment remained physically demanding. Italians worked in railway maintenance, road construction, quarrying, brickmaking, and general labour. Many contributed directly to Calgary’s expanding infrastructure while others found employment with major organizations such as Burns Foods, Calgary Brewery, the Palliser Hotel, and the City of Calgary itself. Over time, many Italians also became successful entrepreneurs, contractors, and tradesmen.
Italian workers became particularly respected for their masonry and stonework skills.
As the community stabilized, neighbourhoods such as Bridgeland, Riverside, Sunnyside, and Hillhurst became important centres of Italian life. Boarding houses gradually gave way to family homes. Vegetable gardens reflected Old World traditions adapted to prairie soil, while churches, schools, and social organizations helped preserve Italian language and customs.
The first generation of Canadian-born Italian children grew up balancing two cultures. They learned English quickly while continuing to speak Italian at home. Friendships formed through local schools, sports teams, choirs, and church activities often lasted generations and, in many cases, united families through marriage.
In 1929, the Great Depression brought new hardship to Calgary and severely limited employment opportunities across Canada. Immigration restrictions tightened, construction slowed, and many Italian families struggled with unstable wages and unemployment. Yet the community responded with resilience. Families shared food, housing, and work opportunities while neighbours supported one another through difficult years.
During the Depression, Calgary launched major public works projects to reduce unemployment, including road construction, sewer improvements, and the building of the Glenmore Reservoir and Dam. These projects provided desperately needed employment for many labourers, including members of Calgary’s Italian community.
In 1927, the Italian government under Benito Mussolini imposed stricter controls on emigration, significantly reducing the number of Italians permitted to leave the country. Immigration slowed dramatically and would soon stop entirely with the outbreak of the Second World War.
When war erupted in 1939, Italian immigration to Canada came to a halt. Italians in Canada were classified as “enemy aliens,” creating fear and uncertainty within communities across the country. In Calgary, experiences varied. Some families continued daily life quietly within established neighbourhoods, while others faced suspicion, discrimination, and increased scrutiny from authorities.
Despite these challenges, Calgary’s Italian community continued contributing to the war effort. Community organizations supported Red Cross fundraising campaigns, blood drives, war bonds, and civilian relief efforts. Many Italian men from Calgary and surrounding areas enlisted in the Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force, serving alongside other Canadians despite widespread prejudice.
In 1940, the Canadian government ordered Italian associations and clubs across the country to disband. Calgary’s Italo-Canadian Society, which had played a central role in community life, was dissolved. As a result, many families became more cautious and kept cultural traditions within the privacy of their homes.
Across Canada, approximately 31,000 Italians were labelled as “enemy aliens” under the War Measures Act. Hundreds of Italian-Canadian men were interned in camps between 1940 and 1943 due to alleged fascist connections. In Alberta, the number of internees remained relatively small, though surveillance, fingerprinting, and mandatory registration affected many Italian families.
Even in Calgary, discrimination surfaced in workplaces and public life. Italian workers were temporarily dismissed from city departments, while others faced hostility, insults, and suspicion simply because of their heritage.
Yet despite these experiences, the community endured.
After the Second World War, beginning in 1949, a third major wave of Italian immigration arrived in Calgary. Family sponsorship programs and relaxed immigration policies allowed thousands of Italians to settle in the city over the following decades.
Many settled in Bridgeland and nearby neighbourhoods northeast of downtown, helping shape what became known as Calgary’s Little Italy. Italian grocery stores, restaurants, construction companies, trades, churches, and social clubs became deeply woven into the city’s identity and economic growth.
Over time, what had once marked Italians as outsiders gradually became a celebrated part of Calgary’s cultural identity. Italian food, traditions, language, and heritage became embraced throughout the city, reflecting the lasting influence of generations of immigrants who helped build Calgary through resilience, hard work, and strong family values.
From the earliest labourers and railway workers to the families and entrepreneurs who followed, Calgary’s Italian community left a lasting legacy — one built not only through infrastructure and business, but through enduring friendships, traditions, faith, and community spirit passed down across generations.