Air Travel: Immigration Event and Union Station

air travel: In the days before commercial air travel became popular and accessible to the masses, the Beaux-Arts architectural features in The Great Hall would form the first impression many newcomers would have of their new home, according to NOW Magazine. While Union's role as a welcoming place for each new wave of Torontonians has remained steady since its opening in 1927, there was one particularly unique immigration event that helped bring a national focus towards this historic railway station. For nearly a century, Union Station has played a significant role as a gateway to Toronto and Canada. During the Second World War, thousands of Canadian soldiers stationed abroad met and married women from countries like England, Scotland, Belgium, France and others. To help facilitate the newcomers as they arrived in Toronto, the Canadian Red Cross set up a war bride reception centre inside Union Station. While these marriages were not officially encouraged by the military, the federal government committed to patriating the women and any children through the Canadian Wives' Bureau between 1942 and 1948. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.