Taiwanese Canadian Association of Toronto
| Abbreviation | TCAT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1963 |
| Type | Non-Governmental |
| Legal status | Non-Profit |
| Purpose | Social, Cultural |
| Headquarters | Toronto, ON, Canada |
Official language | English, Taiwanese, Mandarin, Hakka |
Staff | 24 |
| Website | tcatoronto |
Taiwanese Canadian Association of Toronto (TCAT), the largest general-purpose all-ages Taiwanese organization in the Greater Toronto Area, was established back in 1963 and later registered as an non-profit organization in the Province of Ontario in 1975.
The stated objectives of TCAT are: to promote the common interest and welfare of the members, to provide cultural and recreational activities for the Taiwanese community, and to better the inter-group relations within the context of Canadian multiculturalism.[1]
TCAT hosts cultural, social, and sport events throughout the year and also publishes three issues of TOGETHER magazines each year.
Two divisions, namely the Formosan Cup Division (tFCD) and the Public Affair Division (tPAD), were established in 1974 and 2009 respectively to focus on special events that promotes multiculturalism.
Missions
- To assist with Taiwanese immigrants, who reside in the GTA, in adapting to the environment of Canada.
- To gather members to serve local communities within the GTA.
- To provide methods of communications between members and all three levels of Canadian governments.
- To maintain and promote Taiwanese culture to the Canadian society.
History
TCAT was founded in the spring of 1963. Professor Assistant, Yi-Ming Huang, and two post graduate students at the University of Waterloo invited about 20 Taiwanese overseas students from Ontario and Quebec to Niagara Fall for a day trip. After dinner, one student suggested to establish an association with a mission to strengthen communication and supports among overseas students from Taiwan. In a unanimous decision, Dr. Yi-Ming Hung and Dr. Chien-Si Cheng were elected as the President and Vice President, respectively.
A year later, TCAT had tremendous increase in memberships and Professor Jui-Yang Lin was elected as the President at the inaugural meeting in Cornwall. TCAT was registered as a non-profit corporation on October 22, 1975. Members in the early days had been devoting their time, effort, and money to Taiwanese democratic activities. Since then, the association has evolved and adapted to increasing immigrants; its events and activities become more diversified.
Structure
- Members
- Board of Directors (BoD)
- President
- Vice-Presidents
- Secretary
- Treasurers
- Directors
- Advisors
- Auditors
- Divisions
- Formosan Cup Division (tFCD)
- Public Affair Division (tPAD)
Membership
All TCAT members meet the following membership criteria:
- Be 18 years of age or older, or with permissions of legal guardians for those under the age of 18
- Agree with all missions of TCAT
Regular Member
- Must meet all membership criteria
- Must reside near the Greater Toronto Area
- The member, his/her spouse or one of the parents was born in Taiwan
Regular members have the right to vote, be elected, recall and resolve.
Supporting Member
- Meets all membership criteria
- Does not meet the requirements of Regular Member
- Must be nominated by two Regular Members
- Must be approved by the BoD
Supporting Members have all the membership privileges except for the following: rights to vote, to be elected, to recall, and to resolve.
Honourary Member
- Meets all membership criteria
- Has made outstanding contributions to the Taiwanese Canadian community or TCAT, or made one time significant donation
- Must be nominated and approved by the BoD
Honourary Members do not need to pay for membership dues, and have all the membership privileges except for the following: rights to vote, to be elected, to recall, and to resolve.
Divisions
Formosan Cup Division
The Formosan Cup Division (tFCD) of TCAT hosts a softball tournament that has been widely regarded as one of the premier Asian softball events in all of North America.[2]
Public Affair Division
The Public Affair Division (tPAD) of TCAT seeks to work selflessly in recruiting members under the TCAT umbrella, with a focus on relatively younger members who are extremely proficient in English or French and have a strong desire for making a difference within our community. In addition, tPAD will strive to make a valiant attempt to slowly build a greater presence for the Taiwanese Canadians in our newly adopted country.
Events
Annual Events
- Spring
- Taiwan Heritage Week/Day[3]
- Parents' Day Celebration
- Summer
- Summer Joint BBQ[4]
- Autumn
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- Winter
- Annual General Meeting[5]
- Lunar New Year Festival[5]
Regular Events
- TCAT Sportacular
- Bi-monthly/Monthly sports events that involve basketball and badminton games.
Special Events
- Aug 2010
- Yen-Hsun Lu at Rogers Cup on Aug 10, 2010[6]
- Feb 2012
- NBA Jeremy Lin vs Toronto Raptors Part I on Feb 14, 2012[7][8]
- Mar 2012
- TCAT 2012 Basketball Night on Mar 15, 2012[9][10]
- NBA Jeremy Lin vs Toronto Raptors Part II on Mar 23, 2012[9]
TOGETHER Magazine
Available for TCAT members only in either printed or electronics format.
Targeted publishing dates for each year:
- Apr 15
- Aug 15
- Dec 15
Affiliations
- World
- World Federation of Taiwanese Associations (WFTA)
- Canada
- Taiwanese Canadian Association (TCA)
- Ontario
- Canadian Multicultural Council - Asians in Ontario (CMC-AO)
- Toronto
- Association of Taiwanese Organizations in Toronto (ATOT)
- Taiwanese Canadian Toronto Credit Union (TCTCU)
- Formosa Evergreen Senior Citizens Centre (FESCC)
See also
References
- ^ "About". TCAT. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
{{cite web}}: Text "TCAT 多倫多台灣同鄉會" ignored (help) - ^ 沈丹心 (2 August 2011). "台灣盃壘球賽 連打三天". 世界新聞網.
- ^ "台灣傳統周推出大型演唱會". 星島日報. 2 May 2011.
- ^ "台僑仲夏燒烤 逾200人參加". 明報新聞網. 9 August 2011.
- ^ a b "多市台灣同鄉會慶新春 顏重岱任新會長". 大紀元. 28 February 2012.
- ^ "「台灣之光、亞洲球王」盧彥勳 晉級32強 將於11日出戰法國選手馬修（Paul-Henri Mathieu）". 中華民國行政院新聞局. 12 August 2010.
- ^ Rachel Brady (13 February 2012). "Toronto embraces New York Star". Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Toronto NBA fans experience 'Lin-sanity'". CBC News. 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b 邱冠銘 (22 February 2012). "林書豪3月再來多 票價飆漲". 世界新聞網.
- ^ "盼林書豪 23日加航中心表演". 世界新聞網. 16 March 2012.